250gr cast for 44-40

[Smokeless Jim]

Any one ever use 429421 Lyman in a 44-40? I found a load in Lyman book copyright 1958. I sized them down to .427 and used 4.5 Bullseye. Have not shot them yet,waiting to here pros and cons first. Any info would be helpful,thanks

[44 Man]

Good idea but I think you will find that they will not shoot to the sights.  This is why a fixed sight 44-40 / 44 special combo is usually not satisfactory.  If the gun shoots to the sights with 200gr 44-40's, the 44 spl shoot very high.  And conversley, if sighted in for 245 gr 44 spl's, it will shoot low with 200 gr bullets.  Close enough for cowboy, but not for woods use.  44 Man

[Bad Flynch]

Yes, you can do that. However, as previously mentioned, the loads will probably not print to the sights. The normal .44-40 bullet is abut 200 grains, if memory serves, and the 250 grain bullet will probably print higher.

I would think that the 250 grain bullet also defeats one of the main reasons people shoot .44-40s:  reduced recoil makes them more controllable than the .45 Colt (which has trouble with light loads).

Have fun, be safe, and fully evaluate the 250s before you go into competition with them.

[Flint]

Another factor is the overall length of the cartridge.  All 44WCF bullets are designed with the crimp groove in a precise location relative to the bullet nose, regardless of bullet weight, in order to properly feed in a Winchester 73 and other rifles.  

A longer or different overall cartridge length can give feeding problems in a rifle, and even protrude from the front of some revolver cylinders (like the 1875 or 1890 Remington).

It seems if memory serves, I had problems with that particular bullet exceeding the length of a Ruger revolver cylinder in 44 Magnum.  It was either that, or it wouldn't feed in a Marlin.  It was so long ago that I only recall having a length problem.

[Smokeless Jim]

:grin: so far no trouble shooting 250gr out of my RV 44-40. 4.7grs of Bullseye,no heavy recoil,no leading. I did size them to .429 then down to .427. Sounds like alot of work,but right now my Lee mold 200gr is out of order,more like it's junk! I'll keep at this test. Thanks for the reply's

[Flint]

If that bullet fits in your Vaquero, then it must have been a Marlin it wouldn't feed in (in 44 Magnum).