My .433-400 Mountain Mold!

[oldfartz]

WOW! Nice bullet design. Did you save the specs on it?

[leftiye]

Thanks for sharing with us WCF. I've got a Handi .444. I expect that it's the same barrel as your 1 in 20 Marlin (it is 1 in 20, and made by Marlin, after all). It offers me hope that the shallow rifling will shoot well. Thanks again. Ted

[405 WCF]

Back home from a week at work.
Sorry that my reply is late, but we dont have acess to any computer were we live in the weeks, so.....

leftiye! You wrote:
///Did you save the specs on it? ///
No, but I have it in my head, and I will try to do a copy and post it here.

HangFireW8! You wrote:
///Did you design it yourself, or is this a stock item I can ask for?
How was his lead time?
If you don't mind, about how much $$ are we talking here?///

The bullet is just a heavier modell of my 350 gr bullet that I designed, with help ofcourse, some years ago.

I got the mold within a mounth after ordering.

I bought a single cavity aluminium mold.
IIRC, I think it was 105 USD shipping included.

[405 WCF]

Todays test was to try my friends XLR, just to compare velocity.
42 grs Norma 202 was 1683 fps out of my 22 " barrel, and 1742 out of the XLR.
BC, if correct, is around .250.

Still no signs of any pressure at all......

[Leadforbrains]

Nice looking boolits. Hey 405 WCF does your mold drop them at .433? Do you size them at all?
If so then what size are you running those and what alloy are you using.
I am looking for something similar to what you are doing for my .444P Outftter.
Thanks in advance for any additional info.

[405 WCF]

Back home from work.
We have just finished the work project we was working with, and now we have a new project close to were I live, so, there will be a lot of time in the evenings to play with bullets and so!!

My molds from MM drop the bullets at .433.
I size them .432.
Most of the time, I cast my bullets out of pure WW.

Here is some data a guy from Sweden calculated with his QuickLoad:

Nitrochemie A/S 0300 97,5 40,0 1840 99,4 42000 4070 1,436

SNPE Vectan SP 10 99,7 42,6 1816 95,8 42000 4183 1,449

PB Clermont PCL 508 99,7 42,7 1815 95,8 42000 4178 1,449

Alliant Reloder-10x 103,7 39,1 1815 99,4 42000 3936 1,457

Hodgdon H335 100,0 43,7 1814 95,7 42000 4221 1,448

SNPE Vectan Sp 7 104,0 44,6 1814 94,1 41703 4227 1,463

Ramshot X-Terminator 97,6 41,8 1813 96,8 42000 4115 1,451

Bofors RP1/NP ~approximation 94,9 39,3 1811 99,8 42000 3868 1,475

Norma 200 94,9 39,3 1811 99,8 42000 3868 1,475

ADI AR 2219 99,3 41,0 1810 96,9 42000 4094 1,447

Ramshot TAC 103,8 44,5 1804 92,5 42000 4235 1,453

Winchester 748 104,0 44,8 1793 92,4 40002 4301 1,474

Accurate 2230 102,8 44,1 1792 93,8 42000 4064 1,465

Somchem S321 104,0 44,8 1787 92,2 39836 4253 1,482

ADI AR 2207 97,0 36,3 1787 100,0 42000 3535 1,464

Accurate 2460 104,0 44,6 1783 93,4 39876 4131 1,491

Hodgdon H322 104,0 40,4 1781 96,3 39779 4036 1,479

Alliant Reloder-12 104,0 42,4 1772 96,4 40522 3963 1,478

Accurate 2015 104,0 40,3 1770 98,5 38929 3869 1,506

Lovex-D0832 104,0 43,9 1770 95,9 39600 4016 1,484

Vihtavuori N530 104,0 41,8 1769 91,9 39765 4092 1,488

Vihtavuori N130 103,9 39,3 1765 99,2 42000 3661 1,474

ADI AR 2210 99,0 40,9 1765 93,6 42000 3913 1,475

Alliant Reloder- 7 95,4 36,9 1763 99,6 42000 3597 1,483

IMR 4198 100,1 35,9 1762 99,7 42000 3523 1,464

Lovex-D0733 100,3 42,8 1762 92,6 42000 3892 1,474

Norma 202 104,0 42,5 1757 94,5 37004 4110 1,521

Accurate 2200 95,5 38,8 1755 94,8 42000 3791 1,478

ADI BM2 96,4 41,1 1755 93,5 42000 3855 1,480

Kazan Sunar 308W 99,8 39,0 1755 98,9 42000 3625 1,481

PB Clermont PCL 507 104,0 43,4 1754 91,0 38262 4114 1,509

Vihtavuori N120 97,0 36,3 1753 100,0 42000 3254 1,473

Lovex-D0731 100,0 42,6 1753 91,6 42000 3860 1,476

Accurate 1680 84,4 36,3 1745 97,8 42000 3604 1,483

Hodgdon Benchmark 104,0 41,0 1742 93,0 41009 3827 1,495

Norma 201 104,0 42,5 1740 91,1 37153 4065 1,541


Well, if we look at the posted data, computer made, (QuickLoad) but still pretty close to the truth, a 400 gr bullet can be launched within safe pressure limits at or around 1800 fps out of a 22 in 444 Marlin barrel.
With a 24 in XLR barrel, the velocity is around 60 fps higher.

New load tested!
This time with Hodgdon H335.

40 grs = 1732 fps
41 grs = 1759 fps
42 grs = 1782 fps.

No pressure signs!!!

Have to cast now, only 3 bullets left.

Must add that I was wong about the BC.
After testing BC again, I found out that it was .230 and not the .250 I wrote earlier.

Calculated ballistic data

Muzzle velocity: 1782 fps
Bullet weight: 402 grs
Ballistic coefficient: .230
Altitude: 1361 ft
Temp: 14 °F
Sight height: 1.5 in
Max range: 150 yd
Increment: 10 yd
Zero range: 100 yd


Range Velocity Energy Trajectory Total drop Flight time
0 yd 1782 fps 2834 ft.lbs -1.5 in 0 in 0 sec
10 yd 1750 fps 2734 ft.lbs -0.79 in 0.06 in 0.017 sec
20 yd 1719 fps 2637 ft.lbs -0.19 in 0.23 in 0.035 sec
30 yd 1688 fps 2544 ft.lbs 0.29 in 0.52 in 0.052 sec
40 yd 1658 fps 2453 ft.lbs 0.65 in 0.94 in 0.07 sec
50 yd 1628 fps 2364 ft.lbs 0.88 in 1.48 in 0.089 sec
60 yd 1598 fps 2279 ft.lbs 0.98 in 2.15 in 0.107 sec
70 yd 1569 fps 2196 ft.lbs 0.95 in 2.95 in 0.126 sec
80 yd 1540 fps 2116 ft.lbs 0.78 in 3.89 in 0.145 sec
90 yd 1511 fps 2038 ft.lbs 0.48 in 4.96 in 0.165 sec
100 yd 1484 fps 1964 ft.lbs 0 in 6.21 in 0.185 sec
110 yd 1456 fps 1893 ft.lbs -0.62 in 7.6 in 0.205 sec
120 yd 1430 fps 1824 ft.lbs -1.41 in 9.16 in 0.226 sec
130 yd 1404 fps 1759 ft.lbs -2.38 in 10.9 in 0.247 sec
140 yd 1379 fps 1697 ft.lbs -3.53 in 12.83 in 0.269 sec
150 yd 1355 fps 1638 ft.lbs -4.87 in 14.93 in 0.291 sec


My last testload was 43 grs Hodgdon H335, and that load was 1818 fps.

Even if QuickLoad says that 43,7 grs is max, I will draw the line here.
43 grs is my max, and will be my "go to" load.

I think that the ballistics is pretty impressive!!!!!!

Calculated ballistic data

Muzzle velocity: 1818 fps
Bullet weight: 402 grs
Ballistic coefficient: .230
Altitude: 1361 ft
Temp: 14 °F
Sight height: 1.5 in
Max range: 150 yd
Increment: 10 yd
Zero range: 100 yd


Range Velocity Energy Trajectory Total drop Flight time
0 yd 1818 fps 2950 ft.lbs -1.5 in 0 in 0 sec
10 yd 1786 fps 2846 ft.lbs -0.81 in 0.05 in 0.017 sec
20 yd 1754 fps 2746 ft.lbs -0.23 in 0.22 in 0.034 sec
30 yd 1723 fps 2649 ft.lbs 0.24 in 0.5 in 0.051 sec
40 yd 1692 fps 2554 ft.lbs 0.59 in 0.9 in 0.069 sec
50 yd 1661 fps 2463 ft.lbs 0.81 in 1.42 in 0.087 sec
60 yd 1631 fps 2375 ft.lbs 0.91 in 2.07 in 0.105 sec
70 yd 1601 fps 2289 ft.lbs 0.88 in 2.84 in 0.124 sec
80 yd 1572 fps 2206 ft.lbs 0.72 in 3.75 in 0.143 sec
90 yd 1543 fps 2125 ft.lbs 0.43 in 4.79 in 0.162 sec
100 yd 1514 fps 2047 ft.lbs 0 in 5.97 in 0.181 sec
110 yd 1487 fps 1973 ft.lbs -0.61 in 7.32 in 0.201 sec
120 yd 1459 fps 1901 ft.lbs -1.35 in 8.81 in 0.221 sec
130 yd 1433 fps 1832 ft.lbs -2.26 in 10.47 in 0.242 sec
140 yd 1407 fps 1767 ft.lbs -3.36 in 12.31 in 0.263 sec
150 yd 1382 fps 1704 ft.lbs -4.63 in 14.34 in 0.285 sec

Here is the drawings:



Now, some important stuf!
With this bulletdesign, some rifle's will need some tuning on the inside front of the loading gate.
My old micro-groove Marlin will take the loaded round through the loading gate smooth and nice, and the same is for my fathers ballard Marlin, but my new rifle will need to have the sharp edge inside the front of the loading gate removed.
No big deal, just a few minutes with a dremmel multi tool, but all of you 444 shooters that is interested in this bullet, must know that before ordering a mold of my design.

[Leadforbrains]

Nice work!! Thanks again for all the great information!!!!

[Whistler]

Shameless bump of this thread as I actually bought this mould from 405 WCF.

Here are my first tries with it using straight WW and water drop.
The lube is LBT Blue and the GC are made of aluminum using the Freechex III tool.



However I have never owned a rifle in my entire life, this is going to be great fun in my BFR .444 Marlin!

[Dark Helmet]

So you say today.