lyman devastator 44 mold

[matthewquigley]

 
ok take a 44 cal lyman 250  grain gas check devastator mold    and cast some nice bullets with a nice soft 1200 -1300 fps load for a handi-rifle so my elderly dad can have  an awesome low recoil deer hunting rig                good   bad???ideas???

[Screwbolts]

ok take a 44 cal lyman 250  grain gas check devastator mold    and cast some nice bullets with a nice soft 1200 -1300 fps load for a handi-rifle so my elderly dad can have  an awesome low recoil deer hunting rig                good   bad???ideas???

That load should be perfect. you won't need the gas check. I would go with a large Metplat and hard but that is just me. No need to push it any faster.

In your signature you show a ML10,  try the 320 gr Harvester Hard Cast with a light load of 28.5 to 30 gr of 4759 or 5744.  These have proven to be Deadly out of 4,  Ml10s and my custom smokeless Rem. Rolling block.  total of 16 deer fell to my Hard Cast from a LBT mold this year.  Easy to get 1.5" 100 yard groups. 

Ken

Central NY

[goofyoldfart]

Anyone think that this could be used in reasonable loads for a .44 special so as to have a matched "pair" to a handi-rifle? Or for that matter for pistol on deer at close range? God Bless to all.

[docmagnum357]

I use the lyman devastator and 16 grains of 2400 in my 4" 44 mag for a self defense load. It is mild enough that i can get mulitiple shots, and usually holsd together shooting into water.  Even at the fairly low vewlocity(1100 fps) is is a real winner.  sand doesn't even make it comletely seperate the nose form the body.  I think it would be ans excewllent load for a carbine tt the velocity you spoke of.  Mine are eadly accurate, too. My load should do more than you ant in a rifle.  as for alloy, I have use d water dropped whell weights, but I have switched to just air colling themn.  Range scrap, mostly from 22 long rifle make a prettier bllet with less nose problems. They saeem tougher, too.

[Lloyd Smale]

its a good bullet. Ive found it to be accurate as well. I too probably prefer a standard lfn or swc for hunting but ive taken alot of game with the devestator as well. Biggest was a 1100 lb cow buffalo with it cast out of ww plus about 3 percent tin at 1200fps. I normaly wouldnt hunt something that big with it but the opertunity presented itself and its what i had with me. Bottom line is it did fine. It did loose its nose but the base gave complete penetration through the chest and it was one of the fastest kills on a buffalo that ive seen. Normaly though id probably limit it to self defense or hunting deer sized game at best.