Author Topic: What size Hard Cast Bullet  (Read 1034 times)

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Offline hylander

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« on: August 20, 2004, 02:28:24 PM »
I am just starting to reload for my SBH .44 Mag.
Bore is .429
All Cyl. are .433
What size Hard Cast Bullet do I need to be
useing.
Are my Cylinders to large.
I was planning on using Leadhead hard cast 250gr. Keith .431
Is this a good choice. I would like to load these at 1,300-1,400 fps
Failure is not an option
Placer County, Calif.

Offline LAH

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2004, 02:48:46 PM »
That should be a good choice. Just remember his bullets are hard so put plenty of powder under them.
Joshua 1:9

Offline hylander

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2004, 03:09:13 PM »
LAH:
Sorry to sound Dumb, But:
What does the hardness of the bullet have to do with how much
powder is under it :? .
Failure is not an option
Placer County, Calif.

Offline JohnK

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2004, 03:52:31 PM »
Pressure from the powder expands the base of the bullet to seal the throat and bore. Really hard bullets take more pressure, which usually means more powder, to seal well. It's one of the reasons why pushing a really hard bullet to slow can cause leading just like pushing a soft lead bullet to fast can cause it.

Offline Lloyd Smale

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2004, 11:28:06 PM »
.430 or .431 should work fine
blue lives matter

Offline hylander

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2004, 04:37:29 PM »
Well I got a handful of Lazer Cast 240rnfp .431
They almost fill the Throats but still fall through.
I also ordered some 240gr. SJSP Magtech and
some 240gr. Rem. JHP
I will load with H-110 and Mag. primer
and see what I get.
Wish me Luck
Failure is not an option
Placer County, Calif.

Offline hylander

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2005, 04:56:44 AM »
Well I tried the Lazer Cast .431, Bad Accuracy and Leading.
Tried some .430 Kieth 250 SWC that a freind cast, No leading
and first cylinder full accuracy was good, then no more.
All the Jacketed bullets .429 accuracy is great, under 2" @ 50yd.
Am I doomed to only shoot Jacketed bullets.
Failure is not an option
Placer County, Calif.

Offline Dusty Miller

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2005, 06:42:53 AM »
Your cylinder throats are .004" over bore, in my experience that seems a bit loose.
When seconds mean life or death, the police are only minutes away!

Offline Lead pot

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2005, 09:45:06 AM »
We had a guy a few days ago blow the side wall and bent the top strap out of his Ruger Black Hawk loaded with 18 Grains of 2400 with a 250 grain .431 Hard Cast bullet :eek:
Best part no one got hurt.
Kurt
Dont go were the path leads,go were there is no path and leave a trail.

Offline haroldclark

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Hard Cast Bullets
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2005, 05:12:42 PM »
Hey Hylander

Don't be surprised by the Laser Cast 240-44-caliber bullets not shooting well.  They are just too hard to bump and fill the barrel or your cylinder throats.  I just ran a Saeco Hardness test on one of the Laser Cast bullets and it reads 10.  That translates to 22 on the Brinell Hardness Number.  22 is Linotype metal hardness.  I have tried pure linotype bullets in my 357 calibers before and they were totally unsatisfactory.  I have been shooting 357 caliber Laser Casts too.  I only load them with 3 grains of powder and shoot them at 15 yards for practice.  Works OK, but for serious accuracy, I cast my own from a softer material.

I have a bunch of those 44 caliber Laser Cast bullets and have been shooting them in my 44 Special S&W.  Recently, I was shooting at 15 yards with them and some of my own home cast 240 grainers cast from wheelweights and 2% tin.  Both loadings were the same except for the bullets. I was amazed at the difference in accuracy.  I only loaded them with 5 grains of WW231 powder.  At 15 yards, my bullets would make a neat hole about an inch in diameter while the Laser Casts would go out to 2 inches.  

I used to shoot a lot of 44 Magnums in a Ruger Blackhawk 7".  I used a 250-grain Keith type Semi-wad cutter and a bunch of powder to reach and knock down the 200 Meter Ram for Pistol Silhouette.  The bullets were my home case of salvaged bullets, shot, wheelweights and anything else I could scrounge.  They were soft, no matter what and they worked.

Leading is another story.  Fire lapping will help leading and reduce the cleaning efforts.  I have not been one to experiment with different bullet lubes.  I use Javelina or other brands of 50-50 Alox and Beeswax and the lubed bullets are dropped into a cigar type box with the lid folded inside creating a declining board.  I put an old dishtowel on the slant, sprinkle motor mica on the towel.  The bullets roll down the lid to the bottom of the box and coat themselves with mica.  When I finish with the lubing or the box gets too full, I pick up the rag so to contain the bullets and I run them from one end of the (hammock type) rag to the other and fully coat them with mica.  My Laser cast bullets are defrocked of the hard lube from the factory and re-lubed with Javelina before shooting.  

If I have any leading up to 2245 fps, my barrel needs fire lapping (See LBT - Lead Bullet Technology - One of the sponsors for this site).  I would suggest that you by LBT's book "Jacketed bullet performance with Cast Bullets".  A great read.

Harold Clark

Offline joeb33050

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #10 on: January 27, 2005, 01:48:55 AM »
I've been working with a M29 with cylinder throats .4332"-.4339" and bore about .430". I shoot 429421 in wheelweights, base band measures .430"-.434", other bands around .433", unsized, pan-lubed Darr lube. I get NO lead with these bullets at any velocity . I believe that BIG bullets stop leading, bullets should be SOFT. Yesterday at 50 yards with 9 Unique 4 groups, 6 shots averaged 3.215", best 5 shots averaged 2.15". With 10 Unique 4 groups, 6 shots averaged 2.65", best 5 averaged 2.05". From bench rest, Simmons 4X scope.
joe b.

Offline Lloyd Smale

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #11 on: January 27, 2005, 01:02:21 PM »
thats a completely safe load. Id bet something else was at work there such as a mix up in powders or an accidental overcharge. a 44 mag should be able to handle 22 grains of 2400. I shoot 18 grain loads in my .44 specials routinely without a problem.
Quote from: Lead pot
We had a guy a few days ago blow the side wall and bent the top strap out of his Ruger Black Hawk loaded with 18 Grains of 2400 with a 250 grain .431 Hard Cast bullet :eek:
Best part no one got hurt.
Kurt
blue lives matter

Offline Lead pot

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #12 on: January 27, 2005, 03:44:19 PM »
Lloyd
I would agree. I don't know his loading habits. but I do know that he regularly shoots uncharged loads now and then. His press is a lee progressive that gives him fits with the priming system. I would not be surprised if he didn't back it up to reprime and double charged the previous case. I don't know how a lee works I dont have one. I don't use progressive loaders.
He took the side wall of two cylinders, and the top strap just folded.

Kurt
Dont go were the path leads,go were there is no path and leave a trail.

Offline LAH

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What size Hard Cast Bullet
« Reply #13 on: January 28, 2005, 03:37:40 AM »
Like Lloyd said this is a completely safe load. As for double charging, I'm not sure 36 grs. of 2400 will fit in a 44 case.
Joshua 1:9