I need help picking a mold........

[klcarroll]

Well, ….since the Federal Government isn’t helping any with my shooting budget, I need to make my hardware decisions carefully, ….and hopefully only once!

I need to hear some suggestions on the “right” bullet mold to buy.

I have a TC Contender carbine with a TC 14” .44 Mag barrel. (…And a permanently attached muzzle break to make it a nice, legal 16.25 inches.) I am planning on using my old favorite Unique, and I am looking for a cast boolit design in the 240-270 grain neighborhood, that will give me a nice, medium, “walkin’ around load” in the 1200 - 1300 fps range.

I anticipate that most of these will get shot at jackrabbits and beer cans, but it would be nice if I could use it for the occasional larger game.

So, …..My quandary is: Whose mold design? ……What weight? …..What base style? ……And can I get away without the expense of gas checks??

Kent

[R.C. Hatter]

For a .44 Magnum, sans gas check, as you seem to not wish to use them, I believe the Lyman # 429421 240-250 gr. mould would serve you about as well as any. This is a plain base mould. While you can use Unique, you will get better results from Alliant #2400 or Hodgdon's H-110 in .44 Magnum, especially with a 16" barrel.

[jhrosier]

Kent,
I am getting good results with the Lee 240 gr SWC tumble lube boolit from my handguns.
It is a plain base with a very small (aprox 1/32") bevel.
I shoot these unsized and lubed with LLA, from my .44 Ruger single action revolver.

Jack

[C1PNR]

If you're lucky you might even find that 429421 in a 4 C instead of the usual 2 C.

Of course, there's always RCBS which sold both 44-245KT and 44-250KT moulds in 2 C. I also have a 2 C brass NEI 427 250.

All of the above are SWC and PB.

[Shuz]

I suggest you buy a 429421 in 4C. Round groove or square groove--mas nix!

[Heavy lead]

Another vote for the 429421, I have a new Lyman 4 cavity, after a little tweaking it is casting and shooting well, also it has a square lube groove, which I am not convinced is better than round, but FWIW, I like the RCBS 44-250K or KT design better as it has a bigger meplat, which may or may not be important to you. I use 10 grains of Unique with all these boolits and all my 44's like it, revolvers only, I have no 44 rifle.

[NSP64]

KLCarroll , I shoot the lee 310gr RF design without the GC out of my Encore pistol. I use 16gr of IMR4227 gives me a nice recoiling(push instead of snap) 1100 fps.

[hedgehorn]

+1 on the 429421. The RCBS 250 KT is a great boolit too!

[Tom Herman]

For a .44 Magnum, sans gas check, as you seem to not wish to use them, I believe the Lyman # 429421 240-250 gr. mould would serve you about as well as any. This is a plain base mould. While you can use Unique, you will get better results from Alliant #2400 or Hodgdon's H-110 in .44 Magnum, especially with a 16" barrel.

The 429421 is a wonderful mold that turns out a great bullet! Of all my molds of any caliber, this is the one that is the most joy to use.
It will drop a roughly 240 grain Keith style bullet.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[klcarroll]

Wow! .......The 429421 sure got a lot of votes!

Do any of you guys have 100 of those boolits you'd be willing to sell me, ....so that I can try a few loads before buying the mold??

Thanks for all the great info!

Kent

[leadeye]

+1 on the RCBS 250 KT. I shoot more of these than any other 44.

[klcarroll]

Leadeye;

I took a look at the RCBS number you mentioned, and it appears to be identical to the 429421.

I also noticed that RCBS moulds seem to be even more expensive than their Lyman equivalents. I’ve never owned an RCBS mould: ……..Are they truly worth the extra money??

Kent

[sundog]

+1 on the RCBS 250 KT.

Have I ever mentioned how much I like RCBS moulds???? Huh? Prolly not.

'Course, if you end up with the Ly , you'll still be okay.

[kir_kenix]

The 240 gr Lee is a good shooter. Mine has only the faintest of bevel base, but I have seen pics of others that have much more of a bevel then mine. It shoots well and is easy to cast with. Maybe not the best .44 boolit of all time, but I have had good luck with it at lower velocieties (1000-1200 fps).

Good luck, you'll find something as there are a ton of good .44 molds out there.

[carpetman]

I had a RCBS 250KT and I shot my .44 very little. Chaos now has that mold and he uses the heck out of it and likes it. Get an RCBS---it should last you a lifetime--make it a one time investment.

[carpetman]

klcarroll---Gas checks use to be copper or gilding metal whatever gilding metal might be. Now, from the price it appears they are 24kt. My experience, even with .22 cast shot at higher velocities, they do as well without them as with them. I'd buy a non gas check mold.

[Heavy lead]

Leadeye;

I took a look at the RCBS number you mentioned, and it appears to be identical to the 429421.

I also noticed that RCBS moulds seem to be even more expensive than their Lyman equivalents. I’ve never owned an RCBS mould: ……..Are they truly worth the extra money??

Kent

I have both, the answer to your question is yes, they are. The RCBS has a wider meplat, at least mine does, however I shoot more of the Lyman as it is a 4 cavity.