I use a Ruger Redhawk in 44 Mag for deer hunting, using cast 325 grain cast, gas checked boolets over heavy H110 loads. My question is, has anybody worked up light plinking loads for a boolet this heavy since this is the only mold I have? Maybe something in the 850 to 950 feet-per-second range. As I get older I think maybe I can't take the beating anymore when I am just target shooting at close ranges. And I still like shooting the gun?
The lowest I have ever gone is 9 grains of Tite Group.
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I've loaded 4.0 grains of Red Dot under a pair of 150 grain wadcutters deep-seated in .44 Special cases. This gives about 600 f/s from a 2" Bulldog. Based on that, I'd start with 5.0 grains of Bullseye in a magnum and work my way up.
"Totalitarianism demands, in fact, the continuous alteration of the past, and in the long run probably demands a disbelief in the very existence of objective truth.” --George Orwell
A 200 gr Lee mould and a pound of Bullseye would go a long way easing the "beating"........
Larry Gibson
“Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
― Nikola Tesla
I've loaded a lighter charge with the Lee C430-310-RF, I can't remember what the particulars were, except that it shot very high and I didn't proceed farther.
You could always buy another mould. Maybe a 240-250 grainer which would work for an all around bullet; light loads to deer. Pending on the application you have, I like the RCBS 44-240-SWC, which is a gas checked bullet.
It does pretty well for plinking and such.
If you have Unique powder on hand, 8.0 to 9.0 grains will work. You could also use WW231 or AA#5, but I can't recommend a particular load. Played with them a little, but always went back to Unique.
I have a "Keith" style Lyman 300 gr mold for my .44 magnums and also loaded them close to the max with H110. I essentially did the same thing with the Lee 300 gr WFN for my 45 Colt Rugers. But, I used 250 grain boolits and Red Dot or Unique for my everyday shooting. I totally agree with Larry Gibson's suggestion that a lighter weight 200 gr or 250 gr plain base mold will make your life a lot easier.
Last edited by curiousgeorge; 01-24-2024 at 09:50 AM.
I second the Unique load of 8-9 grains. You should be able to tackle anything in the lower 48 with that combination.
In his book Jacketed Performance With Cast Bullets, Veral Smith discusses this very thing for low noise/low recoil. His method involves deep-seating heavy bullets on top of small charges of fast powders. I'm going to need at least 12-14 hours to come back and try to find my copy, but maybe one of the Faithful will see this in the meantime and look up his recipes for you.
WWJMBD?
In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.
While the OP asked for a light charge load with the heavy bullet, I will second this 200 LEE recommendation.Originally Posted by Larry Gibson
I got my first 44 over 30 years ago, and quickly realized heavy bullets were great in the 44, so stayed with that for nearly 30 years.
Last year I saw a low price deal on a LEE 200 RF, and almost passed before remembering that a user on here stated that they really liked the mold. Looks like a 'poor design' was my initial thought - no driving band ahead of the case. However, the mold was Cheap. So, I bought it.
That LEE 200 RF works Very well for me w/ 9 gr W231 under it -- 2 full cylinders under 2" at 50 yd.
With this load it shoots for me nearly to same point as a 280 at 1450, or the 310s to 1250 fps.
For the same amount of lead, you also get 50% more bullets than using a 300.
This bullet was a very nice surprise for me.
I really like the Lee 310 grain with 10.0 grains of Unique. I get about 990 ft/sec in my 5.5" Super Blackhawk. It still feels like a "Big" gun but not really punishing. Makes a steel target clang loud. Sort of the best of both worlds between power and manageable.
Deep-seat the bullets (like the one on the left) to roll crimp on the ogive of the bullet over 9 gr. of Longshot for about 900 fps.
Data for a 310 gr. boolit is as heavy as I have on hand ... Nada on the 325 gr. boolit !
For light loads ... a Lighter boolit would go a long way into making that happen .
The price of a double cavity Lee Mould wouldn't break the bank
Lee #429-214-SWC or #429-200-RF would be my choice ...
Either boolit over 6.5 grs Unique will give about 750 fps ... very accurate in my buddies Ruger Super Blackhawk
You can increase this load up to 7.7 grs Unique for about 885 fps .
These are not max loads in 44 magnum but rather accurate target and tin can shooting loads with cast plain base boolits .
Advice ... Never pass up a perfectly good "need " to buy a new boolit mould ...
"But honey ... I need this lighter boolit mould to make lighter loads so you will enjoy shooting it with me !"
... And say it like you mean it !
Gary
Last edited by gwpercle; 01-24-2024 at 02:03 PM.
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I didn't even think of looking in Veral's book that I have a copy of. In fact, the 325 grain mold I have is one he made for me a bunch of years ago.
I thank everybody for all of your suggestions so now I am really in a great state of indecision. I do have Veral's book and need to go up to my library and dig it out. I do have Unique powder. And 231. And a bunch of others I have used over the years for both handguns and shotshell reloading. I took a look at the molds at Graf and Sons since their place is a short drive for me and I enjoy taking a ride on the bike over there. There is always something else I probably need there. I looked at the LEE molds, which are pretty cheap, and I have several of them for smaller calibers. And also some Lyman and RCBS iron molds that I like to cast with. The one LEE mold I was attracted to is the C429-240-SWC DBL CAVITY with a gas check, which would allow me to push the much lighter projectile to some higher velocities if need be. Armidillo's maybe? But I also might be just as well off with one of the 200 grain plain base molds also.
Don
I would not expect to recover a 240 gr 44 bullet @ 1000 fps if I shot a deer.
[The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze
Well Larry, I took your advice and purchased a 240 grain gas checked Semi Wadcutter LEE mold from Graf and Sons, after a heated discussion with my wife about spending all of this money on more molds. It's kind of cold (30 degrees) living out here in the garage casting all of these new lead projectiles, but it was lucky I put some heavy socks on under my work boots. So, now its time to get some loading done. My Lyman Number 1 Handbook of Cast Bullets manual only has 250 and 255 grain molds listed, so I assume a lighter bullet mold will be safe at these levels. I have Bullseye, Unique and 2400 as listed, but don't have any 5066 powder? Maybe I should dig out Lyman Cast Bullet Manuals No. 2, 3 or 4?
Here's a screenshot of Load Data.
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8-9 gr of Unique makes a great lighter load.
The idea of a lighter load is a good one for your uses. But I caution folks about using a very light charge of powder in a larger volume case. Example would be Bullseye powder in a very small charge, in a large volume case.
In this situation, I'd recommend Unique powder as a good choice. Use a starting load, and work up to what you prefer.
I’ve used trail boss and Lee 310s kicks like a healthy 22 win mag.
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