Pure lead bullet with a gas check?

[Charlie Horse]

Would it be a good idea to cast some pure lead gas check bullets for hunting? I'm trying to get expansion. I have a 44 caliber Lee mold. The gun is a 10" Contender. The lead would be roof sheathing. They would be loaded to near maximum for deer hunting purposes.

[Winger Ed.]

For the speeds you'll be doing, and a gas check, I'd go on the soft side too.
You might have a problem with mold fill out unless ya put some amount of 'goodies' in the alloy.

I wouldn't split hairs about expansion on how soft you can cast,
I'd go for the softest alloy that makes super high quality, and accurate boolits.
I cast a lot with 1/2 pure lead, and 1/2 wheel weights, sometimes with a bump of 95/5 solder.

Be aware they will be a little heavier than the specified alloy your mold is listed at.
For example: my favorite 405 gr. .45 cal. mold for .45-70 drops close to 420gr. with my soft alloy.
Also, softer means more expansion, a larger wound channel... and may be too much of a good thing in some cases.

Shot placement/accuracy is more important than getting an extra 1/8th or 1/4 inch of expansion.
A well placed shot with a hot loaded .44 will put down, and hold down anything walking around in North America.

[DHDeal]

I cast with 2 alloys now. For just enjoying banging steel I'll use an alloy that works out to be 50/50 COWW and pure with 2.5% tin. For a bullet where I may want to hunt with I'll cast 20/1 pure and tin. I haven't ever even tried to cast just lead and won't as those 2 alloys cast so well.

For your purposes I'd add some tin and while it will be somewhat harder, you'll still get a malleable alloy that will stand up to some velocity.

You mentioned 44 caliber but not which case.

[John Boy]

Who says you need soft lead bullets with gas checks to drop a deer?

[contender1]

Short answer, not a real good idea.
Leading in the barrel is very possible,, even with a GC. Expansion, at max velocities,, may even cause pieces coming off the bullet, resulting in lower penetration.

First off,, ,what are you using now?
What kind of accuracy are you getting?
Accuracy should rule in ANY ammo used in hunting, accompanied by bullet placement.

I've been handgun hunting for over 35 years for big game, and even longer for small game. Here is what I'd suggest for a cast bullet.
Match the bullet diameter to the bore. (You have slugged the barrel, right?)
Next, load a bullet of the proper diameter, of a hard enough material to not lead when fired at normal velocities, that will be the most accurate load you can assemble & match to the gun.
In general, a cast bullet, of that caliber,,, moving from about 900 fps to 1200 fps will be the best option, and will reliably anchor a deer anywhere in North America. (As well as many larger critters too.)
In general, pure lead will not be the best choice,, even with a GC.
And velocity will not be the best choice over accuracy.

BTW; As a Hunter Safety Instructor,, I teach ethics in my classes. An animal deserves an ethical clean kill. Poor accuracy, poor bullet selection, can translate into a wounded animal. Do you want to gamble on a deer of a lifetime,, or even one necessary to feed the family with poor choices?
(BTW; Last year,, I made a mercy kill of a poorly shot 7 pt buck, that someone else made a bad choice of their decisions. He was gut shot 1-2 days prior to my killing him, with part of his guts exposed.)

Look at the above responses as to an alloy choice.

[Charlie Horse]

Short answer, not a real good idea.
Leading in the barrel is very possible,, even with a GC. Expansion, at max velocities,, may even cause pieces coming off the bullet, resulting in lower penetration.

First off,, ,what are you using now?
What kind of accuracy are you getting?
Accuracy should rule in ANY ammo used in hunting, accompanied by bullet placement.

I've been handgun hunting for over 35 years for big game, and even longer for small game. Here is what I'd suggest for a cast bullet.
Match the bullet diameter to the bore. (You have slugged the barrel, right?)
Next, load a bullet of the proper diameter, of a hard enough material to not lead when fired at normal velocities, that will be the most accurate load you can assemble & match to the gun.
In general, a cast bullet, of that caliber,,, moving from about 900 fps to 1200 fps will be the best option, and will reliably anchor a deer anywhere in North America. (As well as many larger critters too.)
In general, pure lead will not be the best choice,, even with a GC.
And velocity will not be the best choice over accuracy.

BTW; As a Hunter Safety Instructor,, I teach ethics in my classes. An animal deserves an ethical clean kill. Poor accuracy, poor bullet selection, can translate into a wounded animal. Do you want to gamble on a deer of a lifetime,, or even one necessary to feed the family with poor choices?
(BTW; Last year,, I made a mercy kill of a poorly shot 7 pt buck, that someone else made a bad choice of their decisions. He was gut shot 1-2 days prior to my killing him, with part of his guts exposed.)

Look at the above responses as to an alloy choice.

I've been using a hard cast 429421 bullet in a 44 mag Contender. I punches right through both sides of a deer. Haven't lost a deer yet but I figure a little expansion couldn't hurt.

[contender1]

Deer season is here. Why try testing or changing something that works when you need it now. If you want to experiment,, wait until after the season & then see how it performs.

[Charlie Horse]

I was just wondering if anyone uses a dead-soft bullet with a gas check. That is all.

[ASSASSIN]

I have been loading that very thing for a friend of mine.

Bullet weight is 312 gr. with a gas check / pure lead / loaded to 1,000 fps..

Frank is shooting this bullet and load out of a Ruger Redhawk and shot a buck and doe with it this year. The entrance hole on both deer was big enough to stick your thumb in, the heart and lungs were totally wrecked, and the bullets exited with a golf ball size hole.

Both shots were less than 40 yards, broadside, and just behind the front shoulder where the only bones hit were ribs. One deer dropped in it's tracks, the other one ran about 50 yards before piling up.

If you are going to push your loads harder, I would recommend shooting a deer at the top point of the front shoulder, but that's just my opinion.

[too many things]

yes the pure works very good w the gc i like it
hey back in the 1800s they didnt have WW or GC and many many are in the ground

[Larry Gibson]

I find an alloy of 16-1 (lead - tin) binary alloy withstands the the acceleration with top end 44 magnum loads in my 10" Contender, revolvers and rifles. That alloy gives excellent accuracy and expansion. Suggest you add 1 ounce of tin per pound of your roof sheathing lead. It will also cast excellent bullets.

[mfraser264]

Pure lead and a gas check will work just fine.

[Petander]

I find an alloy of 16-1 (lead - tin) binary alloy withstands the the acceleration with top end 44 magnum loads in my 10" Contender, revolvers and rifles. That alloy gives excellent accuracy and expansion. Suggest you add 1 ounce of tin per pound of your roof sheathing lead. It will also cast excellent bullets.

This alloy blend is what I like,too.

I don't hunt with cast bullets but pure is the most available so I'm trying to save my stash of WW, lino etc antimony / tin alloys. That's why I shoot soft alloys,too. Might get explosion instead of expansion with pure lead... They open up like crazy... ?

I would choose a j-bullet for deer / 44 mag but it's not legal where I live. 44 is underpowered no matter what.

I add coating for cleanliness, here is excellent Carolina Blue from Smoke, both BHN 8 bullets smashed twice on an anvil.

[centershot]

A 44 Mag in a 10" Contender was my first choice for deer hunting for many years. I loaded a 250 gr. Keith SWC over a max charge of H-110, no gas check needed. Elmer certainly didn't use one, that was good enough for me. No leading in my bore, bullets were straight WW. Yes, they killed deer quite well, plowed a hole straight through them from any angle.

[Petander]

I only replied because OP was asking about pure lead.

Yes you can shoot pure 44 mag full power, I do, especially coated & GC is easy. But some added tin is better.

To hunt or not to hunt is another question, I find pure HP 44 mag mostly explosive varmint ammo.

WW I would hunt deer no probs.

[downzero]

I would do that and then powder coat it. In fact, that's what I carry on the street, a hollow point made from stick on wheel weights, powdercoated.

[fredj338]

I would add a bit of tin for good fill-out, but I dont feel you need a gc under 1200fps or so. The bullet wont expand much on deer broadside but even in HP form, the bullet will exit.

[Larry Gibson]

sknhgy

You don't say which Lee bullet, the 240 GC or the 310 GC?

A "near magnum load" with the 240 gr GC bullet will run 1500 - 1600 fps and close to 1400 fps with the 310 GC bullet out of the 10" Contender. That is asking an awful lot of pure lead, even with a GC. A 20-1 or, preferably with the 240 gr bullet, a 16-1 alloy will get you accuracy and plenty of expansion along with penetration.

[Harter66]

I don't do 44 Mag or special .......
I read somewhere that some guy named Kieth had a hand in the 44 mag and worked up loads in SAAs , and broke more than a few , with 1-16 tin lead .

I like 45s and a 1050 fps 454424 cast of 50/50 + tin water cooled plain based made a 45 hole in and a 50 hole out in a 165# boar hog wrecking both lungs and and passing through 2 ft of shields , ribs , hide , meat , and organs . This held true from powder burn to 47 paces . Seems like if it was good enough for Elmer Kieth , worked on Texas hogs for me , and I'm no master shooter , it'll probably do well enough for most people to poke a lethal hole in a deer .

Personally I don't think I'd try it on elk , moose , grizz , or bison but whatever makes you feel good .

[Ohio Rusty]

I shoot a 14 inch contender for deer in .44 mag. I cast a HP boolit, 429244 with a 50/50 mix of WW's and pure lead. It does very well on deer. They don't go anywhere when hit. I could probably even go a bit softer alloy.
Ohio Rusty ><>