Henry 44 May & Lyman 429640 HP

[SoonerEd]

Trying to use this bullet in my Henry as its listed in Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. The book calls for 1.615 COL which puts the case well past the crimp groove. Tried to seat to the crimp groove but makes the cartridge too long...doesn't exit the mag tube. If I drop one in the receiver it hangs up the carrier and doesn't feed. So looks like it's got to be seated to the ogive. Anyone else have this issue and how did you solve it? These will be full house loads with H110/Winchester 296.

I don't really want to roll crimp into the ogive as I assume it would hurt accuracy? Is that a legitimate concern? And I don't want to cut down brass to the crimp groove.

Suggestions, comments especially on the effect of roll crimping into the ogive?

[Sgt H]

I don't have any experience with that bullet in a Henry but it fed fine in a couple of Marlin 1984's seated to the crimp groove at 1.69". It was too long for a Ruger 77/44 magazine. I would not shorten brass, just seat to a length that will feed and use a taper crimp die. A full house load of 110/296 is probably going to be slightly compressed and along with a taper crimp should should keep the bullets from being pushed deeper while in the magazine. I don't not think it would harm accuracy significantly.

[SoonerEd]

Thanks. Wasn't thinking about the longer bullet and potentially a compressed load. I'll check that out and see if that might help with setback.

I'll look and see if I can find a Lee FCD, otherwise I'll have to track a taper crimp die down at Sinclair or somewhere similar.

The Jwords load I shoot out of this gun is with a 240 grain hornady and 23.5 grains 296 and it shoots better than me at 1,750 fps. It also shoots great out of the Super Red Hawk. Like my Jwords load, I'm hoping to find a load that shoots well in both.

[Gator 45/70]

I just picked up one of those molds and interested in your load development, Thanks

[SoonerEd]

I just picked up one of those molds and interested in your load development, Thanks

Ok, just starting to work on it some will take a bit. I have to solve the taper crimp problem first as I don't have one.

[Gator 45/70]

Ok, just starting to work on it some will take a bit. I have to solve the taper crimp problem first as I don't have one.

The box say's 250 grain, But I just weighed a couple and they came in at 265 grain projectiles.
I'm going to start low with 17.5 grains of 2400 and maybe go up to 18.5 grains tops
Does this sound like good starting loads anyone?

[Fastleo]

I think this bullet would shine in a 444 marlin.

[farmbif]

crimp groove in wrong place for my 444s, I seated them deep and then they worked

[farmbif]

but I use them in More than 1 44 and no problem roll crimping on crimp groove. 23 gr of 300mp gets em going real good

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I would make some dummy rds with your boolits, different lengths, and see what cycles in your gun, and also find the MAX length the will chamber successfully every time.

I did this with my Henry 41 Mag, which should have similar OAL as a 44 Mag.
these were the results I had.

1.715 was too long, and would jam on the way up from the Mag tube. I started here because this was a good length to be seated to allow crimping into crimp groove.
1.700 worked
1.680 worked (almost 100% of the time)
1.665 failed part of the time
1.630 failed much of the time (this OAL had the case mouth about lined up with the front of the driving band)

My solution was to design a mold where the OAL would be 1.690 when the case mouth is crimped into crimp groove.

[Sgt H]

Lee makes a taper crimp die for the 44mag and they are not expensive.

[Rick B]

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?7750-Modifying-the-Marlin-1894-for-a-longer-cartridge-OAL
Well written modification to a Marlin 1894.
Rick

[farmbif]

dont have a Henry 44 mag but thinking back to when I first got my bbs 41 mag the first ammo I got was a very old green red box of Remington 210 grain.
and that stuff did not want to chamber in the gun but when I put my own ammo together with starline brass and hornady 210's roll crimped on the cannelure that stuff chambered no problem and the same with cast from mp413-640 that stuff again roll crimped on the crimp groove, no problem.
so like jonb says the Henry is finicky as to OAL.

[missionary5155]

You could use 44 Special brass.

[meh]

If I drop one in the receiver it hangs up the carrier and doesn't feed.

I had some (discontinued) Speer 240 grain Silhouette bullets that had to be loaded too long for the Henry. Don't remember, but I think the COAL was longer than 1.615. I could load and shoot them in single-shot fashion, though. Just needed avoid the carrier by feeding the nose into the chamber and then close the bolt.

I was just thinking that Hornady LeveREvolution .44 magnum 225 grain FTX rounds come in brass that is factory-trimmed to 0.2" shorter than standard. That's annoying for most people, but for your application it would be just about right. I'll bet a lot of reloaders have a baggie of Hornady 44 magnum brass that they've sorted out because it is so short.

[SoonerEd]

I had some (discontinued) Speer 240 grain Silhouette bullets that had to be loaded too long for the Henry. Don't remember, but I think the COAL was longer than 1.615. I could load and shoot them in single-shot fashion, though. Just needed avoid the carrier by feeding the nose into the chamber and then close the bolt.

I was just thinking that Hornady LeveREvolution .44 magnum 225 grain FTX rounds come in brass that is factory-trimmed to 0.2" shorter than standard. That's annoying for most people, but for your application it would be just about right. I'll bet a lot of reloaders have a baggie of Hornady 44 magnum brass that they've sorted out because it is so short.

I got it working great with 240 FTX just trying to get the Lyman HP boolit to work hopefully to use for hunting.

Thanks all for the input.

[meh]

I got is working great with 240 FTX just trying to get the Lyman HP boolit to work including using for hunting.


I was not able to parse that. Just to be clear, you said you didn’t want to trim brass to make the cast bullet work. I was just observing that once-fired Hornady brass from those particular cartridges would be close to perfect for your cast bullet.

[SoonerEd]

Didn't think about the hornady brass maybe being shorter. I'll see if I have some. Most of my 44 mag brass is starline weight sorted into 2 grain lots.

[Gator 45/70]

Myself and the 44's like about 16 to 16.5 grns of 2400, No leading that I could note.
Granted the seating depth is below the top ring in order for the Henry to cycle, I can live with that.