Favorite alloy for the 44 mag?

[Oklahoma Rebel]

just wanted to do a poll of what everyone is shooting out of there 44 mags, and wether it is used for hunting or not, prefer to hear about hunting alloys! thanks-Travis

[Hickok]

I use both wheel weight metal with a little tin, and also 50/50 Clip on wheel weight/pure lead and some tin. Either way, they go through deer like they are tissue paper.

[DougGuy]

I like 50/50+2% it just works in everything. Deer don't mind a bit if it isn't harder, I like to scratch it with my thumbnail, and I like soft lube also, this alloy and lube takes to a Ruger barrel like a duck to water.

[Jeff Michel]

^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^Exactly

[Oklahoma Rebel]

thanks guys! any more?

[lightman]

I use straight clip on weights. You don't get much expansion but a swc cuts a nice neat hole with very little damage to the meat. I've killed several deer with pistols in calibers from 357, 44 and 45.

[trapper9260]

May I ask then what the BHN for the alloy then ? I know it sound soft for what is posted.I know it will also help the OP also. Thank you

[JBinMN]

I use basically 50/50(COWW /Lead) + a little tin to mix with the antimony in the COWWs. Not sure of the exact ratio/percentage, but it is something like 96/2/2 lead/antimony/tin or there about.

IIRC, that runs about 12-16 BHN air cooled. If I want to run harder, I can water quench the boolits to bring the BHN a bit higher.

I run that "primary" mix of alloy in all of my handguns including 44Mag, and do not have any issues. I do not run any "hot" or close to Max. loads though. Mostly low & midrange loads.

I use either 45/45/10 lube or pan lube with my own mix of paraffin/candles wax/crayons, vaseline &/or Johnson paste wax, etc..
Not really into PC coatings, so can't help out there much.

That is what "I" use from doing a bit of research. I only replied here to offer what I could as "my" opinion for what "I" do. Others may have a different opinion & boolit alloy makeup , but that alloy I mention, is working for me right now.
:)

G'Luck!

[ShooterAZ]

I just use good ol' range lead or 1/3/96 for plinking loads, for HV loads I use 2.5/2.5/95, just a 50/50 mix of Lyman #2 and roofing lead. I use White Label BAC in just about all of my handgun loads.

[georgerkahn]

I generally use what I refer to as 9 + 1/2 + 1/4 mix -- Nine pieces (from ingot mould) of clip on wheel weight, plus one-half an ingot of RotoMetals Super Hard, plus 1/4 ingot of pure tin. It seems to obturate well in even mild .44 S&W Special loads, and does not lead -- just a teeny tad at times in one revolver :( -- in .44 Rem Mag loads. I do need add, however, I load for medium-range velocities -- none approaching "maximum" loadings.
geo

[Oklahoma Rebel]

thanks guys, I think I am going to go with an 80%coww-20%pure+ 2%tin, that way it will hold up to the magnum loads, and I can use the same alloy for target and hunting, I don't want to have a different hunting alloy than what I practice a lot with, that way I am sure I am on! also, from what I gather ( I also asked BNE) the cow's are seeming to run at about 2-2.5% sb in the past few years, it used to be a lot more than that, so for the old WW's 50-50 would probably be ideal. thanks for the opinions, it kind of validated what I wanted to do... now I just need to get some more pure, and go shoot some piggies! have a good day!-Travis

[fredj338]

Range scrap for anything up to 1250fps or so, Hunting or practice.

[trapper9260]

I use basically 50/50(COWW /Lead) + a little tin to mix with the antimony in the COWWs. Not sure of the exact ratio/percentage, but it is something like 96/2/2 lead/antimony/tin or there about.

IIRC, that runs about 12-16 BHN air cooled. If I want to run harder, I can water quench the boolits to bring the BHN a bit higher.

I run that "primary" mix of alloy in all of my handguns including 44Mag, and do not have any issues. I do not run any "hot" or close to Max. loads though. Mostly low & midrange loads.

I use either 45/45/10 lube or pan lube with my own mix of paraffin/candles wax/crayons, vaseline &/or Johnson paste wax, etc..
Not really into PC coatings, so can't help out there much.

That is what "I" use from doing a bit of research. I only replied here to offer what I could as "my" opinion for what "I" do. Others may have a different opinion & boolit alloy makeup , but that alloy I mention, is working for me right now.
:)

G'Luck!

Thank you That is what I like to know, also help the OP too for what he had ask that way he knows also about the range of the BHN.

[lightman]

May I ask then what the BHN for the alloy then ? I know it sound soft for what is posted.I know it will also help the OP also. Thank you

My straight clip on weights, air cooled last in the 12-13 range.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I think 12 will be about right for the velocity I am running, while still wanting some expansion, if it comes out less I can always heat treat. speaking of, if you want to heat treat, but only go, for example, from coww's, to maybe 15-16 bhn, do you lower the temperature of the oven, or lessen the time in the oven? I would think you would lower the temp, but I could be wrong?

[hornady308]

I generally use acwwpb, 50/50, with 2500+ lube, though I rarely take the time to measure everything out. A dash of this, a pinch of that...

[Grmps]

thanks guys, I think I am going to go with an 80%coww-20%pure+ 2%tin, that way it will hold up to the magnum loads, and I can use the same alloy for target and hunting, I don't want to have a different hunting alloy than what I practice a lot with, that way I am sure I am on! also, from what I gather ( I also asked BNE) the cow's are seeming to run at about 2-2.5% sb in the past few years, it used to be a lot more than that, so for the old WW's 50-50 would probably be ideal. thanks for the opinions, it kind of validated what I wanted to do... now I just need to get some more pure, and go shoot some piggies! have a good day!-Travis

80%coww-20%pure+ 2%tin + 102% :)

[Bookworm]

80%coww-20%pure+ 2%tin + 102% :)

It swells up when he mixes it.....

[D Crockett]

I use ww with a little tin added to make it fill the mold good. I have killed a few hogs with this. and they turn out to be good eating when smoked D Crockett

[Tripplebeards]

I tried pure lead and with a 4 BNH and added 6 percent pewter. Took me to a BNH of 6.5. At 1650 fps out of ruger 77/44 it completely flattened a 265g devistor and weighed around a 100g after shooting through water jugs. I made a some 50/50 clip on ww and pure lead with 2 percent pewter but haven't tried them yet. I do have some with 98 percent ac coww and 2 percent pewter. I've seen other posters use them on hogs. The pedals blow off and the boolit keeps truck in for good penetration. I just wanted a softer alloy with decent penatration and soft enough to expand for a good Kennetic energy transfer.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

yes, I am aware that 50+50+2=102, smart alec!:razz: but I figured you guys would get the point,tripple, that's the reason I figured on adding around 20% pure, to avoid any fracturing, while I use a flat nose, when mushroomed, they can still fracture if they are too hard. I can always water drop them if I need to, after some testing.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

do you guys find that an alloy with the hardness of maybe 14-18 is more accurate than one of 12-14 bhn ( for 1200-1300 44 mag loads) also, if properly sized, are they typically cleaner? I have yet to experiment with hard lead in my SBH bisley hunter, but I am about to go out and cast some with a little copper sulfide added, will let you know how it goes, although it will be next week before I can test it, as I am waiting on grip frame screws from ruger, ( one head broke off, and they were kind enough to send a few replacement screws free of charge!

[White Oak]

I shoot COWW+2% tin mixed 50/50 with pure at 1,290-1,300 (chrono checked)from my 7 1/2” Redhawk. At 25yrds they will pass thru a plastic 55gal drum full of top soil. I have picked up multiple bullets found on the ground a few feet behind the drum. They all look the same and still weigh around 245-250 (255gr SWC)

I have not taken a deer yet with this bullet but have killed multiple deer with this alloy in my rifles at 2,000+ FPS. It worked very well.

[crandall crank]

Smelted COWW, the cast into bullets. Cheap, simple and easy....[smilie=s:

[Tripplebeards]

do you guys find that an alloy with the hardness of maybe 14-18 is more accurate than one of 12-14 bhn ( for 1200-1300 44 mag loads) also, if properly sized, are they typically cleaner? I have yet to experiment with hard lead in my SBH bisley hunter, but I am about to go out and cast some with a little copper sulfide added, will let you know how it goes, although it will be next week before I can test it, as I am waiting on grip frame screws from ruger, ( one head broke off, and they were kind enough to send a few replacement screws free of charge!


Nope, I've tested softer BNH pc boolits with the same loads with better accuracy

[Walks]

I've used #2 or Hardball for 60yrs for all my MAGNUM Loads. RIFLE or REVOLVER.
Size a thousand over Chamber mouths, or rifle bore dia.

[bangerjim]

I use something just a little harder than my normal 10-12+PC I use on 90% of my cast dudes - around 14+PC.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I cast a hundred or so harder boolits ( no tester, but I would guess they are as hard as lyman #2, so in the 14-16bhn area) when ruger finally ships me the screw I need, I will be testing these for accuracy, leading, and if any, expansion. I will let you guys know!

[Tom W.]

Most of my ingot are COWW with a little nickel Babbitt thrown in for the tin content. I used to load up a box of 245 gr pb boolits for a late friend of mine, and he's killed several deer with them. I only got to shoot an armadillo and a coyote, and lots of paper. My 310 gr. Lee boolits will go through more gallon jugs of water than I care tote.
I haven't hunted in a number of years now, but still love to shoot!

[ghh3rd]

My alloy is mostly from wheel weights and has a BHN of 12. I shoot 310 gt Lee boolits lubed with Felix lube at about 1380 fps with no leading. I haven’t shot anything with them yet, but I would expect them to perform satisfactorily.

Randy

[Oklahoma Rebel]

a lot of people really seem to like the lee 310, seems like recoil might be a bit stiff, what velocity is everyone shooting these at? and what powder/load do you use to get there? with 21.5 grs of win 296, and a 275gr (actual weight) keith style, recoil is stout, but not unpleasant. I don't have a chrono, but I assume they are moving along at 1250+fps

[dale2242]

My generic Lyman#2....dale