44 mag Revolver 314gr cast

[Dom]

Wanted to work up a defensive load for big unruly critters. It is wild out here. Revolver is a Ruger Redhawk 5.5" Bbl. Bullet , my home cast, powdered coated 314gr PB. Cast from my scrap WW, BHN 10.5 according to my LBT tester. I started out with what was listed as a max load of 2400 powder, 16grs. Load felt a bit anemic. Loading manual showed only about 1000fps. Found I had some Accurate #9 powder. Their manual showed 18.5 grs ( CCI 300 primer ) with a 300gr cast at 1320fps. So, since my bullet is 314gr , I went with 18grs instead of the 18.5 listed. Right off you definitely felt the increase of power. Accuracy was spot on even for me. The powder coated bullet left the bore super clean . Will put this over my chrono at a latter date. Very satisfied.

[Bazoo]

That's a pretty bullet. With that much nose outside the case, the case capacity is increased over other 300+ grain bullets. What mould and number is that?

[Dom]

I believe this is an Accurate mold #43-310R. It has a long nose & can be too long for some rifles. Got this for my Ruger revolver, which it fits with room to spare. Might be too long for a S&W, maybe. It , for sure puts a lot of the bullet into the nose.Shoots quite accurately.

[Txcowboy52]

That is a really nice looking bullet. I bet it packs a wallop . I have some 310gr I load for my .44 lever gun and they really hit with authority!! Good luck with your loading. I may give that #9 powder load a try myself.

[45DUDE]

My SRH likes a 310 lee. I removed the gas check and made it weigh a few grains more and now it will size .432 like my throats.

[DougGuy]

For dangerous game the goal is to fling as much lead as you can shoot accurately. I would target 1200fps personally. That 120fps off the max will make it easier to control and faster to recover for the next shot.

Also check for boolit pull when you start shooting your AA#9 loads. Any boolit pull at all will drop your pressure and velocity noticeably, groups will begin to open up. You are shooting a relatively soft alloy, I would also choose on the soft side, however the softer you go in alloy, the easier it is for the boolit to swage into the crimp and move. Softer alloys need more crimp because of this.

I modified a collet style crimp specifically for hard recoiling loads that might want to pull, and as an added plus, it dropped my ES way down as it seems to create enough resistance at the crimp to build the flame front a few nanoseconds more before the boolit pulls crimp and leaves.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?201449-Question-about-type-of-crimp-required&p=2239315&viewfull=1#post2239315

Lee C430-310 RF modded collet crimp on left vs. hard roll crimp on right. Note these are seated out long, in the bottom crimp groove. Chrony shows 1180-1200fps using 17.0gr 2400 WLP primer. Gun is 7 1/2" SBH.
312372

[Dom]

All great info. I do use a heavy crimp with this bullet. It is a bit long for my Win lever 44mag. In my Win rifle I use the Lee 310gr. Works great.This 314gr gives me excellent accuracy , so I guess I just dumb , luck , came up with a decent receipt.

[Dom]

Well , shot for group today & chrono speed. Home cast & PC 314gr cast, 18grs Accurate #9, CCI 300 mag pistol primer. The Accurate manual says 18.5grs of #9 with a 300gr lead bullet, for 1320 fps from a Ruger Redhawk 7.5" bbl. With 18grs of Acc #9, & my 314gr cast bullet, & the 5.5" bbl of my Ruger Redhawk showed 1205 fps, 5' in front of my Caldwell chrono. Also the group I shot at 21 yds. Yes 21yds. I'm still dealing with a bit of snow here in W. Montana. Rested my wrist over the seat of my ATV, while holding the revolver out in space. Feel I did a good job of squeezing the 5 shots off. Two to the left & three to the right of center. About 1 1/2" high. Rear sight on the revolver adjusted all the way down. For sure , minute of bear at dangerous close range.

[DougGuy]

Just for grins, do those boolits go through the cylinder throats from the front?

[Dom]

I size my bullets at, .430 after PC has been applied. They pass thru the cylinder from front or back with just a slight, very slight amount of pressure.

[DougGuy]

Perfect fit!

[black mamba]

That'll git 'er done!

[redhawk0]

I use 18.0gr of #9 with my Hornady 300gr HP-XTPs. I hunt in bear country...so I use it as "personal protection" when I whitetail hunt. It's a stout load for sure. From your data it looks like pretty good data for Cast PC also. I might just have to find a good 300gr(ish) mold and give it a try sometime. I have the same Revolver you have....Although I did change out my factory smooth wood grips for rubber Pachmayrs. And I think its easy to carry from the hip with the shorter 5.5" barrel.

redhawk

[Dom]

I also have changed my grip to more of a hand filler. The two heavy weights I cast, Accurate 310gr left, 314 gr in my alloy, & Lee 310gr, right. I had the Lee mold first, but thought for the velocity of this heavy weight bullet I did not need a GC style. So went with the Accurate PB. No disjointed fingers , or disappointed in bullet performance. I believe the cast bullets to be tougher, & penetrate deeper than a jacketed style. I live in big bear country. Have seen them out on the property, but didn't appear they saw me. I always out doing some thing. The reason I carry heavy bullet loads.

[redhawk0]

Not wanting to hijack...but here is mine with the Pachmayrs.

312453

redhawk

[dankathytc]

Great post, appreciate it. I love finding new molds for the .44. This one is really interesting.

[Dom]

This Accurate mold is a long bullet. When seated into the crimp groove , I have an OAL of , 1.782. Some 44 revolvers will not accept this length. Also some lever actions . I have found it to be a great bullet. Be sure & measure for length .

[trapper9260]

I use the 310 Lee and shoot them in my RH and Marlin I size to 431 and get better group then 430 in the Marlin and just as good in the RH that is 7 1/2" , you know you are shooting them in the RH , but are nice when I shoot them in the Marlin. I use the same data in both. I can use the same ammo in both. Make things easy .

[Dom]

Definitely a powerful load . A real stopper in a 44 rifle.

[Rapier]

Looks like a nice flat point plain base bullet for the 444 Malin. I use the Lyman 240 and 210, at present, they just feel light weight when shot. I have a PB FP 250 for the 375 XTR.