Lee 430-310 rf 1300 fps or better

[dnepr]

I am working on a moderate load load for my 444 marlin with the lee 430-310rf , not the best choice for a reduced load but I have a lot of them so I will use what I got . I also got 3 lbs of win 571 powder given to me so I am trying to use it up to , I started low on the powder charges because I am in uncharted territory with these components . I started at 12 grains of powder but I found out that with my marlin with a 1in 38 twist these Boolits didn't start to stabilize till they got over 1300 fps which was 17 grains of powder. I only did loads up to 20 grains of powder . It is good to be cautious with components that have no published data but I definitely missed the mark by a bit
Back to the reloading bench:rolleyes:

[6pt-sika]

I have a 6 cavity mold for the Lee 430-310GC bullet .

I made a pile of them using aircooled wheelweights sized and lubed in a .432" die .

I don't have any reduced loads for the 444 , but I do have the load I used last season to knock over a whitetail with a Micro Groove 444 shooting the Lee 310 grainer !

Used the Lee 430-310GC sized in a .432" die and lubed with Thompson's Blue Angel , pushed it with 48 grains of H322 and lit it with a CCI200 primer .

Shot a doe at 40 yards and she dropped on the spot , simple enough !

[dnepr]

I have a 6 cavity mold for the Lee 430-310GC bullet .

I made a pile of them using aircooled wheelweights sized and lubed in a .432" die .

I don't have any reduced loads for the 444 , but I do have the load I used last season to knock over a whitetail with a Micro Groove 444 shooting the Lee 310 grainer !

Used the Lee 430-310GC sized in a .432" die and lubed with Thompson's Blue Angel , pushed it with 48 grains of H322 and lit it with a CCI200 primer .

Shot a doe at 40 yards and she dropped on the spot , simple enough !

I have the 2 cavity mold but I had a bunch of dead time a couple years ago so I cast up about 2800 of these from straight wheel weights water quenched , the are about 22 bhn , I size them in my home built .4315 sizer , I have yet to do up a full power hunting load but I am sure the results will match yours. I have harvested about 20 deer with my .444 a couple with , 240 jwords , a couple with 265 Hornady jwords and a the rest with 300 gr Barnes originals ( no longer made ) . The results have always impressed me . I will be doing a hunting load with these but I want to use the Boolits that fall outside the weight segregation for fun shooting , I may have to look at h322 , I have always gone with h335 for my top end stuff but I hear lot good things about h322. I plan to re-try these light loads but start at 17 gr and work up till I get something really accurate or get any pressure signs

[6pt-sika]

You should be able to get a decent load with the Lee 310 GC using H322 , IMR8208 , RL7 , H4198 , VV N-120 , VV N-130 or XMR2015 .

I use all those powders with a number of molds suited for my 444's in weight from 207 grains up to 375 grains . I've been able to make all shoot well enough for hunting in the slow twist Micro Groove barrels of the two dozen or so 444 Marlin's I own .

I've killed 24 deer with cast in the 444 with weights from 207 to 400 grains . Also killed the only two bear I've ever shot at with cast in a 444 375 and 340 grainers . As far as jacketed are concerned I've taken 6 deer . One with the Nosler 250 Partition , one with the Hornady 265 and four with the Speer 270 . That was done with 24 different rifles , all the jacketed bullets were shot in ballard rifled guns as was the lone deer I've popped so far with the 400 grain cast bullet . The two bear and 23 of the cast bullet deer were killed with rifles that had the slow twist Micro Groove barrel .

Think i have 4 molds in the 390+ range . Oh typically for the 390 plusers I use RL7 or Varget . And of course thats a fast twist ballard rifling only thing !

[6pt-sika]

Just went back thru my "Deer Journal" . My take of 30 deer with variouse 444's isn't first second or third on my cartridge list !

I've wacked more with the 260 REM , more with the 264 WIN MAG and more with the 7mm REM MAG . So the 444 comes in 4th all time in my journal !

It however is far ahead of any other cartridge I shoot or shot cast bullets in for hunting . Think the 45-70 is second in that category !


I understand alotta folks like "plinking" "practice" or "fun" loads and there's nothing wrong with that . Just ain't my thing . I have to many other things to be working on to spend time shooting lesser loads .

[JesterGrin_1]

I understand alotta folks like "plinking" "practice" or "fun" loads and there's nothing wrong with that . Just ain't my thing . I have to many other things to be working on to spend time shooting lesser loads .

Very Well said. :bigsmyl2: I also have never been able to wrap my head around Plinking ammo. As I load for them to do the job at hand.

I will also say that H-322 is a very good powder. I use it in my 45-70 with Great Results.

[6pt-sika]

H322 has been a very intresting powder for me !

Over the last 15 to 20 years I've used it in a rather diverse number of cartridges .
I think the first was the 6mm PPC . Later the 222 , 223 and 204 Ruger .

Later when I got wound up in the cast bullet big bore thing I have found it to be my favourite powder with the 444 Marlin when shooting cast .

And as Jester says I also like it in the 45-70 . I've used it in the 45-70 for everything from a 300 grainer all the way up to a 550 grainer and typically I have gotten very good or BETTER results .

That might be the reason I buy H322 in 8 pound containers [smilie=w:

I will say however I am finding this relatively new IMR8208 to be almost as good if not as good as H322 . And as one might surmise I buy IMR8208 in 8 pounders also !