Animal
03-11-2015, 02:25 PM
I had a great day at the range today. I like to think that I am officially closing the books on my practice load for my 4in Charter Arms Target Bulldog .44spl.
I've had great results with a Saeco #420 2cav mold using a soft alloy, but this bullet was intended to be used as a good home defense load. I didn't like using the mold for casting a mountain of practice bullets. It was too time consuming for making practice ammo, but just right for home defense rounds.
The challenge came in when I attempted to solve the "quantity problem" by using a 6 banger, 429-200-rf Lee mold. It is hard to find an inexpensive mold that drops close to 200gr without sacrificing diameter, so I took a chance on this .429 mold. The bullets dropped so egg shaped that my push-through sizer couldn't compensate for the low points (.425). I thought about sending the mold back to Midway, but I noticed that many folks were having quality problems with the new Lee designs that I feared I'd be trading one problem for another. The problem I'm familiar with is always better than the problem that I'm not familiar with. As can be assumed, leading was a nasty problem.
I read the stickies on Mold Enlargement. I learned how to use a good abrasive compound and a large hex nut to open the cavities. After a long day of casting and lapping, casting and lapping, casting and lapping--success! I now have bullets that size concentrically to .4305. I loaded 20 of them with Hodgdon Clays at a light charge of 3.7gr. I couldn't be happier now. The rounds left my barrel nice and clean. Previously, I couldn't get through 5 rounds without taking a little Chore Boy through the barrel.
I was shooting sub 1in groups at 7 yards. I still got the occasional 1 out of 5 flyer, but that was all my fault. The recoil was very light and report was the same. In my mind, this is the perfect plinking load for my Bulldog.
This is truly a testament for proper "bullet-fit" being king. A lot of what I've read in loading manuals would have me believe that my problem was caused by my alloy being too hard for these sub 10,000cup loads. But as many seasoned casters on this forum have stated, a proper fitting bullet of any alloy is inclined to function properly and leave the barrel clean. Key term "PROPER FITTING". This is the first time I've been able to witness how this concept applies, first hand. I felt this was a good educational experience to share with the community.
Thanks to all the folks that continually preach this concept. It just plain works. Now I can go back to enjoying my range sessions.
I've had great results with a Saeco #420 2cav mold using a soft alloy, but this bullet was intended to be used as a good home defense load. I didn't like using the mold for casting a mountain of practice bullets. It was too time consuming for making practice ammo, but just right for home defense rounds.
The challenge came in when I attempted to solve the "quantity problem" by using a 6 banger, 429-200-rf Lee mold. It is hard to find an inexpensive mold that drops close to 200gr without sacrificing diameter, so I took a chance on this .429 mold. The bullets dropped so egg shaped that my push-through sizer couldn't compensate for the low points (.425). I thought about sending the mold back to Midway, but I noticed that many folks were having quality problems with the new Lee designs that I feared I'd be trading one problem for another. The problem I'm familiar with is always better than the problem that I'm not familiar with. As can be assumed, leading was a nasty problem.
I read the stickies on Mold Enlargement. I learned how to use a good abrasive compound and a large hex nut to open the cavities. After a long day of casting and lapping, casting and lapping, casting and lapping--success! I now have bullets that size concentrically to .4305. I loaded 20 of them with Hodgdon Clays at a light charge of 3.7gr. I couldn't be happier now. The rounds left my barrel nice and clean. Previously, I couldn't get through 5 rounds without taking a little Chore Boy through the barrel.
I was shooting sub 1in groups at 7 yards. I still got the occasional 1 out of 5 flyer, but that was all my fault. The recoil was very light and report was the same. In my mind, this is the perfect plinking load for my Bulldog.
This is truly a testament for proper "bullet-fit" being king. A lot of what I've read in loading manuals would have me believe that my problem was caused by my alloy being too hard for these sub 10,000cup loads. But as many seasoned casters on this forum have stated, a proper fitting bullet of any alloy is inclined to function properly and leave the barrel clean. Key term "PROPER FITTING". This is the first time I've been able to witness how this concept applies, first hand. I felt this was a good educational experience to share with the community.
Thanks to all the folks that continually preach this concept. It just plain works. Now I can go back to enjoying my range sessions.