No Thank you,
Tatu
No Thank you,
Tatu
Last edited by Tatu; 02-12-2021 at 05:34 PM.
[ ! ! ! ! ]at last count, he had 62 in his collection...
That said, a scoped 44Mag as a gun, is good to ~ 100 yards on those sized targets -- depending on barrel rest and shooter.
I would suggest [for cast] either of these Keith designs for general/effective purpose
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010282679
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010223433
Any of the 245 or 250 grain Keith style semi-wad cutters are well proven designs for cast in the .44Mag.
The .44Mag has been around long enough, and is so popular, there really isn't any bad bullets out there for them.
The market has flushed out things that don't work well many, many years ago.
As far as power, it'll work for what he wants to do with it.
As I recall, it was originally marketed for hunting black bear at relatively close ranges.
In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.
OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
EVERYONE!
Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.
A Lee 20# bottom pour pot & a Lee 2cav 250gr swc mold, Lee sizing die kit. Pretty cheap, about $125. From there better molds are available for more $$ but it would get him a good start.
EVERY GOOD SHOOTER NEEDS TO BE A HANDLOADER.
NRA Cert. Inst. Met. Reloading & Basic Pistol
If he just wants to try some boolits you might be able to get a few from a member here. In my experience. 44's with properly sized boolits are VERY accurate. Hogs would not be a problem.
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Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.
Yes cast bullets are accurate and deadly. They can cleanly and easily take down game.
Unfortunately its best to measure the revolver cylinder throats before buying sizer dies.
In a nut shell for some cheap easy casting to get his feet wet and see if likes it:
1)A melting pot. Lee makes and inexpensive ones. Top pour will require a label and I recommend the bottom pour pots.
2)A bullet mold. I dont have experiences with 44 Mag but the previous one mentioned is a good style and would do the job for hunting. If RCBs is too expensive look for a similar Lee mold. Not the best but will definitely get his feet wet. You can always get molds latter.
3) a sizer die. Lee makes cheap ones. Best to measure the cylinders first. So maybe a gift card for that one to like Midway.
4) some lead. You find it for sale here on this site clean and ready to use. Shipping bites but atleast its a flat rate and you can fill a box and 60 lbs of lead is a lot of bullets. Otherwise he needs a scrap lead source, heat source (turkey fryer or camping grill....fire), scrap pot to melt the lead in, scrap spoon to scrap crude, and old muffin tin to cast ingots.
4) he needs a flux for the molten lead. Scrap candles work well. I steal my wife's smell good candles but you can donate some so he can a pleasant aroma to remind him of his thoughtful spouse.
5)Bullet lube. Any of the soft commercial lube would serve well. I hear great things about White Label lubes but the old Lyman formulas should work well.
7) an old cake pan to pan lube with. Its easy. Specially with those 44 cal bullets. He just needs to stand them up in the pan. Spaced about .25 inch apart. Then melt the lube with a double boiler and fill the pan. Let the set the bullets in the freezer for a few hours until frozen. Makes the lube hard and shrink so it falls out of the pan. Then you just nock the bullets out the lube block. You can also fashion a "Kake Cutter" from a once fired case. Drill a hole in the bottom and then put a dowel though it. Then just cookie cutter the bullets out and push then out with the dowel.
Thats about all the basic tools and cheap methods from which he can upgrade from. If he has shown an interest in PC you can get a cheap oven from Walmart or maybe find a Prize in the Good will. Then get a cheap sample pack of powders from Smoke on here. That will save you on the above lube needs as the PC replaces that.
I think when I started it was about 100 ish bucks initial investment but not including lead. About 180 including lead. This can expensive quickly with tools.
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"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
~Theodore Roosevelt~
Casting boolit is a very good use of that sheet lead.
It may take blending to harden it up for heavy loads.
Lets do a bit of math. 1 lb. is 7000 grs. A boolit at 250 grs lets you cast 28 boolits per lb.
A ton of lead is 2000 lbs, 2000 times 28 is 56,000 boolits.
Except for the expence of the molds, leadpot and associated stuff you will get 56,000 free boolits.
If your hubby is much l;ike the rest of us he will onjoy the rewards of boolit casting.
At handgun velocities a cast bullet can do most anything a j-word bullet can. With some more intense casting techniques they can even do more.
Along with those two molds there are a variety of other weights and nose shapes that work very well also. The heavier round nose flat point boolits work very well. They penetrate very well and if cast soft the expand very well.
I like the Lee 4-20 pot. Can't beat it for the price. There are other pots that are build heavier and have hold more but these things drive the price up.
Shopping on Ebay or other such sites you may find the molds you want to try.
As mentioned others on here may give or sell you some boolits to try. Won't hurt to ask.
Leo
This see this SAECO#430 at GrafsBoth of those molds were out of stock, so that does me no good.
Midway does have the Handles
as far as sizing and lube goes, I'd suggest a Lee sizer at 0.430" to start (Each revolver will have a preference, but 430's in the middle)
I'd also suggest LEE Liquid ALOX to start -- greasy finger to apply is only equip needed
This is awesome, more wives should do stuff like this. Just know, you're giving him a whole new expensive and time consuming hobby.
My (inflation adjusted) two cents...
Agree with the 429421 Keith-style mold, that's a great all-around bullet shape and has taken down a lot of game. I like the old Lyman/Ideal molds, but they're a bit harder to find, so you might looks for newer manufacturer's copies of the old molds, like NOE. Just search any mold manufacturer's site for 429421 and they should match up that bullet shape to their mold. A 2 cavity is great for starting out, and may cast plenty fast enough even in the long run.
You can also get the original molds on ebay, often in good shape. Check here.
He'll need a lead pot, and you'll hear a lot of opinions about that. In my opinion, if he's new to this and not sure he'll stick with it, I'd get him a cheap Lee 10lb pot, here's one for $34:
https://fsreloading.com/lee-precision-melter-110-v.html
Here's a ladle you can put in the same shopping cart: https://fsreloading.com/lee-precision-lead-ladle.html
I cast several thousand slugs with those exact items, and got some great rounds out of them.
Old candles and sawdust make good flux, but he'll eventually need to come up with some tin to mix with that lead sheeting. You can get 50/50 bar solder on Amazon for relatively cheap, and others here probably have some other sources. But he can certainly start out casting pure lead as long as he doesn't push the powder charge too much.
They'll need to be sized, and the cheap way into that is with one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision.../dp/B00162TISG
As has been mentioned, he may need .429 or .431 instead, depending on the barrel. If you're loading for 60+ revolvers, I'd just buy all 3 sizes.
He can pan lube his first sets and decide later if he wants to coat or buy a lubrisizer. You only need some baking pans to pan lube, and he can either buy commercial lube or make his own out of beeswax, there are a number of good recipes on this forum.
For me, I like to start with the "old-school" way: use scrap lead and sawdust/candle nubs, ladle pour, pan lube with homemade lube from beeswax and vasoline. It's about as cheap and basic and old-school as it gets. And from there, I figure out where I want to modernize the process.
That's enough to cast his first bullets.
I think you said he doesn't load his own cartridges either, and if so, that's a whole different shopping list, which might be difficult to find these days.
You'll get lots of opinions on loading equipment too, and everyone has their own preference. But the Lee challenger press is an entirely usable single-stage press, I've loaded tens of thousands of rounds on one over the past decade, and it's a good, low-cost way to get started without spending thousands, only to find out you prefer a different style or brand of press. But first you need to know how to load, so you know why you might want a different style or brand.
Assuming you can find it in stock anywhere, this is a great way to get get started: Lee Challenger Anniversary Kit
Then your problem becomes finding primers and powder in stock anywhere.
Ignore all that if he already handloads.
Ryan
And good luck
P.m. sent
Paper targets aren't your friends. They won't lie for you and they don't care if your feelings get hurt.
Wow, a wife that wants to get her husband some shooting stuff. That's awesome. My wife just yells at me and tells me to get my stuff out of the house.
I will add;
Welcome to the forum, neighbor!
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This thread is both awesome and scary. My bride doesn't really know how many handguns I have (I don't keep count either), but that you do know how many you have probably means you might enjoy firing a round or two.
If he enjoys casting, there are custom mold makers that produce a superior product. The real problem is him not really knowing what he wants yet. The advice given so far is a great start then the sky is the limit. I personally never feel that jacketed bullets are better than quality self cast bullets.
Just... wow. Unbelievable that we have folks like that here - I've found everyone to be helpful because we're aware we were new to this hobby at some point too. I'm sorry you had that experience.
I can second what the other fellas have said - Lee 10 lb bottom-pour pot, a few Lee sizing kits around .430 - .432 in size, a Keith-style semi-wadcutter (SWC) mold around 240 grains (make sure you either get handles with it or order them) in at least 2-cavity but 4-cavity and up would be really nice. He can pan-lube to start with melted wax lube inexpensively.
Last edited by AndyC; 01-07-2021 at 08:49 PM.
from day one i have relied on Lee Precision for all my reloading and bullet making molds. They are of the highest quality and the lowest cost anywhere in the market. I have been reloading and in some cases making my own bullets for 20 years. Never have had any problems from lee products.
Depending on what your budget is, you can start really basic and inexpensively. A mold and handles and a lead ladle. He can probably find an old pot to melt lead in (not aluminum) and a heat source. He should be able to find a bit of lead to give it a try. If he is going to like it, he’ll be off and running and buying all sorts of accessories and you won’t be able to stop him.
Welcome Tatu.
Back in the day, I started out casting with one of the smaller cast iron pots. Maybe 1 1/2 quart, a long ice tea spoon for skimming, a rawhide hammer, but a hammer handle will do or a stick of wood to thump the sprue plate. Some wheel weights and a Coleman camp stove for heat. Very basic but very functional. If you don't want to pay the price for 50/50 solder, you can get tin in the form of pewter items at the thrift stores, i.e. Good Will, Saint Vinnies etc. Most of it is right at 97% tin. You can also purchase good moulds on ebay, but make sure there are plenty of pics, so to check the condition.
Regards
If a 41 won't stop it, I wouldn't bet my life on a 44.
Tatu,
Welcome to the forum.
My suggestion is that your husband...and maybe you as well?...read this book, it's online and you can read it for free. Reading this book is a great way to fully understand what you are getting into. Casting boolits is a hobby all onto itself, for anyone who likes creating something. While you are working with hot, molten metal, if you take the proper precautions it is completely safe.
From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners ©
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
― The Dalai Lama, Seattle Times, May 2001
PM sent.
Farmer66
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |