redhawk 44mag load ideas

[jlmomaha]

I just bought a ruger redhawk 4" i have shot some 240gr magtech factory loads..

well I am going to be reloading for this gun, I have alot of bluedot laying around, my dilemma is what mold to get I would like to stick with Lee, I have been looking hard at the 310gr..

I want to have a plinking round, but also protection in the woods from bears, I was thinking a light powder load 310 for plinking and heavy 310 powder load for bear..

please give me Ideas on mold selection and load data, I will probably pan lube and TL each boolit.. I do not want to GC the boolits, so my other question is must I GC a GC boolit design?

Thanks for all your help I am new to revolvers and 44 mags, and need all the guidance I can get..

Thank you

[jlmomaha]

any one have any input?

[GP100man]

Nope I shoot the 310 lee with 17gr IMR 4227 under it lit with a std/mag WW LP primer

Burns clean & does a nice job out of a Redhawk 7 1/2" barrel.

[Heavy lead]

I use the Lee mold and like it, I don't, however use it for plinking, but suppose without a check, tumble lubed you could get by with about 8.5 grains of Unique, should get you about 850-900 fps or so.
Where that boolit shines though is pushed full bore with a gas check. In my 5.5" Redhawk (and a couple other guns as well) 18.7 grains of 'Lil Gun over a CCI 350 is a good load for me. 296, H110 would be others.
My plinking load (although it chrono's about 1100 fps out of the Redhawk) is Mihec's 503 clone (a Keith style 250 grain swc) over 10 grains of Unique and a Federal 150 primer.
I don't tumble lube anything, I use BAC on most everything.
The Lee boolit may not be stable unless you push it hard, it may be fine to 25 yards, and maybe even 50, but may start tipping after that, but that may be fine for what you want to do.
Hope this helps.

[GP100man]

I gotta Lee 270 gr. plain based mold that would work better !

It cam to me a little ruff but I got it cleaned up & cast a few with it .

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0397.jpg

[btroj]

I would go with a lighter bullet for plinking. Lee has a swc in the 240 grain range that would be good.
As for no gas check on a bullet, don't know, haven't tried it. I would just keep the 310 for full power loads and use the gc. Get a plain base bullet for everything else.
My SRH does well with an oversize Keith type bullet that was a group buy here. Sized 532 it works well at any safe velocity. No leading and good accuracy. It fills my needs just fine.

[jlmomaha]

awesome, any info pertaining to 44 magnums is helpful im in uncharted territory here..lol. I have read many articles here but the more knowledge i can get the better, and especially with mold selection help..

Thanks for any help, you guys are always great!!

[zxcvbob]

If you want over 300 grains, go with a musclebound .45 Colt (like a Blackhawk) instead of .44 Mag. You need the extra case capacity IMHO.

Does Lee still make a .430 mold in-between 240 grains and 300? (that 270gn pictured above looks really nice)

[bhn22]

Even from a Redhawk, 300+ gr bullets need to be started at 1100 fps plus to stabilize. Buy one of NOEs 429421 if you want utility. 240 to 270 gr should do double duty.

[MT Gianni]

In my 92 no gas checks in the 310 Lee = loss of accuracy. Go with that for a heavy and a 429421 Keith for most of your use.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
With a 4" barrel , you might get better performance with faster powders like Unique.
This would especially true with lighter bullets under 250grs.
I have tried 180's, 225's, 240's, 250's, and the 320gr.
I liked the 250 gr. the best so far. I did not like the 320 gr.
I am going to try the 265gr. RD this year.
If you go with the 300gr & up in weight bullets any powder will do, that you can find load data for, as it will mostly burn in the barrel and not burned after the bullet has exited the barrel.
If you are new to shooting the 44, and have not shot other large bore magnum pistols, I would not recommend the 300gr. & heavier bullets to start with. They can be punishing with most loads.

[jlmomaha]

what are some good cheap cast bullets to buy so that I may try some heavy and light bullets?

[btroj]

Any commercial cast that fits you guns throats will work. My SRH has .432 throats and if I shoot bullets smaller than that I get bad leading. If you have the ability to check the throat size it will make things much easier.
Where do you live? I assume from your handle it is in Omaha. If so, PM me and I can get you some cast to try as I live in Bellvue.
Getting the right diameter bullet can make all the difference. Fit is number one in a revolver. If it fits, it should shoot. If it doesn't fit, good luck and hope you like cleaning lead out.

[Calamity Jake]

what are some good cheap cast bullets to buy so that I may try some heavy and light bullets?

Contact the Bullshop a vender here he can make just about any style, weight and hardness that you would need.

[zxcvbob]

what are some good cheap cast bullets to buy so that I may try some heavy and light bullets?

Mastercastbullets.com sells 240 grain SWC's for $92.50 per thousand, and he also has 200's and 300's. He ships via USPS flat rate boxes, so the postage is pretty reasonable. Send Mike an email and see if he'll sell you 500 of the 240's, 200 of the 200's, and a hundred 300's. Or just order a bunch of 200's and a few 300's to try them out and buy you a 240 grain boolit mold -- because that's where you'll end up eventually :D

If you are in a hurry, you might want to order from Missouri Bullets instead. They ship fast, and while I've never used their bullets I have heard good things about them from lots of folks. Mastercast is a smaller outfit and you *might* have to wait a week for him to run a batch of the bullets you want.

[zxcvbob]

BTW, 16.5 grains of Blue Dot with a 250 or 255 grain boolit is a great load for a Ruger .45 Colt (not a max load, but it's getting on up there.) So a 240 with the same amount of powder should be a good load for .44 Mag.

[ph4570]

My Redhawk loves 200 Gr LEE 6 cav boolits pushed by 9.5 Gr Unique for an accurate plinker load.

[jlmomaha]

ok so how would a 240gr do in bear country?

[bhn22]

What kind of bear? Black bears are much smaller than Kodiaks, and don't require as much killing. I believe the main focus here is the dual plinking/hunting load issue. Check out the Vendor section, I think NOE stil has some 265 gr RD moulds. I'd personally prefer a heavy bullet for things that claw & bite, and a lighter bullet for plinking. I'm currently using a Lyman 429244 GC bullet for general use, and I have a 300 GR LBT WFN for a short to medium range stopper.

[saz]

ok so how would a 240gr do in bear country?

IMHO I would go heavier. I have tried the same thing you were talking about. I loaded up some 310 Lee's with no cas check over trail boss. They were fun to shoot, just wont shoot past 25 yards or so- at 50 it looked like i hit the target with a shotgun. I am no expert pistol shooter by any means but they dont do very well going that slow in my SBH. Find yourself a good 240gr mold for plinking, (cant go wrong with a keith boolit) and use the lee 310 for the bear loads. The 310 is a very accurate boolit, and and in my gun can shoot better than I can.

The rule of thumb up here is carry the biggest and heaviest lead you can shoot ACCURATELY. You are looking for penetration; weight = penetration. Will a 240 kill a bear? With the right shot placement yes. Taking on a very angry mama in full charge trying to STOP her in her tracks? I doubt it, and wouldnt risk it. I think you will find that .44 mag with a heavy boolit will dish out all the recoil you will care to deal with.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI.
The 240 gr. will kill a bear. But A rifle is a better choice,than a handgun.
BUT IT IS HARD TO SWING A RIFLE ON TARGET IN A BACKPACKERS TENT.
The medium wt. bullets are good all around bullets. But they are a compromise. The lighter wt. bullets are great plinkers/learning/ training bullets.
I would go no lower than the 225 gr. which will do in deer & varmints (2 & 4 legged) very well.
The mid wts. 240-250 have killed elk & bear. I am aware of a gentleman who has seen 100+ bear killed with the 44 mag. who feels the 240-250 gr. bullets are the best.
There are many who feel the heavy wts. 300 & up grs. ,because of their penetration & making 2 holes to bleed from, are best. They truly do penetrate. They will break bone.
Then there are the light heavies 265-280gr. which I am going to experiment with this year.
Having shot multiple 1,000's of 180"s, 225's,240's & 250's I liked the 225 & 250 best. However when 800+ 225's I have left are gone I probably will not be shooting any more. I feel the 250 is clearly the better of the 2.:Fire::Fire:

[Dale53]

Since this is a cast bullet forum, I will not be out of line if I suggest using your own cast bullets. The Group Buy I am running (a MiHec four cavity brass mould for a clone of the H&G #503 Keith 250 gr SWC) is still open for a few more days. It is an opportunity, my friends, to own one of the finest moulds and finest bullets for the .44 Magnum, ever!

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=95468

I have shot somewhat over 10,000 of the H&G #503 and the similar Lyman 429421 with excellent results taking several large whitetail deer with them running at 1300 fps. I can keep most bullets on a playing card at 100 yards with my Model 29 S&W 8 3/8" with scope as well as my Red Hawk 7½" scoped off a rest. It is an excellent bullet for these handguns (including my .44 Specials, also) and kills quite well. I have shot lengthwise through large deer at 75-85 yards with these loads.

I can think of nothing better for deer, black bear, and hogs. However, if you prefer heavier bullets, then the Lee C430-310-RF GC is an excellent choice.

I DO prefer the 250 gr Keith for general use in the .44's...

Dale53

[btroj]

For bear country why not ask how many here have killed a charging bear with a 44mag. They are the only ones who can provide real input on how it went down.
Before worrying about heavy loads for defense against marauding bear I would work on learning to shoot the darn thing.
Get a mould for Keith bullets like Dale suggested. Cast em up and load em. Find what does, and does not, work in your gun. Then go shoot. A lot.
Then, and only then, can you really begin to plan to defend yourself with the gun from bears. It is not just the load that needs to preform, it is YOU. Can you make the shoot when you have to? Heavy loads into the trees over the bear ain't gonna stop him. Got to hit him first.
The biggest thing I have noticed on this site is that the guys who seem to be good handgun shooters shoot them ALOT. Many shot competition for years. They have learned to shoot them well by putting tens of thousands of rounds downrange. There is no way to replace that kind of knowledge and experience. Practice, and practice with a purpose. Learn from your mistakes. Focus on repeating what works.

[Dale53]

btroj;
I could not have put it better, myself. You are absolutely CORRECT! I am always suggesting that anyone who wants to learn to shoot and shoot well, MUST reload and casting your own bullets is something I have been doing since I was fourteen or so (and I am a LOT older today :bigsmyl2:).

Unless you are a truly WEALTHY person, you can not afford to shoot enough without reloading to become proficient with a handgun. However, I am convinced that most anyone CAN learn to shoot well but it costs time, discipline and effort, and if you cast bullets and reload just a bit of money. Join a pistol league (there is something for every taste out there from NRA Bullseye to IPSC, ICORE and Cowboy Action Shooting to mention a few).

The truly neat thing about handgun shooting is it is a LIFETIME sport. Most basketball players are done by their forties, if not sooner. I am a Certified Old Fart and am still very active with my handguns. It is not only a lifetime sport but it's a lifetime hobby with a LOT of depth.

I was bear hunting in the frozen north (friendly Canada) in a ground blind many years ago (yes, I got my bear). On the weekend, some hunters were gathered, talking. One of them asked me what I would do if a bear entered my blind. I said I would SMILE! That is exactly how an accomplished shooter feels when presented by a "challenge" - CONFIDENT! I was NOT just popping off - I meant it. The accomplished shooters and hunters on this forum know exactly what I am talking about.

Dale53

[TCLouis]

So a get a Lee 200 - 250 plain base to shoot day in and day out plinking your life away. I say Lee, but any will do Lee just makes the 6 banger molds will produce lots of good boolits and lots of good boolits wil lead to lots of good, . . . NO perfect shooting and that will lead to a good sixgun shooter.

A hundred 300s or so should provide a lifetimes worth of bear stopping.

First of all once you shoot a thousand or so of the plinkers, load and shoot a cylinder full of the heavies to note the difference in impact from the plinkers.

Now forget that because under a bear charge I doubt you will ever worry about sight alignment.

Front sight, sight picture, and fire and fire.

[EDK]

I have the NOE clone of the RANCH DOG 432 265 grain round nose flat point in plain base AND the original design in gas check. Good design for a quick reload; big meplat for doing some damage; good compromise weight for multiple purposes. I've got a lot of moulds and various designs, but these are for "the one good load" that you are looking for.

Now you get busy with boolit moulds, sizer and the DILLON machine. Measure your empties, boolits, and live ammo by the three pound coffee can full. Develop an accurate AND controllable load....and shoot a bunch of them on a regular basis. After you have done this, you should have "the cold confidence of a christian with four aces." IF you don't, either practice more or stay on the concrete!

Your choice of revolvers is good. Longer barrels tend to stay home when they ought to be with you. Get a quality holster and belt or whatever carrying system you prefer.

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
A lot of good points have been made.
As you indicated you are not a new hand-gunner. So in your case I would start with the 250 or 265 gr. bullets. Plain base will be cheaper practice. But GC is easier to find the "LOAD" with, as well as getting max. vel. out of.
If you are going to hunt w/ it get a big medplat.
Have fun shooting.
I would try unique for practice loads, and 2400, H110, or WW296 FOR HUNTING. :Fire::Fire:

[jlmomaha]

i looked at that mihec, and it is a beautiful looking boolit, but with christmas and "many" children lol, I am very limited on what I can buy I guess I will buy a couple hundred 300gr or heavier just for my gigantopithicus hunts, and load a lighter boolit for plinking, I have been looking at that lee tl 240gr SWC any input about that design? are SWC a good design? I use one for my 10mm and i like it..
I have been shooting for a long time but I am new to revolvers so I appreciate the advice there.
also I am debating between what dies to get
lee carbide, rcbs carbide, or hornady custom dimension
I am a huge lee fan, but I want to get what will perform and keep the boolits seated in the case despite the recoil..

also now I know that if I post something and want a quick response type bear..lol

I am very tired because I had to help "santa" wrap the presents..lol so if what I typed makes no sense I am sorry..lol

Again thanks guys for all the advice I truely do appreciate the input

[JesterGrin_1]

As said if you are short on funds get the Lee 310Gr RNFP/GC it is a fine hunting BOOLIT. :).

[saz]

That was my first mold for the .44, and still my favorite! It is unbelieveable that such an inexpensive mold throws a boolit that shoots so good! I have even put it in a sabot and launched it out of a muzzleloader with very good results.

[bhn22]

and now we've come full-circle again on this thread. To sum up my experiences: 240 to 250 gr cast bullets are the most versatile,and are perfectly adequate for deer sized game, including smaller bear, but are a bit on the light side. The heavy bullets penetrate larger game better, but must be driven hard to stabilize the bullet & get optimum medium to longer range accuracy. The heavies don't make good plinking bullets unless you don't mind the recoil. 270 to 280 grain bullets are probably the closest to being the best of both worlds, but as always, there are tradeoffs. I hope this helps a little.

[Gunsmoke4570]

I use the old standard 429421 Keith boolits. I use 9gr of Unique for a mild midrange load and stout charges of 2400 for full power. My 7 1/2" Redhawk and my brother's 9 1/2" SRH shoot both loads great. I have never tried the heavy weights in the 300gr range.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
The heavier the bullet the less need for a gas check, as it is harder to push it to the point that you really need one .
So if you are set on the 310gr. bullet, I don't think you need the gas check.
This assumes good bullet fit , good lube, hard alloy and so on.:Fire::Fire:

[big dale]

I like the MiHec 503 boolit and am in on the group buy for another one in the brass blocks. I just love the hollow point one I have in the brass blocks. The Lee 310 requires a gas check which I prefer not to use and mine becomes less accurate at less than full load in my SuperRedhawk.

Lee used to make a mold for a 255 grain semi-wadcutter, so you might want to be on the look out for one of these on the used marked. I don't know how many tons of lead I have cast thru one of these old 2 cavity molds.

I have been shooting either a 41 mag or a 44 mag or both since 1965 and they are my favorites.

While reading someone's post about practice I realized that I haven't bought less than 5000 large pistol primers at a time since the late 70's. Most of the time I buy 10,000 at a time. Go ahead and buy either Herco, Blue Dot or 2400 in at least 4 pound cans or I guess bottles now and just shoot the hell out of your 44.

You will love it.

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[EDK]

+1 on Dale 53.

The only reason I haven't a case of 5000 primers is because the shop didn't have that many! Ten thousand primers and an eight pound keg of TITEGROUP or HP38 or PROMO etc will get you into a good proficiency range.

MIHEC makes some d*** nice moulds. I'm still kicking myself for not getting the 434640 hollow point in brass BUT I've got the #503 and hollow base wadcutter whenever he gets them done.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
6 Mule deer have fallen to the Lyman 250 gr gc Kieth swc out of my guns.
It will work on deer very well.
I do not remember if you specified black or brown/grizzly bears????

[jlmomaha]

ok i need some more advice im looking at getting a lee 3 or 4die carbide pistol set. do I need the factory crimp die that comes with the 4 die?.. ill be ordering tonight so please help[ me out.. thanks guys

[zxcvbob]

do I need the factory crimp die that comes with the 4 die?
No, it's a solution looking for a problem.
If you do need it later, it is available separately.
If you do need it later, you'll have to order it and wait for it...

There's not really a wrong answer here. :rolleyes:

[jlmomaha]

any one use the lee 3 die?

[firefly1957]

I have a NEI mold that throws a 315 gr bullet it is the only bullet I shoot which shoots MUCH higher with my S&W 8 3/8 model 29 . I have shot from 10 to 262 besides that bullet and they shoot reasonably close @ 25 yards but the NEI is about 6 inches high at same range. It is a very accurate bullet in my gun but have little use for the extra weight of it.

You may want to download the heavier bullet if you have the same trouble but no matter what you decide MAKE SURE YOU CRIMP YOUR BULLETS WELL THE RECOIL WILL PULL BULLETS FROM CASES AND TIE YOUR GUN UP. You do not need that to happen in a self defense situation. I would suggest leaving a round in chamber and shooting more than 6 shots to insure your loads are up to it.

[zxcvbob]

any one use the lee 3 die?
I use Lee 3-die sets for everything. I had to go back and order a FCD die for .357/38 because some .358 bullets seated deep in thick-walled brass would not chamber all the way until I reluctantly "post-sized" them.

[bhn22]

Lee handgun factory crimp dies are evil. Don't take my word for it, the carbide sizing ring has caused more problems that they could ever be worth. Do a search for "FCD" or "factory crimp dies" and see the trail of wreckage strewn from hell to breakfast caused by these... THINGS.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
The gentleman I referred to in my earlier post is J.J. Hack, who did control shooting of problem bears for yrs. Then he was a bear hunting guide in Alaska.
THERE ARE MANY GOOD MOLD MAKERS OUT THERE.
Lee makes good cheap molds ( you may have to do the leementing process) Seaco, Rcbs, Lyman, all should be considered.
:Fire::Fire:

[zxcvbob]

Lee handgun factory crimp dies are evil. Don't take my word for it, the carbide sizing ring has caused more problems that they could ever be worth. Do a search for "FCD" or "factory crimp dies" and see the trail of wreckage strewn from hell to breakfast caused by these... THINGS.

I agree with this. I sometimes use one anyway for a specific problem caused by oversized bullets in thick brass, and it doesn't seem to hurt anything for my application. I would definitely start without it though. It's not that hard to set up a combination seating/crimping die.

[jlmomaha]

please recommend a good die set for reloading lead boolits

[kelbro]

please recommend a good die set for reloading lead boolits

The Hornady New Dimension dies are working well for me. First (and only) set of Hornady dies that I own. Always bought RCBS or Redding before, just because. Wouldn't hesitate to buy another set of Hornadys.

[zxcvbob]

I bought a set of Hornady New Dimension dies last month and they were c***. I sent them back to Midway and bought a set of Lee's. Maybe I was just unlucky, I don't know.

I have several older sets of RCBS dies and they all work just fine. (new ones are kind of expensive)

[bhn22]

I've always meant to try RCBS Cowboy dies although they're a bit spendy. To tell the truth, my dies are a mismatched set of dies from different manufacturers. In 44 mag, I use a Hornady sizing die for jacketed bullets (whatever they are), my expander is Dillon, for use with my RL550. I have an older RCBS carbide sizer for cast bullets. My bullet seating die is Hornady and my crimp die is a Redding Profile crimp die. There are various & sundry reasons for these choices, little things like the RCBS die is a little looser than the Hornadys, which are a little tight for my tastes with cast bullets. In addition, the old RCBS sizer was made before progressive presses became popular, and the carbide insert isn't chamfered as heavily as the late dies at the bottom. It's the little touches that mean so much. I am also experimenting with an "M" die for loading cast too. My intent is to cause as little stress to the bullet during seating as possible. FWIW, I have similar setups for most handgun calibers. You should see my 45 ACP dies....


http://www.huntingtons.com/dies_cowboy.html

[Gunsmoke4570]

I generally use Lyman dies with "M" expander for my pistol loads. I did get a set of RCBS .45 Colt/Schofield Cowboy dies in a trade. They work really nice. I use mainly Forster, RCBS, and Redding for rifles.

[JesterGrin_1]

Some like 44Man says to go with Hornady for the .44 Mag but as of yet I have not used them

I have had good luck with my RCBS Die set. But I use a 4 die set instead of three. I have two RCBS Seat/Crimp dies. One I set to seat the boolit and the next one I use to crimp. This way I have more control.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
I have used LYMAN,RCBS, & HORNADY dies.
I gave the LYMAN 357 to 1 son, the 44 RCBS to the other son.
Replaced both with sets of HORNADY.:Fire::Fire:

[9.3X62AL]

My current 44 Magnum is a Ruger Redhawk x 5.5", blued. I have actually used the revo to cover a retreat from a black bear's berry patch, and I'm happy to say that no shots were required to dissuade his smelly self from getting froggy.

I don't care how strongly you load it--a revolver for bear dissuasion is an unnatural act. Even if it's sorry-azzed black bears. I want a RIFLE, and I prefer its caliber to start with a "3--". If the need arises, I feel confident that I could make that bolter sound belt-fed, too.

That said......I much prefer the 240-255 grain semi-wadcutters in my 44 caliber revolvers, both 44 Special and 44 Magnum. I have lately run #429244 (the Thompson gas-checked SWC by Lyman) well past 1400 FPS using gratuitous amounts of WC-820, WW-296, and Alliant 2400 in W-W cases with boolits seated out a taste and CCI 350 primers to start the music. Recoil was "exhilarating", to quote Charles Askins. The loads were QUITE accurate to 100 yards--I kept 25 straight shots on a steel coyote cutout at that distance, off sandbags and single-action with factory iron sights. My spread--silver splatters on black spray paint--didn't exceed 6 inches by much. Rugers are such fun.

When getting my hands hammered is off the menu, Lyman #429421 ahead of 7.5 grains of Unique in 44 Special (or 8.2 grains in the Magnum casings) gives the Keith SWC right around 900-925 FPS, and can be an all-day load if you're so inclined. I usually am. These loads can be lights-out accurate in a good revo, and I imagine they would harvest a deer humanely if placed well. Our coyote-sized coastal blacktails would be a bang/flop for certain, the mountain country muleys might be worth a bit more powder.

Both of these classic 44 caliber SWCs have shot so well from so many guns for me that I've never entertained the idea of going heavier or lighter. Can't see the need.