Anyone shooting the Lee 429-200-RF in 44 mag loads?

[Bula]

I just cast a good amount of these and haven't had a chance to shoot any. It seems that not a lot of people load these as info on them is very limited. I'm looking for some light duty (less lead consuming) loads running between 900-1000 fps in a 4 5/8 Super Blackhawk (I'm thinking 9-10 gr unique) I'd really appreciate any advice on load info or any experience with these. Thanks everyone.

[lathesmith]

For light loads, the Lee 429-200 RF is my most accurate bullet I have found so far in both my 96/44 Carbine and my SBH Hunter. I use 4.7 gr of Red Dot, or 4.1 gr of Bullseye. These are very mild loads, a little dirty, but with soft lube they give NO leading and around 700fps in the pistol, and 850 fps in the carbine. Very pleasant to shoot, too.
lathesmith

[ebner glocken]

Not to try to change the subject but those loads are sounding about what I was wanting with the 200 DEWC group buy. Velocity is right in the ballpark. Thanx

[mooman76]

I shot them in both my 44 special and 44 mag and they shot good. 7.6g & 11.5g Unique for light and a little stiffer loads!

[Larry Gibson]

The Lee 429-200-RF shoots really well in my Ruger FT with 6 1/2" barrel. I load them over 6 gr Bullseye for 940 fps. Very accurate and fun to shoot in my 4" Anaconda and 6" Hawes also.

Larry Gibson

[EDK]

The Skeeter Skelton load of 7.5 Unique and a 250 grain Keith is around 900 to 950 according to most sources, so the 200 with 7.5 ought to break 1000 easily. I use 6.0 Titegroup with the Lyman 200 (pretty similar.) I get about 2.5 inches at 25 yards with untuned 5.5 inch 44 Vaqueros--not too shabby considering heavy trigger pulls and less than ideal sights! My ALPHA PRECISION blue printed Super will do under 1.5 with the same loads and distances.

Like ebner, I'm playing with the 200 grain DEWC with the above load in 5.5 inch guns. Weather hasn't been very good, but the boolit shows potential. I think the 200 grain boolits are ideal plinker/CAS weights...and close in Point of Aim/Point of Impact to the 240s in my Vaqueros.

:Fire: :castmine:

[lathesmith]

I can nearly always shoot my SBH Hunter more accurately than a Vaquero. This is not because the intrinsic accuracy potential of the guns is so different;it is mainly because I can "see" the sights of my SBH better. I installed a Williams rear sight on this thing, along with a "firesight" front, and I really like the way these look, and this is reflected in group size on target.
Another note, I always use soft lube (50/50) on virtually all of my cast loads. I shoot a wide variety of loads, and I have always gotten better accuracy and less leading with soft lube, espcially with light target loads. So, that's another variable in the load quest equation. In my tests Bulseye and 50/50 always give superior results to that waxy hard stuff.
lathesmith

[MakeMineA10mm]

Well, I got in on a Group Buy over at the SASS Wire about 5-6 years ago (maybe more), for the MAVDutchman 210gr RNFP Big-Lube-Groove. It is designed to be loaded and shot with black powder (the big lube groove is for sufficient quantity of SPG or similar BP lube to reduce fouling), but so far I've shot them with smokeless and lubed with 50/50 Alox/beeswax.

I've shot these in 44Russian, 44Special, and 44Magnum for cowboy shoots as well as an economical (in lead and powder) general practice load. Also introduced a few new shooters to the big-bore 44 Mag with these loads, and they were impressed with how nice-shooting they were.

In 44 Magnum, I load 5.6grs of W231. (This is identical to my 45ACP target load w/ the H&G68 bullet, so I new the bullet weight and powder charge combination would work well.)

In 44 Special, I load 5.0grs of W231.

In 44 Russian, I load 4.4grs of W231. (This is a smokeless powder equivalent to my black powder load, which is designed to be a reloadable, modern-cased, modern inside-lubed-bullet re-creation/simulation of the 44 Henry round.)

I shoot the Russian loads in a repro Colt 1872 Open Top, and the Specials and Magnums in my S&W 629s.

[Bula]

Thanks everyone. I had the chance to shoot a few I loaded at 9.5g of Unique, they shot great. I think I'll try some at 8 grains, and see how they do.

[JSH]

I used 44-40 data in thee 44 mag case. I tried some BE and unique, the unique seemed to shoot better of the two.
Jeff

[James C. Snodgrass]

Like JSH I've been useing Unique 7grs out of my 10" t/c and the recoil is simular toa 38spl. So far I've gotten 3 to 4" at 100yds but think it can do better with a little tinkerin, Good luck:-D

[BruceB]

My Lee 200 RN bullets are used in .44 Magnum CASES, but I sure wouldn't call them .44 Magnum "loads".

In fact , I'll lay claim to my version being the ultimate distillation of the beloved Cast Boolits "cheapskate concept", meaning: the cheaper the better.

The mould was given to me by Deputy Al (recently re-incarnated as 9.3x62Al) some years ago, and the powder is ...get this... HERTER'S #160, which in turn was given to me by ben1025, about four pounds' worth. Treat it like Bullseye and you wouldn't be far off. I could even call this my "Interstate Load", with the mould coming from California, the powder from Colorado, and the ammo being fired in Nevada.

And yes, the outfit shoots beautifully at 800+ fps.

[farmbif]

I have a couple bags full of these i found in the lead barrel at the scrap yard and for 80 cents a pound i gave them a new home. They weight out at 220-225 grains. There are no lube grooves to speak of they look more like crimp lines what oal should i seat these at in 44 spl and 44 mag shells. I have never used lees liquid alox but i guess i will with these.

[Shuz]

farmbif--If the boolits you found weigh 220-225g, I doubt they are the from the Lee 44-200RNFP mould. That mould, for me, and I have 3 of them, 2/ea 2C and 1/ea 6 cav, all throw boolits that never weigh more than 214g from ww+1% tin.
When you load these up, use data for a nominal 225 grain boolit and seat accordingly. Stay safe!

[enfieldphile]

Try 9 grains of Herco. I use this w/ a Seaco 200 grain TC Boolit for 1005 FPS.


I just cast a good amount of these and haven't had a chance to shoot any. It seems that not a lot of people load these as info on them is very limited. I'm looking for some light duty (less lead consuming) loads running between 900-1000 fps in a 4 5/8 Super Blackhawk (I'm thinking 9-10 gr unique) I'd really appreciate any advice on load info or any experience with these. Thanks everyone.

[Slinger]

I use them in two of my .44 Specials. 7.3 gr. Unique is very accurate- 1-1/4" 5 shots @ 25 yds. out of a S&W 624. 6.3 grs. of WW-231 does close to the same in accuracy. These loads are in the mid-800 fps. range. I just got a Bisley 5-1/2" in the .44 Special, but it's been very cold and not conducive to doing any kind of accuracy testing.

[DLCTEX]

The Lee 200 gr. RFP is a very accurate boolit in my friend's Ruger Super Blackhawk and loaded with H 110 and a pleasant load to shoot.I enjoy some of the full house loads for fun. But a little goes a long way. I can shoot my loads all day and still enjoy it.

[bobthenailer]

i use the Saeco #420 200 gr tc here is what i use.
my go to allaround load is 7.0 grs of Bullseye or Tight group powder @980 fps loaded in 44 mag cases. . has shot excellent in about 10, 44 mag firearms

[Kraschenbirn]

I load 8.0 grs of Herco under the 200-grain Lee in .44 Spl. cases for my Vaquero and my S&W M24.

Bill

[white eagle]

I took the recommendation from the board and its members when I was looking for the same mold
its a good buy

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Have the same mold and have shot them with both 44 Mag and 44 Spl brass. don't have load data here at work, but Unique, Red Dot and Clays have worked for me.
I usually use load data for the 44-40 as a start.
CF

[Patrick L]

I load that boolit in .44 special cases, with either 3.5 or 4 grains of Bullseye for a pleasant,accurate load. Even though its a conventional design, I shoot it as cast lubed with LLA. If I remember, I'll post a pic when I get home tonight.

[DLCTEX]

After commenting on this thread I found a six banger in Swapping and Selling and bought it. Now I need a 44 for myself to justify the mould.[smilie=1:

[Shuz]

After commenting on this thread I found a six banger in Swapping and Selling and bought it. Now I need a 44 for myself to justify the mould.[smilie=1:
All you need to do is talk your friend outta his Ruger SBH!!

[DLCTEX]

I've tried. He said I'd have to pry it out of his cold dead hands. He does let me borrow it some as I cast and load for him. But I am looking for an excuse to get my own don't you know? Wife just got a new pistol so maybe I can manipulate the situation. She didn't say a word when I bought the mould. She may think it was a 9mm mould though.

[Patrick L]

As promised. Sorry for the delay, I had computer issues this weekend!

Pictured is my M24 .44 special, but this load shoots just as well out of my 6 1/2 inch pre 29 .44 Magnum. I have actually reduced it and now load 3.5 gr Bullseye, which shoots just as well. This group was two handed standing at 25 yards. May not impress all of you, but that's about as well as I can shoot.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/patrickl_01/Pistols/GunStuff108.jpg (http://s204.photobucket.com/user/patrickl_01/media/Pistols/GunStuff108.jpg.html)

[Drifty4]

What is the recommended seating depth for the 429-200-Rf ?
Top or second groove?

291695

[black mamba]

Using 44 mag cases I deep seat these to crimp over the ogive at 1.485" and load 4.5 gr. of 700X for about 850' in my 629 Classic 6½"- very accurate. 7.0 gr. of HP38 is just as accurate and a little hotter @ 1,000 fps, still deep seated.

[T-Bird]

I shoot that boolit in my 44 mag pistols and rifle over 10 gr AA#5 for a load that is similar to 44/40 ballistics. I love it. I crimp in the crimp groove. I load in mag cases.

[waco]

I run it with 8gr of Unique in my 1894 Marlin.

[derek45]

Yes.

It's a good plinking bullet for 44mag and 44 special

https://i.imgur.com/2tyCKEI.jpg

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Try a faster powder with that light boolit. 231, Hp 38 or bullseye.

[smkummer]

It’s my cowboy action bullet for my Marlin micro groove 1894 and my colt saa 44 specials. 4.5 grs. 700X in the magnum case and 4.2 in the special case. I leave unsized (.430-.431) for the Marlin and size to .429 for the Colts.