Opinions wanted - 44 Hunting

[750k2]

I'm new here and was lookin into having a mould built but after long hours of thinkin
I am no closer than when I started.
I have almost exclusively used a Lyman 421 for years and it has never failed me but recently have been thinking on a WFN to try out on hogs and deer.
Will I gain anything worthwhile going from ol' Elmers idea to the 270-280 WFN??
Besides muzzle flip?
I need some direction here the more I think on it the more trouble I'm having.
Any and all thoughts appreciated
:groner:

[frank505]

I have shot some the new designs with many letters and have thankfully gone back to Elmer Keiths designs since they work at all speeds and all ranges. WFN stands for wont fly nowhere by the way.

[JDL]

It's hard to argue with success that been proven for about 3/4 of a century! Since that boolit won't work in my 1894 Marlin, I use instead, the 431244 gas check design. I have used the Lee 310 grain g/c but, have to use max loads all time because of stability problems with the 1 in 38" twist. -JDL

[Pat I.]

I'm new here and was lookin into having a mould built but after long hours of thinkin I am no closer than when I started.

If you're anything like me the itch isn't going away until it gets scratched so you might as well get it over with and start scratching. I have both WFN and LFN moulds and really like the 280 gr LFN, my Marlin and Ruger do too.

I don't know if they'll kill any better than the 421 but don't think they'll kill any worse and dead is dead no matter how you look at it.

[Bass Ackward]

Mr 750,

Your problem is that life has been too simple for ya. A guy your age should have several molds to contemplate. So ..... you don't have enough choices yet!

What about a 280 gr Keith? If you liked the 250 grain version, you'll love the 280.

So there's somethin else to chew on.

[Bob Jones]

Seems like a lot of the molds with wider meplats have trouble stabilizing beyond a certain distance. I suspect Elmer's designs are probably about as wide as you can go and still have good long range capability.

[Pat I.]

The WFN's are bordering on being a wad cutter and I wouldn't expect them to have long range capability but I'd sure hate to get hit with one anywhere's within what it will shoot at. The LFN designs will go a long way accurately though.

For some reason I love shooting milk jugs full of water and shot one with a LBT 230 gr WFN out of a 45 Colt Blackhawk at what I'd guess about 950 fps and the results were explosive to say the least.

[Leftoverdj]

It's hard to argue with success that been proven for about 3/4 of a century! Since that boolit won't work in my 1894 Marlin, I use instead, the 431244 gas check design. I have used the Lee 310 grain g/c but, have to use max loads all time because of stability problems with the 1 in 38" twist. -JDL

Same here. If a Marlin is in the picture, I would not go past about 270 grains, and I'd be wary of too wide a meplat giving feeding problems. There's just not enough room for improvement of the 431244 for me to bother trying.

[MT Gianni]

The main question is whether what you now have works for you now. If you are wondering if there is something better the definite answer is maybe but maybe not. The Lee 310 is a hammer but if 429421 works well for your aplication stick with it. Gianni

[Dale53]

I have long used .44 magnum revolvers hunting deer. I have also been present at a "goodly" number of "autopsies". Loaded "full house", the .44 magnum with the Lyman 429421 Keith will shoot end for end through a deer. It also does good work on porkers of rather large size. Shot placement is paramount, of course.

If you want/need more smack, then the Lee C430-310 - RF-GC will give you all you need or can use in a typical .44 magnum. I have run accuracy tests with both to 100 yards and both do a great job at that distance. Since I normally don't shoot big game at further distances (and my home range is only 100 yards) I have done little work at further distances. I have shot the Keith at 200 yards a good bit but not the Lee 310.

At 100 yards, the Lee is the most accurate bullet I have fired from my .44's. It uses a gas check and that costs a significant amount more than using the Keith. Also, the recoil of the 310 gr Lee is noticeably greater. In a 4" S&W, it can only be termed severe... I can shoot it in the 4" but it is a bit unpleasant.

Dale53

[Lloyd Smale]

Im with frank the wfns are a useless design. If you want to stray away from the best (kieth) then at least try a lfn.
I have shot some the new designs with many letters and have thankfully gone back to Elmer Keiths designs since they work at all speeds and all ranges. WFN stands for wont fly nowhere by the way.

[Pat I.]

BUT if your looking for somene to agree that you to need a new mould then go with the LFN. If we only had the moulds that did what we wanted them to do and did it well we wouldn't need very many and mould makers mould be out of business.

[testhop]

the great 44 mag works great on game deer,hogs or black bear
in range of your skill with a handgun
what ever the range what ever the gun what ever the load
[U]you cant kill them past dead
[U][/

[beagle]

Well, if you got that itch, better scratch it. I'd go to Ballisticast and order what was the old H & G #326. (You'll figure the numbering system out) That will get you a 275 grain Keith or that's what mine weighs. It shoots pretty almost as well as the 429421 but drops off a bit on velocity due to the heavier weight.

If you really want to scratch that itch, order the #328. That gives you a 317 grain Keith. Again, it shoots accurately but velocity suffers on account of the weight.

These are both Elmer designed bullets for H & G.

Sorry boys, I've never had any luck with Veral's WFN stuff. I may be a bad shot or my guns might be no good but that's the way I'm calling it./beagle

[750k2]

Took some searchin but I found Ballisticast's site.
Unless I here some thing alot more interesting I am just gonna stick with
my Keith designs - Have tried all kinds of stuff in my smaller bores and ACP
but just never needed anything else for the 44.
Then I got to thinkin which a guy should not do - and was wondering if I was missin somethin.
Guess not.:mrgreen:

[Larry Gibson]

750k2

My experience with .44s (started in '68 with the magnum using 429421 in a 6" Hawes) is in agreement with most here who say to stick with the Keith bullets. I tried the WFNs of various weights and never found them to be any better killers on deer/pigs than the Keith design bullets. I also have had stability problems with the heavier bullets, particularly in cold weather with the slower twists in rifles (1-38 of a M94).

My two most used .44 bullets which I use in my three .44s (the 6" Hawes, a 4" Colt Anaconda and a 6.5" Ruger NMFT) are the RCBS 44-250-SWC, the GB 429421 and the Lyman 429244 (275 gr w/GC). The Lyman 429421 I originally used was with a single cavity mould I got in '68 but let a "friend" talk me out of it.

I actually had really good success on deer with some Greer (no longer in business) hard cast 215 gr SWCs after I modified them. They had a long bevel on the base and it was easy to wash the wax lube off and seat a GC when I relubed them with Javelina then weighing in at 224 gr. Over 22 gr of 2400 they run 1310, 1340 and 1444 fps out of the Colt, Hawes and Ruger. I have shot a couple deer with them and they killed quite well, as well as any other bullet in the .44 Mag revolver. I know it is not "in" to use lighter bullets these days (I'm so "like last year" I guess) but I'm wondering if anyone's had success with Lymann's 429215 (215 GC) on deer or hogs?

Larry Gibson