Even though the Catshooter is back, he has graciously conceded to let me run my own version of the Keith SWC in 44 Caliber. My version is different than his which ran about a year and a half ago. I want to be sure to mention that Cat IS running a 44-caliber boolit soon. His will be a medium-weight RNFP. So, if you want an economical boolit for using in your lever-gun or for CAS, definitely check out his group buy for that. (When it goes up, I’ll put a link here.)
Back to the KEITH –
Many of you saw or posted to the interest thread (here). Basically, there are a LOT of moulds out there that call themselves a KEITH or KEITH-TYPE boolit. We went back and read what Elmer had to say about his boolit design, as well as sampled many old and new boolits (mostly thanks to member GLL – we all owe him a debt of gratitude for helping with this), that claim to be, or really are, Keith-style boolits. After doing a lot of measuring and comparing, the following design has been established:
Here’s the drawing:
Some specifics:
The front and middle drive bands are as close to an RCBS 44-250-KT (part #82044) as we're going to get. They are exactly the same width as close as I can measure them.
The crimp groove is very, very close to the Ballisti-Cast #1103, which is, of course, the heir to the original H&G #503, a mould Elmer praised in his later years as being the only “real” Keith mould available then (the early 70s). (I would also point out that this crimp groove is extremely similar to the OLD Ideal #429421; therefore, I believe the Ballisti-Cast moulds of today are still quite authentic to the original Keith.) A side-benefit of this type crimp groove is that it will hold some lube in there, if you’re so inclined to put it there.
The meplat and nose shape is as close to the RCBS & Ideal boolits as possible. The meplat measurements are virtually identical to the RCBS. This is a slight variance from the original Keith, because it is wider by a few thousandths. When it comes to meplats; wider IS better...
The base band was modified to be a little longer than the middle and front bands. This was to resist the hotter, slower-burning powders of today and to make sure the steering end of the boolit had a good long length. This helps accuracy, avoids leading, and helps the balance of the bullet. It’s so little longer than the mid and front bands that it’s hard to see a difference by eye.
The lube groove is modified as well. The only criticism I had of the RCBS 82044 was that the lube groove seemed shallow (but not necessarily too small in width). I also did not think the enormously wide and deep lube groove of the Ideal 429421 was necessary thanks to our modern lubes working so much better. BUT, I didn't want anyone shooting traditional lubes, like 50/50 or SPG, etc., to suffer from insufficient lube, so I sized the lube groove to be deeper then the RCBS, but the same width. This provides enough lube volume without being excessively large.
The weight is a little on the heavy side. Depending on how close Lee cuts it, this boolit will weigh out at 265grs from straight WWs and a few grains lighter (~260-262grs or so) out of WW+2% tin. While I know Keith often disparaged designs that claimed to follow his formula, but turned out heavier, this design doesn't go too heavy, and it really does follow all of his principles. Also, keep in mind that Keith cast from 1:16 tin-to-lead, so this would account for a little (very little) weight difference in our favor also.
So, is this an EXACT duplicate of a Keith boolit? No. It is really, really close, though. The changes are very slight and are only incorporated to address changes due to modern powders and lubes. The important principles that Elmer outlined as absolute requirements are still there.
Here's a sketch of it in the chamber of a 44 Spl. (Please note the crimp groove is not the same as the final version, but all other dimensions are.)
PLEASE NOTE!! As you can see, this bullet has a long, full-diameter front band. Note how it will engage and jam in the throat of a chamber (revolver or rifle), if you do not size the boolit to your throat diameter. Recall that Elmer wanted this, because it centers the cartridge and boolit in the chamber. I just want you to be aware, because if you buy this mould, you must measure your throats and size accordingly. (Probably something most if not all members of this forum know and do anyway, but I had to have a disclaimer about this.)
Another disclaimer: Keith SWCs have TOO LONG of a front band and out-of-case length to feed properly in many/most lever-action rifles. This is usually dealt with by seating the boolit so that the front edge of the front band sits even with the case mouth. (Or just above it, with a separate crimp die crimping the mouth into the front band somewhere.) However, I’m making no promises this boolit will work in your lever-action. If you want a boolit that will feed in your lever-gun, please check out Catshooter’s medium-weight RNFP group buy that will be up soon, if not already.
I am specifying this mould be cut to .433”, which means that it will drop from the mould at about .432”. Given Lee’s tolerance of +/-.000” to +.003”, these could come out as big as .435”, but we won’t really know until we get the moulds from Lee. Of course, you can size down, or if they are too small for your application, Beagling is the fix.
Cost of this Group buy will be $69 per 6-cavity Lee Aluminum mould, shipping included. (There’s a $1 donation for this website, and some money to provide free moulds to a couple people who were instrumental in helping this design/group buy come about.)
As on all of my group buys, please post below if you are in. Once I get a firm 25-30 moulds ordered, I will PM you payment info and ask for your return shipping address. If you live outside the USA, note that in your post, and I’ll address shipping costs in my PM back to you.
Isn’t she beautiful?
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Originally Posted by Meatco1
