.444/RD .432/265 load

[Papa Jack]

I was able to try out the new RD .432/265 grn mould . I regret that the alloy in the pot was "junk" and not my Lyman #2 make up.
Here is what I have.
Bullet as cast : aprox. 268grains ( some were right on at 265 grains, then I added a couple ingots of sheet lead.....I had lots of TIN in the mix, or so I thought...
Bullet with Lyman gas chk and Lee LA lube : .277 grns. Sized .432"
Bullet Lee Hardness indent: between .060 and .065" ( BHN 14.3-12.1 )
Load : 43.0 grns RL-7
CCI-200
R/P new cases
Roll crimp
I had lubed these with two coats of thinned LLA, then for good measure I hand lubed them with some of my new SPEED GREEN...
Do you think I am pushing this soft boolit with this load ? Should I reduce it more ?
R/D load page says 45.7 grns MAX, so I reduced it to 43.0 grains.
Rifle is a NEF Handi Rifle.....NEW .
What are your thoughts ?????
I have dumped the pot and reloaded it with a mix of 9 lbs of WW and 1 lb of 60/40. I'll try to cast a few more this week. I just wanted to try out the mold with what I had in the pot. Thanks for the input !! "PJ"

[dualsport]

Sounds like a good load to me. Try some out and see what happens. It's gonna kick some.

[chasw]

PJ: 43 grains of RL7 is a fairly warm load, not max but getting up there, probably good for about 2100 fps with your boolit. I share your concern about the alloy, it may be too soft for that velocity. Lyman no 2 or Linotype would be a better choice. As dualsport said, its gonna kick some.

My .444 Marlin rifle has a 20 inch Douglas barrel with a 1in24 inch twist rate, which turns out to be just right for 300 grain LBT boolits. I prefer to keep the velocity down to about 1800 fps. A full case of 3031 delivers that. Anything hotter and the pain index starts to climb. By the time you get to a 300 grainer over a full case of Reloder 7, the pain these carbines deliver to the shooter is out of this world. - CW

[Papa Jack]

PJ: 43 grains of RL7 is a fairly warm load, not max but getting up there, probably good for about 2100 fps with your boolit. I share your concern about the alloy, it may be too soft for that velocity. Lyman no 2 or Linotype would be a better choice. As dualsport said, its gonna kick some.

My .444 Marlin rifle has a 20 inch Douglas barrel with a 1in24 inch twist rate, which turns out to be just right for 300 grain LBT boolits. I prefer to keep the velocity down to about 1800 fps. A full case of 3031 delivers that. Anything hotter and the pain index starts to climb. By the time you get to a 300 grainer over a full case of Reloder 7, the pain these carbines deliver to the shooter is out of this world. - CW

Thank's !! Thats exactly what I was looking for !...I was affraid it may be a little warm. I want a good load that I can shoot without wasting a bunch of powder.
I need to sight this rifle in and I want to do it with a load thats not a reduced plinker, I want a little power....
I'll leave these 5 loaded up and load another 5 or 10 with a lesser charge, maybe 41 grains or 40 grains, or use some 5744, that may work too...
I have harder alloy, I made a handfull of PURE LINOTYPE yesterday, they look terrible even after I lubed em , LOL .
So I will mix some of that Lino and some Lead or WW's to make up a decent alloy for these rifles..... Thanks Again !! "PJ"

[Papa Jack]

I mixed up some alloy samples of Linotype and Lead. I made up 4 batches.
Batch #1: 4 parts Lead/tin mix ( the rest of the left over boolits from the above post ) 1 part Lino
Batch #2: 4 parts sheet lead, 1 part Lino
Batch #3: 4 parts sheet lead, 1 Part Lino
Batch #4: 4 parts Wheel weights, 1 part Lino
I poured batch #2 into the Lee pot and plugged it in. I heated the 6 cavity RD mould and cast up several loads of boolits, they looked good but still had problems filling in the lube grooves, and a few wrinkles on the noses. Temp was close to 800*f ( Lyman therm.).
I checked the alloy hardness with the Lee tester, it was between 1 and 2 steps harder than L#2. So I was happy with the alloy, just gotta work on the wrinkles and fill out in the grooves.
I'll load these this week and try em out ,if it's not raining too hard......"PJ"

[Tony65x55]

PJ, your load sounds like a good one. I wouldn't sweat the alloy thing yet. I've cast and fired this boolit in 5 different .444's, in several different alloys, with outstanding accuracy. Your load is a fairly mild load and pressure is no issue and your sizing is perfect. Fire it and see what you get.