.41 Mag SWC, no blood

[LeadHead72]

Thanks for all of the great input, guys. Bullet hardness is most likely the culprit here and it sounds like I really need to fire up the melting pot and just DO it.
Along with a lot of lead and other necessary (and maybe unnecessary) casting equipment, over the last couple of years I have accumulated 20 to 30 molds including some good ones in 41. Lyman 410459, Lyman 41032, RCBS 41-210-SWC,
RCBS 41-210-KT and an NEI #411-190 (200gr? full wadcutter). Yes, I tend to overkill but prefer to have options. Powder coating has indeed interested me but is one of those things that I've sort of put off learning until I get the hang of the casting process itself.

[Dinny]

well, if it were me, with XXX hundred commercials, i would painstakingly drill out shallow HPs.... in fact im possibly going to do this with my 375 Winchester hard casts.....

tell me why not

They are very unlikely to expand at that hardness and you're just wasting time drilling the HP.

Sixshot about summed it all up.

ETA: Until you start casting yourself here's something to consider: https://www.gtbullets.com/index.php?...products_id=47


Thanks, Dinny

[quilbilly]

Keep an eye on local metal recyclers, particularly ones within a couple miles of hospitals. X-ray rooms are regularly revamped and the lead sheeting on the walls is replaced. That lead is reliably 99%+ pure and is a treasure for doing your own alloys. It is usually very clean and produces little dross when turning into ingots. I have been known to pay a little premium for that "good stuff" even though it is usually rolled into 40-70# sheets.

[derek45]

XTP

[ takes cover ]

[Texas by God]

XTP

[ takes cover ]

That's funnybut they do work.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[BunkTheory]

whoever posted that bullet company...

what would be better, one of those 170 grain keith swc or a 160 grain hollow point at same velocity in a 6 inch pitstol

[Larry Gibson]

Keep an eye on local metal recyclers, particularly ones within a couple miles of hospitals. X-ray rooms are regularly revamped and the lead sheeting on the walls is replaced. That lead is reliably 99%+ pure and is a treasure for doing your own alloys. It is usually very clean and produces little dross when turning into ingots. I have been known to pay a little premium for that "good stuff" even though it is usually rolled into 40-70# sheets.

Leadhead72

Any "hard cast" bullet (ternary alloy of lead/antimony/tin), even a HP'd one will most likely not expand much nor give any real improvement given handgun velocities. Even a softer ternary alloy is not likely to five any better results. I've been there with the 41 Magnum, along with other handgun cartridges, since the mid '70s. What you want is a binary (lead/tin) alloy. Elemer Keith used various such binary alloys and settled on a 16-1 lead-tin alloy for the 44 Magnum. I've found that alloy to be excellent for use in magnum level handgun cartridges with velocities in the 1200 - 1500 fps range. When HP'd that alloy gives excellent expansion, weight retention and penetration (usually through and through) on deer with much better terminal effect.

As quilbilly mentions keep an eye out at recyclers for the x-ray room lead. With that you can then add the tin for an excellent binary alloy. Better still are the little lead "pigs" used to store the isotope in. the pigs and there lids I've got are a binary lead tin alloy very close to 16-1. They make excellent handgun 357/41/44 magnum bullets.

With the 16-1 binary alloy I use my RCBS 41-210-SWC mould to cast my 41 Magnum hunting bullets. I size at .410 and lube with BAC or other 50/50 lube. After loading I HP the nose to to 3/16" deep with the Forster HP tool then "adjust" the HP cavity with a 1/8" counter sink tool. Loaded over a top end load of Bluedot or 2400 pushing them to 1450 fps out of my 7 1/2" barreled Ruger Bisley they have proved to be very deadly on coyote and deer giving much better terminal effect than any other cast or jacketed bullet I've used.

[Jim22]

well, if it were me, with XXX hundred commercials, i would painstakingly drill out shallow HPs.... in fact im possibly going to do this with my 375 Winchester hard casts.....

tell me why not

No argument from me. In fact I'm gonna try it as well. Thinking about using a center drill so the hollow point has a bevel.

Jim

[JohnH]

Some years ago I shot a whitetail doe with a 20 gauge slug at about 60 yards. Shot took the bottom of her heart out. She didn't bleed a drop from where I shot her to where she fell. I'm convinced her heart stopped on being shot and there was no blood pressure to push any blood out. I know that sounds crazy, but I've trailed up plenty enough heart shot deer in the ensuing years that i'm convinced that's what happened. She had a .60 caliber hole in and out both sides and through the bottom of her heart, it's the only explanation I've ever been able to come up with.

[GLynn41]

the bullet you are using will act more like a lwn as the shoulder will not cut .. nose base is too wide so not much cutting from shoulder the noe mold will and they can be hp'd lyman 410459 will also cut on impact do not know if that helps bleeding but it wont hurt GT bullets are good it seems only have 220 s
not a kieth but i have lwngc with a 33 meplat that bleeds deer and one pig good it is a sold. ACWW can begin to expand at about an impact of 1150+ per veral Smith
cant beat a .41 on deer

[megasupermagnum]

As others have said, expansion is the key. Hard bullets obviously work, and save meat, but they don't make big holes, and they don't kill that fast.

I have yet to use my 41 on an animal, but I have no doubt it would perform every bit as well as the 357 or 44. Ive been carrying my model 57 all week, but unfortunately was never able to get within even rifle range of an elk. The bullet loaded is an Arsenal 41-220RF gas checked, cast of 20:1 alloy. I'm shooting them with 11 grains 800x. If you want some bullets, let me know. I have no hollow point 41s.

[Good Cheer]

My take is to use a heavy bore riding design blunt nosed bullet (the blunter the better) that minimizes the amount of powder space taken up by lead. As if to say there's a lot of space between the front of the brass and the front of the cylinder, so use it.

[tward]

If you want to stick to commercial cast bullets I’ve had great luck with GT bullets. They have several designs in solid or hp and they cast them from softer alloys. Nice folks to do business with and great looking and performing boolits. Tim

[GLynn41]

if you get into casting you can cast soft points-- very easily -- very soft lead nose and harder body- I have a small pot for the soft -- the mold does not matter make you dipperout of .32 -9 m case and cast hot and you can make them plenty to hunt with normal hard bases - and yes they will expand

[quilbilly]

Last week I dropped by my favorite recycler on the way to the VA. There in the lead bin were some small rolls of very old roofing lead that were also very dirty with old roofing goop. A quick look on the "cleaner side" showed it to be very soft, bendable, and fingernail scratchable. I bought 33# for $33, took it home, and turned it into ingots the next day outdoors (the roofing goop smoke is nasty). It is 99% pure which I call blue lead, the color on the surface when heated. If you keep your eyes open at recyclers after learning to spot the clues, you can occasionally score well.

[LeadHead72]

Last week I dropped by my favorite recycler on the way to the VA. There in the lead bin were some small rolls of very old roofing lead that were also very dirty with old roofing goop. A quick look on the "cleaner side" showed it to be very soft, bendable, and fingernail scratchable. I bought 33# for $33, took it home, and turned it into ingots the next day outdoors (the roofing goop smoke is nasty). It is 99% pure which I call blue lead, the color on the surface when heated. If you keep your eyes open at recyclers after learning to spot the clues, you can occasionally score well.

Yes, I have accumulated some of the same myself. I have everything needed to get started casting, now I just need to DO it.