240 grain 44 MAG Plinking loads

[DonMountain]

I have a Ruger Redhawk in 44 Mag that I use for deer hunting usually using 320 grain gas checked boolits that are hard hitting and do well. I have a grandson that wants to learn how to shoot the 44 mag so a friend of mine cast me up some 240 grain flat nosed boolits without gas checks that I want to load some practice/plinking loads that I can use for training a younger shooter. I do have a 4x Leupold scope mounted, and it would be nice if I could make it hit the same place the 320's go. But not that important. I have Unique, 2400 and Blue Dot powders that might be useful here and are listed in the Lyman's Cast Boolit handbook. (I use H110 for the 320's) And some other shotgun powders like Red Dot and TightWad that I don't see listings for. Anybody have some good shooting loads that might save me some development work on shooting these 240 grain non-gas-checked boolits?

[sixshot]

You can get those 240 grainers to hit the same as the 320's but probably not at the same distance, you'll just have to load & shoot to find out. A good load with Unique is 10 grs with that 240, if thats a bit to much then drop down to 8.5 grs, I've taken deer with both loads. 2400 might not work very well with a plinking load, its a bit slow & will probably be dirty if you reduce it, I wouldn't. Hope he likes your 44!

Dick

[silverado]

I loaded some 240grain booits with cfe pistol with pretty good results.... but am selling my 44 based on life events to take it for what it's worth

[rintinglen]

Somewhere between 7.5 and 8.5 grains of Unique should be a nice accurate load that a rookie revolvermeister can handle w/o too much trouble. You will find much difficulty getting the 240 grainers to hit where the 310's go. If you have some 44 special brass, 6.5 grains is a dandy load.

[L Ross]

Six and a half grains of red dot will do the trick, I've shots hundreds of that combo.

[Lonegun1894]

You don't say how old, big, or strong your grandson is, but an old friends 7 yr old daughter used to shoot my SBH with a 240gr bullet pushed by 5.0 grs Unique. I wouldn't use it for big game by any means, but it made for a good paper-punching and small game load. Recoiled a bit more than a .38 Spl fired out of my Security Six 4", so was enough to let her learn basics with a "big gun" without being intimidating or punishing.

[Thumbcocker]

6 grns of 231 5.5 of Bullseys 6-6.5 of red dot 7.0 of green dot 8.0 of Unique.

[contender1]

Skeeter Skelton used to use a 44 spl, loaded with 7.5 grns Unique to get fine accuracy & pleasant shooting. I have found it to be the same. If you have some 44 Spl brass,,, it'll make a dandy load for the young shooter!

[Bucking the Tiger]

Hello Sir,
If you have any Bullseye or Green Dot, these both make great plinker loads:
240 SWC 5 grains Bullseye (Elmer Keith's "gallery load")
240 SWC 6.6 grains Green Dot ( a very mild and fun load)

[Larry Gibson]

6 grns of 231 5.5 of Bullseys 6-6.5 of red dot 7.0 of green dot 8.0 of Unique.

+1 on those loads; especially the RD load since you have that.

Larry Gibson

[boatswainsmate]

I have found this website to be very informative when looking for loading information.
http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=44+Magnum&Weight=All&type=Handgun

[robertbank]

9 gr of Unique is a load I use in my Rossi rifle which is not a real heavy load. Works for me.

Take Care

Bob

[44man]

I use 7 gr of Unique with the 250 gr RCBS out of my .44 for can shooting but very rare as I mostly shoot my hunting loads. What I found was making the boolit VERY hard, from 28 to 30 BHN increased accuracy more then expected. 50 yard groups are better then 25 using softer. Working to 10 gr showed the same results.
Working loads with Unique never showed a definable difference. Just put in what you want from 7 to 10 and go. 231 works the same.108794108795
This was one test between 22 BHN and 30 BHN, notice no lead on the patch. 25 and 50 yards.
Yeah, I know, hard is no good! :bigsmyl2: Need to obturate!

[Loudenboomer]

About 90% of my 629 shooting is done with the 250 Keith PB SWC and 8.0 gr unique. Very accurate in my .44. Mild enough for even the recoil sensitive girls in the family.

[DonMountain]

+1 on those loads; especially the RD load since you have that.

Larry Gibson

Larry, do I need any fillers with 6-6.5 grains of Red Dot under a 240 grain boolit in a 44 Mag case like I use for rifle cases? I don't have any 44 special cases since I have never owned one.

[unclebill]

i load those all the time with trailboss so my wife will like going shooting with me.
for myself i just go with unique

[Thumbcocker]

No filler needed with any of those loads.

[Larry Gibson]

Larry, do I need any fillers with 6-6.5 grains of Red Dot under a 240 grain boolit in a 44 Mag case like I use for rifle cases? I don't have any 44 special cases since I have never owned one.

I do not use fillers in handgun cartridges because I use powders that ignite and burn efficiently in them. Thus I've found no need for fillers.

Larry Gibson

[Petrol & Powder]

About 90% of my 629 shooting is done with the 250 Keith PB SWC and 8.0 gr unique. Very accurate in my .44. Mild enough for even the recoil sensitive girls in the family.

In my quest for a good all-around 44 load in my Model 629, I travelled down the same path. I was looking for a load in a 44 magnum case that duplicated Skeeter's 44 Special load of 7.5 grains of Unique and a 250gr +/- bullet.
A RCBS 44-250-K SWC bullet [They actually drop at about 260gr. ] cast with 20:1 loaded over 8.2 grains of Unique was just a little hotter than I wanted. I think 8.0 grains of Unique behind the same bullet will be about right. Very accurate and not too hot. 6.3 grains of Bullseye in a magnum case seems about the same but I don't have a chronograph.

In any event, very accurate, easy to shoot and a great bullet.

[Salmoneye]

Six and a half grains of red dot will do the trick, I've shots hundreds of that combo.

Ayuh...

[dla]

I have a Ruger Redhawk in 44 Mag that I use for deer hunting usually using 320 grain gas checked boolits that are hard hitting and do well. I have a grandson that wants to learn how to shoot the 44 mag so a friend of mine cast me up some 240 grain flat nosed boolits without gas checks that I want to load some practice/plinking loads that I can use for training a younger shooter. I do have a 4x Leupold scope mounted, and it would be nice if I could make it hit the same place the 320's go. But not that important. I have Unique, 2400 and Blue Dot powders that might be useful here and are listed in the Lyman's Cast Boolit handbook. (I use H110 for the 320's) And some other shotgun powders like Red Dot and TightWad that I don't see listings for. Anybody have some good shooting loads that might save me some development work on shooting these 240 grain non-gas-checked boolits? Lots of good info on the faster powders to get those 240gr running 800-900fps, but I don't know of a trick to get POI of the 240gr and 320gr to be the same. But if the plinkers are shot at close range the difference might be a "don't care".

[Lonegun1894]

If you want them to hit the same place at a set range, I would sight in for whichever load os more important to you, and then play with the other load to make it match. The whole heavier bullet or slower velocity thing to raise POI, or lighter bullet or faster velocity to lower POI. Since you're set on the 240gr boolit, that isn't an option, but should leave you plenty of room to play with powder charges to adjust elevation. Hey, it's an excuse to go shoot. When I do this, I load a handful each of various loads, and then go shoot them to see which is closest to my desired POI, and then finetune them from there.

[Wasalmonslayer]

Hello
I have the same red hawk and shoot 7.5 gr of unique in 44 mag brass and a 240 Keith bullet. It is a flat dream to shoot and I have killed a couple small critters with it.
Knocks em flat on there ar's :)
Try that load you won't be sorry.
I shoot it in my whinny 94 44 mag and it is minute of pop can at 50 yrds with open sights.
Have a good night.
wasalmonslayer

[9.3X62AL]

8.5 grains of Unique duplicates "Skeeter's Load" meant for the 44 Special in the 44 Magnum revolver. My 5" Redhawk gets about 950 FPS from this combination.

Heresy alert duly posted.......I do not understand the rationale for uber-heavy bullets in the 44 Magnum, nor do I understand the drive to extract every FPS of velocity from a load combination. I own and still hunt with a carbine that has taken deer into the hundreds and at least 2 black bears.....an 1873 Winchester with 19" barrel in 44-40 WCF, made in 1897. Its load imparts 1100-1125 FPS to a 200 grain flatnose bullet of .429" diameter as slugged--little different than "Skeeter's Load" in 44 Special from a handgun in terms of terminal ballistics. Elmer Keith once said "1200 FPS is all you need" from his #429421 bullet design for larger game. A 240 grain bullet running 1200 FPS is a pretty good marriage of cartridge and platform in a S&W Model 29. I really don't "get" Magnumitis. If someone chooses to herd such beasts, then by all means go for it--I just don't see the need. I do own rifles. And I'll be hunting with that '73 again this Fall in CA's D-14 Zone.

[44man]

I use a heavy boolit for deer because it has been 100% successful. It is never as fast as you can shoot either, just where accuracy is for the boolit you use and no more.
My best two killers are my 330 gr and the Lee 310. The LBT 320 is also good.
Even though a 240 or 250 is good, nothing stops the heavy boolit and I could use it for any animal ever hunted.
I do see a difference in the field. You can't shoot the heavies as fast but there is no need. You can't shoot them too slow either or you will not hit anything.
With as many deer as I shoot, a 240 at over 1500 fps will NEVER equal a 300 gr+ shot slower.
A deer hit with a 310 Lee will put deer on the ground faster then a 30-06 or the big magnums.

[44man]

Long ago I used the 429421 with 22 gr of 2400 for everything, there was no 296 at the time. Today it is considered a HOT load but the S&W 29's and the Ruger FT ate them up with super accuracy. Still a good deer load so why did I go heavy? Don't really know but it works. I blame it on failures of the 240 XTP to penetrate a small deer. Just went to the 320 LBT and seen such a difference, I will never go back.

[W.R.Buchanan]

People never seem to consider Taylor Knock Down Factor when considering large caliber boolits.

A 250gr .44 boolit at 900 fps is 13.8 TKD

A 310gr .44 boolit at 900 fps is 17.1 TKD

A 320 gr .44 boolit at 1200fps is 23.6 TKD

and a .30-06 150gr Bullet at 2700fps is 17.8 TKD

You can see the difference and in this case bigger is better.

Just for reference an 8 LB Sledge Hammer at 150 fps is 3000 TKD.

So you can see how using a bigger hammer is always going to benefit you well beyond what Ft/Lbs. on target would normally indicate. :bigsmyl2:

Randy

[DonMountain]

Long ago I used the 429421 with 22 gr of 2400 for everything, there was no 296 at the time. Today it is considered a HOT load but the S&W 29's and the Ruger FT ate them up with super accuracy. Still a good deer load so why did I go heavy? Don't really know but it works. I blame it on failures of the 240 XTP to penetrate a small deer. Just went to the 320 LBT and seen such a difference, I will never go back.

44man, what loads do you use with your 320 LBT. That's the boolit I use over 20 grains of H110.

[9.3X62AL]

Yeah, I know, hard is no good! :bigsmyl2: Need to obturate!

I half-agree......need to either obturate, or to fit well.

Not trying to be antagonistic here. You hunters that have had success with the uber-heavies are welcome to them, far be it from me to try spoiling anyone's fun. I just don't see that all that lead is necessary to make venison, nor does it need to be driven at Mach II to accomplish this goal.

Again, harking back to blackpowder days and the loads used at that time......the 45 Colt was powered by 40 grains of what was likely a better grade of BP than any available currently, and from a 7.5" SAA barrel could achieve 1000 FPS. This load also was spec'd to penetrate a cavalry or Indian mount in order to reach an enemy combatant using the mount for cover. This effect likely did a horse no good whatsoever, and I can't escape the conclusion that similar or more telling effects would occur with such loads deployed on deer, antelope, or cow elk. I would opt for a rifle to take a bull elk, I believe.

[bisleyfan41]

People never seem to consider Taylor Knock Down Factor when considering large caliber boolits.

A 250gr .44 boolit at 900 fps is 13.8 TKD

A 310gr .44 boolit at 900 fps is 17.1 TKD

A 320 gr .44 boolit at 1200fps is 23.6 TKD

and a .30-06 150gr Bullet at 2700fps is 17.8 TKD

You can see the difference and in this case bigger is better.

Just for reference an 8 LB Sledge Hammer at 150 fps is 3000 TKD.

So you can see how using a bigger hammer is always going to benefit you well beyond what Ft/Lbs. on target would normally indicate. :bigsmyl2:

Randy

Agree totally.

However, the 13.8 realized with the 250 @ 900fps is plenty to take any deer from any angle out to any realistic handgun-hunting range if it's a bullet of appropriate design. You just don't need more. If the accuracy is there, why fool with a heavier projectile and/or more powder? It's all extra and unnecessary for the task of poking one hole in and one hole out of a deer.

Remember, it's deer we're talking here, not bigger stuff. Not arguing, just inquiring.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Brian Pearce told me that a 250 gr SWC boolit at 900 fps will go clean thru an Elk in any direction. Anything more only drives the boolit deeper into the dirt on the back side.

That said my logic for using this combination is that it is easier to shoot well than an **** Kicker load.

IE: You are more likely to hit where you need to, as opposed to missing with a load you can't control.

I think the main thing that most guys don't really understand is just how powerful these guns really are, and I don't really know how to adequately convey that. Shooting watermelons is impressive.

I guess if you got shot by one it would somehow convince you of the relative power here,,, but then you'd have to get shot by the heavier load as well to see the difference.

I wonder if that would work? :coffee: Things to ponder as time passes by.

Randy

[W.R.Buchanan]

A good source for Mid Range Loads for .44 Magnum is Handloader #237 (Oct 05). Article by Brian Pearce. Also Handloader #236 (Aug 05) has everything you need to know about loading the .44 Special from mild to wild.

These are available from Wolfe Publishing and are valuable resources for the .44 loader.

Randy

[9.3X62AL]

Randy is "seeing through" my 'lighter bullet' rationale at least a little. Manageability is a large portion thereof, for certain. Also, "standard" bullet weights tend to correspond to OEM iron sights on field and service sidearms pretty well, too--fixed or adjustable.

[Bass Ackward]

At the risk of high jacking a thread, I believe that there are two basic philosophies. The whole in and out and wait. The 22LR has taken many a deer in this fashion. At the other extreme, I lost a deer to my neighbor when I was young from a 20ga pumpkin ball that left no discernable entrance or exit and was shot later with no apparent symptoms. Only the autopsy proved the lung hit because too much velocity was lost. The second technique of a whole in and produce hydrostatic shock and a larger hole on exit depends on the strike velocity, not muzzle.

The technique preferred seems to depend on the area you choose to occupy. If you can actually "hunt" the land you may have a wider margin of error. If you are back east sitting on an acre of land and waiting for something to cross "THAT" acre, (a deer shoot) then you want a little more devastation.

The second technique uses strike velocity and meplat size to generate a certain effect. Loose too much velocity before the strike or inside the animal and the effect simply becomes the first method. So every bullet load combination will have a working window to produce the desired effect. Too close and you get too much damage. Too far and you only cut a diameter hole out. The heavier bullet has more momentum to start out slower for closer in use and then a wider range working window than a lighter bullet with the same exact meplat size.

And for some, this is just the magnum craze of the 60s / 70s revisited in another platform. So when it comes to bullet selection, it helps to understand the motivation for use and / or, for what is trying to be achieved. The problem I have with the hard and wide technique is that people do NOT test to find the working range of their combo and destroy too much or shoot too far and watch it leave their happy hunting ground acre only to go off and die somewhere else without tracking it down because they do not have permission. (or God forbid, are just too lazy.)

[BruceB]

Some comments in this thread are reflecting my own field experience, particularly in regard to the penetrating ability of .44-caliber cast bullets.

On numerous occasions, perhaps eight or ten, I have fired .44 Magnum cast bullets into the still-bleeding carcasses of large game animals.... moose and Wood Bison.

In some cases, these were actual finishing shots. In other examples, I fired the .44s into the animals as a rudimentary test, just to see what would happen.

These were 429244 bullets, cast from an alloy of approximately 2/3 linotype and 1/3 pure lead. In this composition the bullets weighed 265 grains and left my Super Blackhawk at over 1400 fps.

At ZERO range, muzzle-flash distance, these bullets completely penetrated the animals regardless of the angle of the shot. IN this side, and OUT the far side.

The largest critter on which I 'tested' the load.... my standard .44 field-carry load in the far North.... was well over 1000 pounds, based on the total weight of meat that went into the freezer This largest animal was a very heavy bison cow.

Such events have proven to my satisfaction that I need no .44 bullet heavier than the 429244, and I see no point in using bullet energy to punch holes in the air or dirt.... AFTER three or four feet of penetration in hide,bone and muscle.

For my lightest field loads, my ".44 Lite" recipe uses a Lee 200 RNFP, cast from a mould that 9.3x62 Al kindly gave me some years back. It runs at 800 fps, and is a fair copy of a good .44 Special loading.

In between these power levels nowadays is the RCBS 44-250KT loaded to 1000fps, and named ".44-1000".

The RCBS 250 has replaced the 429244, and that mould now serves my brother Eric in northern Alberta.

The .44 Magnum, in all its varied guises, has served me in the Arctic wilderness very well indeed, and I regard it fondly.... and with positive confidence that it will drive my bullets through ANYTHING living that stands in my way.

That, for the record, is a very reassuring state of mind.

[44man]

44man, what loads do you use with your 320 LBT. That's the boolit I use over 20 grains of H110.
I use 21.5 gr of 296 with a Fed 150 primer. Velocity is about 1316 fps. That was the most accurate load I ever tried.
I will never agree that just a hole is enough, you need to transmit energy and what is left on the other side is a moot point.
My .500 JRH is driving me nuts, the 440 gr boolit, WFN, goes through so fast at 1350 fps, deer go at least 100 yards with double lung shots, no blood trail. Can't shoot it slower because of accuracy loss. So I need a softer nose.
The .44 always works with maybe a 30 yard run with a huge blood trail. I could care less if it went 20' into the ground after. The Lee 310 works with the same load, had 5 left one season, shot three deer and had two shots left.
Everyone I know with a .44 uses my loads, friend Pete dropped a deer at 150 yards with his SRH using the LBT 320. Scott uses my 330 gr boolit with 21 gr of 296 out of his SBH Hunter for 1/2" groups at 50 yards, he shoots his deer in the neck. The 265 RD uses 22 gr.
Yes, I love heavy boolits in the .44 and .45 Vaquero, 335 LBT at 1160 fps kills deer fast. So does the Lyman 325 gr. Both with the same load as the .44, 21.5 gr of 296, Fed 150.
Nothing but nothing equals my 420 gr from my BFR .475, almost every deer is belly up before I come out of recoil with massive internal damage but no meat loss. Why the JRH fails is crazy.
Sure took me away from hole size only. Shot double lung on a deer at 20 yards, no blood and I could not find her after 2 hours. Figured I missed, sat down, seen a buck at 120 yards, busted him behind the shoulder, he ran to me 100 yards and turned another 20 into the woods before dropping, no blood on the back trail at all. It got dark when gutting, shined my light around and found the first deer, had two to drag out.
Hole size means nothing without damage in between the holes. Like the story of a house breaker, shot 7 times with a nine and survived.
Take the .44 to 900 fps, don't expect the same results. Just a bigger nine!

[ACrowe25]

7.3 gr of 231/hp-38 is both my hunting and plinking load. No sense IMO to practice different then playing. And you don't need (you as in me, not sure what you hunt) to simply go faster through a deer then 7.3 gr lol. Last deer I killed with the combo kicked and fell where shot, making it an easy track lol.

[44man]

Reminded me of the 30-06 I fooled with long ago with a pile of military ammo, a lot of tracers included. I shot at a target to see a tracer going for a mile so I started to see what stopped them, took 24" of green oak. Get an enemy behind a tree, just shoot the tree.
Then the *** .223 in a jungle, Millions of rounds that don't penetrate or hit anything, Tinker Toy gun! Shot at wood with a .222 and might get 1" with expanding bullets.
Friends daughter shot a nice doe straight on with a .223, just front of the shoulder, lost the big doe. I found it a short time later, gutted it and found 6" of penetration. Bullet never reached the heart. No blood trail. I found her when I was going to my stand. I did get a little buck with the .44 after gutting her deer. Had to call him to come pick her deer up. She now shoots a 30-30.

[44man]

7.3 gr of 231/hp-38 is both my hunting and plinking load. No sense IMO to practice different then playing. And you don't need (you as in me, not sure what you hunt) to simply go faster through a deer then 7.3 gr lol. Last deer I killed with the combo kicked and fell where shot, making it an easy track lol.
You can drop a deer with a .22 between the eyes. You need to repeat what you did on every deer.
I read this stuff all the time and it presents a poor choice for a new hunter. Maybe you hit the spine and have no idea what another POI would do. A .38 S&W will kill a deer if you cut the cord. Would you recommend using it?
I can not in good faith recommend inferior loads. I know what each gun does because I shoot a LOT of deer. Shot 7 last season alone. Can't give more meat away but have a friend that goes as high as 17 a year to feed poor people. He still calls to ask why there is a problem sometimes. Rifle hunter but does better with a crossbow. Can't get him into handguns.
Another thing that bothers me is when you are told you must "HIT HERE" but deer move and can be any range. Revolver hunters for the most part can't shoot a group at 25 yards, let alone place a shot exact at 50 to 100. I can hit running or walking deer but if I told you I "HIT" the spine every shot, I would lie to you.
Sorry, 231 is not a hunting load and you can not shoot a heavy boolit good enough.
A load of BP in a .45 is way better then you are using. I have killed many deer with my Ruger Old Army and RB's over 1100 fps then you can shake a stick at. A .45 Colt with BP is better.
You NEED energy placed just right.

[44man]

You think a hole will be enough. Explain why deer did not die with 6" of arrows in the chest? I almost cut myself gutting three times and a deer I gave away had an arrow in the chest. Healed up. Light arrows, no penetration.
Then all the deer I shot in PA with .22 bullets healed at the rib cage. Find a lump, cut it to see a .22 bullet. You just fool yourself.
how about s fully expanded .22 in a deer neck?109886What is that? 1/4".

[44man]

109887 Light arrows found in healthy deer's chests, Up to four now. Scares me to gut.

[tazman]

I admit I am a wuss when it comes to powerful magnum pistols. After spending a lifetime shooting 22rf and 38/357 rifles and pistols, I have trouble thinking of a 240grain 44 caliber boolit as a plinker.
I think I will stick to something I can handle.

44man-- I also have found remnants of too light bullets and failed arrows in deer. Proper placement and sufficient power is mandatory.

[Bass Ackward]

Why the JRH fails is crazy. Sure took me away from hole size only. Shot double lung on a deer at 20 yards, no blood and I could not find her after 2 hours.

Well, what I take from this statement is, no rules. But also from your statement, it seems that what ever method a shooter chooses to follow, it must result in blood loss for a fall back plan if energy didn't get it done. Too much damage and that doesn't happen. Seems simple enough.

So again we are at hard bullet vs soft bullet. Brand " A " of lube vs brand " X ". This primer is better than .................................... And the list just goes on, huh? No rules.

[Petrol & Powder]

:popcorn:

Heavy bullets do tend to retain more energy and therefore tend to penetrate better. Handguns are not the ideal tool for harvesting deer but that's not to say that they cannot be used in a responsible fashion for that purpose. I can understand why a handgun hunter would want to stack the odds in his favor as much as possible. If heavy bullets work for you then Have at it!
I'm far from an expert and it's been a while, and then some, since I've shot a deer but I would be confident that I could ethically take a deer at short range with a 240/250 grain 44 bullet travelling 1100-1200fps.
I've never cared for heavier than average bullets in any handgun but who am I to say what works for you.

[9.3X62AL]

I read with great interest EVERY post that 44 Man puts up about taking deer with handguns. He takes in a year or two more deer than I've taken in a lifetime, so when he says something on the subject wisdom dictates that a hunter in my position PAY ATTENTION. And I am doing so. Maybe he over-emphasizes bullet weight/length in the interests of absolute enhancement of penetration potential, in particular a bullet's ability to reach and trans-sect the heart. I can't fault him for that.

Given the #429421's track record on game since Elmer Keith introduced it......and keeping in mind his mantra that "1200 FPS is all you need" to harvest large game animals in North America with that bullet.....I would be interested in hearing about negative performances after good hits with this combination from 44 Man or others with similar depth of experience. BruceB's recollections concerning Lyman #429244 are just what I was seeking. For my own part, the arms I have on hand in 44 Magnum are a Redhawk x 5.5" barrel and a Ricechester M-92 with 20" barrel and 1-24" rifling twist. Bullets intended are the #429421 in the revolver or Accurate #250-D in the levergun.

[W.R.Buchanan]

When you get down to it 429244 is simply a gas checked version of 429421. Or close enough.

I got in on a group buy for a Mihec 429244 mould with HP pins simply because my existing Lyman mould won't do boolits to .432 which I need to shoot in the Marlin 1894 CB I have. I can run these easily above 1600 fps.

I would use boolits from the Lyman mould for my SBH loads, which probably aren't above 1200 fps for the 5" bbl anyway.

Both these loads are 22 gr of H110, and yes I could go up for the rifle, but paper and steel targets won't know the difference.

I don't think I can get enough speed out of a Lee 310 gr boolit in the rifle to stabilize it, and like I said I have no real use for those super heavy boolits anyway. (I got the mould from a guy at my Club for $5, so I couldn't really bitch!) I still will load some and see how they shoot out of different guns.

My bro in law is showing some interest in Pig hunting, but here in CA, we can't hunt anything with lead boolits now, so I would be relegated to buying Barnes bullets or something like that. That's not going to be as much fun.

The biggest problem with the .44's is the fact that there is so many good boolits to choose from. I really don't see how 44 Man can decide since he has like 28 different moulds?

I really don't what more to say about this subject. Maybe if I could shoot some pigs? :Fire:

Randy