Anybody casting for a Ruger Super Redhawk 44 mag?

[utah0859]

What's working good for you? What molds and alloys u like? I'm new to casting and could use some pointers on molds, plain based vs gas check ....all the basics.

[Blammer]

Use either Unique or 2400, good powders.
Try one of these boolits, they work well. :)

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/44list-1.jpg

[Blammer]

This is a good load
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/File0088.jpg

and this one too

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/44SRH_250gr3crimp19gr2400.jpg

and one more

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/44SRH_250grPB_100yds.jpg

and another

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/44mag2.jpg

[utah0859]

Wow that looks like a great price on the GCs. Do they seem to work good for most molds? Can I use a GC mold bullet without a GC if the application does not require a GC such as lower velocity plinking loads?

[btroj]

My SRH does quite well with cast. Once I figured put that it wanted .432 bullets it leads very, very little if ever.

Shoots well with 2400 or AA9 with cast at full Tilt. I shoot mostly a GB 429421 clone that casts at .434 so I can size to the diameter I want.

[Beau Cassidy]

I have had extremely good luck with the RCBS bullet. I don't remember the powder charge right now but chances are pretty good it was with 19.0 grains of 2400.

[Lefty SRH]

I have a 9 1/2" SRH .44mag. It gets a steady diet of MiHa's 432-256 (#503 H&G clone), its basically a 260gr Keith boolit. I pour 23.5gr H110 with a mag primer under this boolit. The velocity is 1430fps. I size the boolit to .431" cause that matches my throats. I have about 1,000 rds of this exact combo down the barrel and I haven't cleaned the barrel it at all. It has never leaded and I've only used COWW air cooled. Although, I am about to try a super tough rifle alloy to see if the accuracy improves a little bit. I've also casted an RCBS 250K boolit, it shot great too.
Never had much luck with 2400 powder.

Measure your cylinder throats and size your boolit to match and try some out.
A Ruger .44mag can be a fun gun to learn and exriment with cast boolits.
We are here if you need more help.

Oh, just my opinion, I don't think you NEED a gas check boolit with a .44 mag.

[utah0859]

Lefty

Forgive my ignorance but why do you air cool instead of quench? Is it not better to have a harder slug?

[Lefty SRH]

Lefty

Forgive my ignorance but why do you air cool instead of quench? Is it not better to have a harder slug?

Simply to just make the process simpler, eliminating another step in the process, at this time I don't feel the need to water drop given the accuracy I am getting and no leading problems.

[Lefty SRH]

Tell you what Utah, water drop some of yours and air cool some and see what the gun likes. Test them both with the same powder charges. Keep as many things the same besides some being water dropped and some air cooled. The gun will tell you what you need to do to the boolits. "HAVING" to have a hard boolit is another myth. Actually I don't water drop any of my handgun boolits. I'll heat treat my rifle boolits but after they are casted.

[btroj]

I tend to water drop everything but I use softer alloys than many would choose. I want a water dropped hardness in the 15 BHn range for 44 mag.

Call me cheap but I like to make my harder alloy last.

[utah0859]

Thanks lefty good info.

Btroj how often do you use gas checks and what is "GB"?

[Lefty SRH]

"GB"= group buy

[btroj]

I have used a few gas check bullets in my SRH but tend towards that one bullet because it is the onlly mould I have that will cast a fat enough bullet.
If I could have just one more mould it would be a Mihec 640 style HP.

[Blammer]

utah0859-

no GC on GC boolits, well there are LOTS of threads talking about that, the short answer, "depends" you just have to try for yourself.

water dropping- fit of the boolit is more important, it is not MANDATORY that you water drop and have HARD boolits. WQ (water quenching) is another tool in the bag of tricks. I don't water drop any of my 44mag boolits. I push the plain base version to 1350fps with no leading and good accuracy, and it's pleanty good for deer hunting too.

[mdi]

I've been casting for my Super Blackhawk for mebbe 13 years. The old standbys work very well for me (Lyman 429421 and 420244) over Unique or 2400. For the lasy year I've been casting some Ranch Dog 265 gr. and 240 gr RNFP bullets and so far they are shooting very good in all my .44 Magnums. Of course I've tried a lot of other powders (WC820, True Blue, Universal, Bluedot, H110/296, even Bullseye and W231) but Unique and 2400 do everything I need to be done. BTW; my 629 is semi-retired and only gets a steady diet of light Unique loads under a Lyman 429421; easy on me and my gun.

[44man]

I owned a SRH for a long time until a friend talked me out of it. I needed money for a BFR anyway, I wanted a .475.
My friends all have them and I have shot all of them. What I learned is they just might be the most accurate .44's made. It was easy to get 1/2" groups at 50 yards. They seem to shoot most any good boolit/bullet.
Since I hunt I use 265, 300, 310, 320 and 330 gr boolits with 296 and a Fed 150 primer. Anything over 330 gr is too much and stability will suffer. It has made no difference with RNFP, WLN or WFN.
Groups have been outstanding from 240 gr and up. I really love the 240 XTP but it opens too fast on deer. The 300 XTP is ideal.
I water drop WW boolits, and PB boolits need it. Air cooled WW metal will shoot best when the GC is annealed for some reason. Air cooled WW metal PB boolits will give me fliers.
I have killed many, many deer to 100 yards with WD boolits, no expansion needed if shot around 1300 to 1350 fps.
Many like softer boolits, it is OK, leading has never been my issue but fliers have been. I don't blame the softer boolit in a sense, I blame changes in case tension more. It is harder to maintain even tension with softer lead.

[Roosters]

Lee TL430-240 SWC mold. Air cooled WW load as cast no sizing. Tumble lube with 45/45/10.
2400 powder. Simple, cheap and works. Use these in a Ruger Alaskan and a 10 ½ barrel Super Blackhawk. :grin:

[gunseller]

I have shot cast boolits in Ruger Redhawks and Super Blackhawks. I use a lot of RCBS 240 grain and Lee 215 grain ACWW. The RCBS boolits is usually over 18 grains of 2400 but has been as much as 22 grains. Over a chrony the heavy load clocks 1550 out of a 7 1/2 inch SBH. The Lee boolit goes over Red Dot and is used for rabbits. With the RCBS boolit I have shot coyotes out to 125 maybe 150 yards. Never measured the distance.
Steve

[utah0859]

Thank you all for the info!

[Iron Mike Golf]

I cast the Mihec #530 clone for my Redhawk and my buddy's SRH (donaldjr1969). My gun likes 2400 (19.6 - 20 gr), H110 (23.0 24.0 gr), and 300-MP (25,0 - 26.0 gr). I use 92-4-4 and water drop them. Carnauba Red is my lube. I am becoming a fan of 300-MP in 44 Mag and 45 Colt.

I mostly shoot indoors and the max range is 18 yds. I routinely get .5 to .75 inch groups. I shoot full range outside around now for deer season. I get under 2 inches at 75 yds pretty easy. I haven't shot these at 100 yds yet. Mebbe in a couple weeks...

[Lefty SRH]

I cast the Mihec #530 clone for my Redhawk and my buddy's SRH (donaldjr1969). My gun likes 2400 (19.6 - 20 gr), H110 (23.0 24.0 gr), and 300-MP (25,0 - 26.0 gr). I use 92-4-4 and water drop them. Carnauba Red is my lube. I am becoming a fan of 300-MP in 44 Mag and 45 Colt.

I mostly shoot indoors and the max range is 18 yds. I routinely get .5 to .75 inch groups. I shoot full range outside around now for deer season. I get under 2 inches at 75 yds pretty easy. I haven't shot these at 100 yds yet. Mebbe in a couple weeks...

Whats the boolit weight on that #530 clone?

[evan price]

Lee TL430-240 SWC mold. Air cooled WW load as cast no sizing. Tumble lube with 45/45/10.
2400 powder. Simple, cheap and works. Use these in a Ruger Alaskan and a 10 ½ barrel Super Blackhawk. :grin:

+1 on that. I load mine with the last tumble-lube groove as the crimp groove. Loaded over 6.0 grains Titegroup to about 1000 fps they are a great target round, no leading and very accurate. Makes my SRH feel like a 38 special.

You want a hunting round, the 429421 with 20:1.

[Whistler]

Whats the boolit weight on that #530 clone?

Are you sure that's not #503? If so, about 260gn with WW.

My favorite load when I had a SRH was the Lee 310gn RF with GC with 21.0gn N110 (seated long!). The recoil wasn't for everyone, but 310gn at 1450fps did the job on any steel plate I encountered and accuracy was outstanding up to 300 yards.

[x101airborne]

My Ruger Redhawk 5 1/2 is one of my true loves. I usually dont load mine to anywhere near max. I use plainbase boolits for my pistol and only use gas checked boolits in my marlin lever gun. I have molds for everything from 300 grain ranchdogs to 180 grain full wadcutters. The 300 grain ranchdogs are SUPER accurate loaded over a full charge of 2400 or H-110 and are real thumpers. My NOE 240 grain HP's are loaded over 10 grains unique and are plain base. This is my bummin around load. Air cooled straight clip on wheel weights flatten out well and dont over-penetrate, so I dont worry about ricochets going into the neighbors place. All my pistol loads are lubed with Junior's 411.

[Iron Mike Golf]

Are you sure that's not #503? If so, about 260gn with WW.

My favorite load when I had a SRH was the Lee 310gn RF with GC with 21.0gn N110 (seated long!). The recoil wasn't for everyone, but 310gn at 1450fps did the job on any steel plate I encountered and accuracy was outstanding up to 300 yards.

Sorry, that was a typo. #503. My alloy, it's 255 gr.

[Lefty SRH]

Yeah, I have a 503 also and all 3 of my .44s love that boolit.

[SlippShodd]

My 7 1/2" Redhawk is, like Airborne's, one of my pet loves. I call it the short rifle... take it when I can't decide on packing a rifle or a pistol. It's the least fussy gun I've ever owned. I shoot the 429421 plain based or it's gas-checked equivalent (too lazy to go look at the number on it) with Unique, 2400, or Blue Dot, mild to wild. Only thing I ever tried in it that it didn't like was those *** swaged Speer 240 grainers. It dearly loves the GCed bullet of pure linotype over 20 grains of 2400, but shoots the less precious wheel weight alloy just as well really. When I through and throughed a muley buck at 50 yards a few years ago, I stopped taking the lino loads hunting. It's just a ridiculously easy gun to load for. Pick a boolit and run with it.
(Blammer, that first pic was just TMI. LOL.)

mike