lee mold#C430-310-RF

[saz]

Has anyone tried this mold in a .44 mag? I am looking to make my own bear load for my short barreled super blackhawk. I am tired of buying the cast performance 320gr's. I would like to cast my own to practice with.

[dubber123]

It is a well thought of design. I have heard people claim the Meplat is larger on the 2 cavity version, than it is on the 6 cavity. I have only ever used the 2, so I don't know if this is true. My 2 cav cast at 315 grains with WW metal.

I got very good accuracy with it, my only complaint being the very shallow crimp groove. Provided you can control bullet pull during recoil, I think you will like it for a bear load.

[NHlever]

I have the 45 caliber version, and have used it in both short barreled revolvers, and lever action rifles. It is a great bullet, and hits very hard indeed, but it needs to be driven hard to stabilize well. Since most .44's have slower twists than most .45 Colts, I would get some input on that. My loads would stabilize well at 100 yards out of a rifle (1894 CB with 24" bbl) , but not out of my 5 1/2" Blackhawk. Out of the revolver 50 yards was tops. At 75 yards I could see signs of tipping, and grouping was gone. I was using max "Ruger / TC" loads of H-110. I just got some Lazercast 310's to try in my 5 1/2" .44 SBH though, and I'll see how that goes.

[44man]

Yeah, Lee doesn't know how to make crimp grooves but the .44 boolit is still super. It will average about 1" at 50 yd's.
I use 21.5 gr of 296 with a Fed 150 primer. I use Felix or Carnauba Red on them.
The RD 265 gr boolit is also a great one with 22 gr of 296.

[44man]

I have the 45 caliber version, and have used it in both short barreled revolvers, and lever action rifles. It is a great bullet, and hits very hard indeed, but it needs to be driven hard to stabilize well. Since most .44's have slower twists than most .45 Colts, I would get some input on that. My loads would stabilize well at 100 yards out of a rifle (1894 CB with 24" bbl) , but not out of my 5 1/2" Blackhawk. Out of the revolver 50 yards was tops. At 75 yards I could see signs of tipping, and grouping was gone. I was using max "Ruger / TC" loads of H-110. I just got some Lazercast 310's to try in my 5 1/2" .44 SBH though, and I'll see how that goes.
I shoot the .45, 300 gr Lee out of my Vaquero with the same 21.5 gr I use in the .44. It is deadly accurate, no tipping and on occasion I have shot 1" groups at 75 yd's. I shoot 100 yd's all the time.
I suspect your throats are too small on your Ruger and need reamed.
Don't expect much from the Laser cast boolits. The Lee is 100% better.

[Dale53]

I get a warm glow when I read of your satisfaction with the Lee C430-310-RF. Right after Frank Siefer and I designed that bullet, guys in our local club heard our comments about it and soon we had a number of serious shooters raving about it's accuracy at 100 yards.

It is a killer design for both accuracy AND killing power.

It DOES recoil noticeably more than the 250's and is not really needed for deer. However, for really BIG game with the .44 magnum it definitely raises the bar. The customer response was so good that Lee later added the .45 Caliber version and it does not disappoint, either.

Dale53

[44man]

I get a warm glow when I read of your satisfaction with the Lee C430-310-RF. Right after Frank Siefer and I designed that bullet, guys in our local club heard our comments about it and soon we had a number of serious shooters raving about it's accuracy at 100 yards.

It is a killer design for both accuracy AND killing power.

It DOES recoil noticeably more than the 250's and is not really needed for deer. However, for really BIG game with the .44 magnum it definitely raises the bar. The customer response was so good that Lee later added the .45 Caliber version and it does not disappoint, either.

Dale53
I shoot my BFR .475 so much that when I went down to shoot my .44 with heavy boolits the other day, I had to wonder if I forgot the powder! :mrgreen: Amazing how you can get used to recoil.
You must shoot the heavy boolits at the velocity they like. I laugh when guys keep asking for light loads with heavy boolits in the .44.
The .44 is a real ***** cat once you get used to a big revolver. Even a .454 feels pleasant! :Fire::Fire:

[TCLouis]

Mine is so old it is the single cavity mold, but it is the most accurate bullet/boolit I have shot out of my SRH at 50 yards, don't shoot for accuracy at 100, but it seems to be pretty good on out there also.

[Dale53]

44man;
Your point is well taken.

The heaviest recoiling pistol that I have fired was a Contender with a 10" .444 Marlin barrel. That was so abusive, that I got rid of that barrel. I knew that I was going to end up with wrist damage (the muzzle rise was so high that it bent my wrist back and I am NOT a wimp). Later, I got a .375 JDJ and discovered that I could shoot that pistol and well. The difference was in the JDJ Compensator. I get almost NO rise out of that pistol in spite of it's 270gr bullet at nearly 2000 fps. It DOES have a scope which helps with the recoil but it's really the compensator that makes the difference.

I place a limit when I believe that actual injury may occur. Some well known sixgun men have suffered irreparable damage from the heavy recoilers in spite of the fact they could shoot them well. I did not/do not intend to go there[smilie=1:.

FWIW
Dale53

[jhrosier]

...The heaviest recoiling pistol that I have fired was a Contender with a 10" .444 Marlin barrel. .....

You'd ought to try the 12" 45-70 barrel.:shock:

The first 15 shots, with a relatively light-loaded 405 gr boolit were unpleasant.
The last five shots were just painful.

They have a muzzle brake thingy that tries, and fails, to tame the recoil.
The gun doesn't rise much. It just comes straight back and destroys your wrist.

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Jack

[Dale53]

Actually I fired a few shots from a friends 45/70 Contender. I didn't find it bad with the 400 gr bullets but 500 were no fun. I only shot it less than 15 shots, however...

My .375 JDJ uses over 40.0 grs of 4895 (I believe it is 46.0 grs) and that is about all that I am interested in these days. In fact, .38 wadcutters are a LOT more fun:mrgreen:.

Dale53

[44man]

I hate contenders in any form. If you want to hurt yourself fast, they are the place to start.
The .475 BFR is not bad at all with two hands on the gun. I have a habit of using one hand from the bench though and it will whip up my wrist.
What amazes me is that guys are buying .500's with 2" barrels and birdseye grips!!!! :confused:

[HCL]

My Favorite boolit out of my 629 and 1894, very accurate and hard hitting. Absolutly no fun out of a 329pd, I use the 429244 for it.
Mike

[TCLouis]

Worst I have ever shot were 5 rounds over the chronograph out of one of the old 10" octagon 44 Mag barrels. The recoils was such that I was afraid tI would flinch and shoot the chronograph before I finished the string. The load may have been a manual, but I would shoot it again, and certainly not post powder or velocity.

[44man]

Worst I have ever shot were 5 rounds over the chronograph out of one of the old 10" octagon 44 Mag barrels. The recoils was such that I was afraid tI would flinch and shoot the chronograph before I finished the string. The load may have been a manual, but I would shoot it again, and certainly not post powder or velocity.
None of my .44 loads are max. I have worked up well beyond the accuracy point but never to a sticky case load. I NEVER take a chrono down to work loads. When groups start to open from the best, I back down to the best forever. I don't care in the least how fast my boolits are going. Accuracy first, then see what you have for fun.

[Dale53]

TCLouis;
Not long after TC introduced the Contender, I shot one of the light octagon barreled ones in .410 Shotgun (3" shells). That pistol had "square" backed grips and was VERY uncomfortable to shoot.

However, I have one of the later .410 barrels and equipped the pistol with Pachmayr grips and it is not bad at all. In fact, it patterns as well at 25 yards as several .410 shotguns I have used. It's a rather good and practical shot pistol. I have even shot some skeet with it (did well on some stations and not so well on others:mrgreen:).

I have several TC barrels and three frames (two pistol and one carbine) and have done well with them although I do prefer revolvers, in general.

Dale53

[TCLouis]

44 Man

Now days I do it different. First I get an accurate load and then I chronograph.

Dale53
That was shot with the old grips also . . .LOTTA recoil applied.
I shot some of my current loads with a "new" grip with the rubber cusion and it was terrible compared to my Pachmayrs.

[siamese4570]

Saz: I test all my cast hunting boolits for penetration and expansion by shooting thru water filled gallon milk jugs. My Lyman44 -270 gr devastator hp stopped in the 5th jug. My 45-70 using the Gould 330 gr hp stopped in the 6th jug. I quit testing on the 310 after I couldn't stop it with 12 jugs! Not necessary for our 100 lb whitetails here in oklahoma, but might be good for bigger critters.

siamese4570

[Tom W.]

After shooting the 245 grain PB SWC for some time I got the 310 and loaded for it, with some advice from Dale53.. It shot a bit to the left, bit after some tinkering with my sights it did just fine. I'd have preferred a north/south differential in shooting disparity, but I'll live with the east/west....

[Hardcast416taylor]

A pard and another friend showed up on my range one day about 12 yrs. ago. They had these 45/70 contender to sight in. Using T/C recomemended loads with a RCBS 405 gr boolit they started shooting to set the sights. First 1 then the other pistol broke off the attachment irons for the forearms, all before 30 rounds were fired together. We called T/C from my house as it was closest! They sent the barrels back, were sent new barrels and a letter of apology. My friend and his buddy wasted no time in unloading those barrels for something less destructive to themselves. :coffee: Robert

[bearmn56]

Saz,
I shoot this bullet in my custom 44 Mag Super Redhawk. It is an excellent shooter and I can get around 1200fps out of a 5.5" barrel using H4227. Incidentally, I like this powder as it is one of Hogdgon's "extreme" powders and is insensitive to the huge temperature extremes found here in Montana. I have had failures to ignite with some of the slow ball pistol powders in very cold weather.
I cast two versions of this bullet. One is out of a #2 Type alloy. The other is almost pure lead with only enough tin to make the bullet fill out well in the mould. These mushroom to twice their diameter. I can shoot a full cyl full before leading becomes a problem. I carry this load in bear country. The #2 alloy doesn't expand much but has great accuracy and penetration.
Hope this helps.
Bearmn56
Montana Territory