Accurate Molds 43-215C; what makes it so popular?

[Onty]

I am looking at Accurate Molds website https://accuratemolds.com/catalog.php?page=17#catalog-anchor , bullet/mold 43-215C, and 319 were sold.



What makes it so popular? Is that because some shooters are using it also in 44 Magnum or 44 Special loads?

 

[Outpost75]

Go to the website http://www.44-40.org and read on the history. Traditional design for the .44-40 by the late John Kort. Accurate to 600 yards. Adequate lube capacity to resist foulout with black powder using SPG lube in Winchester 1873. Also very satisfactory in .44 Special and .44 Magnum, but that was not it's design intent.

Having a substantial crimp groove also enables it to be used in smokeless loads in which the powder charges do not fill the case. This prevents inertial dislodgement due to recoil in revolvers and resists bullets "telescoping" back into the case due to compression of a rifle tubular magazine spring. This is necessary because smokeless loads do not provide base support to the bullet in the same manner in which a compressed charge of black does.

 

[Onty]

Thanks!

Did anybody try top loads in 44 Magnum revolver using 43-215C? Any benefit of larger grease groove in order to reduce/eliminate leading? It would be interesting to see how fast it could be pushed in modern 44 Magnum revolvers without leading problem and what would be accuracy on 25, 50 and 100 yards? This could be interesting for half scale silhouette shooters, having lighter recoil and flatter trajectory. On top of that since this is not SWC and meplat is relatively small, this bullet should keep velocity higher on same distances than comparable same weight SWC or LBT bullets.

Next to 43-215C is 43-215C1. Later one has larger grease groove, but number of sold ones is just 3.



Is that because 43-215C1 was late version, and/or larger grease groove didn't have any benefit over smaller one on 43-215C?

 

[Outpost75]

No need for the larger grease groove on the larger bullet. Plainbased designs top out in rifles at about 1350 fps and when above subsonic in revolvers. I use same charge in .44 Magnum that I do in Winchester 92 and Colt New Service .44-40, 7 grains of Bullseye or TiteGroup, 8 grains of 231, WST or 452AA, or 19 grains 4227. Pressure tests below 18kpsi.

Excellent game performance in both rifle and revolver. Higher velocity is not needed within 150 yards rifle or 50 yards revolver. For cheap target and plinking alloy I use 50-50 clip-on wheelweights and plumber's lead with 1% tin added. But I prefer to cast hunting bullets in 1 to 30 tin-lead from Roto Metals, pan lube in 6 parts beeswax to four parts olive oil, and size .430 for all. Complete pass-throughs on deer, feral hogs and the occasional unruly wild cattle.

 

[Onty]

Adequate lube capacity to resist foulout with black powder using SPG lube in Winchester 1873.

Thanks for very informative posts!

Never used SPG, very few stores carry it on this side of big pond. And it's priced accordingly!

How well 45-215C performs with other, more common bullet lubes? Considering your experience (and others') with SPG, seems to me that 43-215C1 was designed to have more lube capacity, in order to get same good lubrication with ordinary lubes, as 43-215C gets with SPG.

 

[Onty]

I checked 45 bullets for BP cartridges at Accurate Molds website, and found something interesting.

Here is 45-251C, .45 version of 43-215C, 14 sold:



Also, Accurate Molds has 45-253F, with larger, .180" lube groove, somewhat on a par with 43-215C1, 14 sold too:



I guess that main reason for creation of 45-253F was desire for adequate lubrication with more common lubes.

Anybody has experience with these two .45 bullets?

 

[Outpost75]

Thanks for very informative posts!

Never used SPG, very few stores carry it on this side of big pond. And it's priced accordingly!

How well 45-215C performs with other, more common bullet lubes? Considering your experience (and others') with SPG, seems to me that 43-215C1 was designed to have more lube capacity, in order to get same good lubrication with ordinary lubes, as 43-215C gets with SPG.

60-40 beeswax and olive oil is cheap, easy and effective BP lube. Have found it quite adequate with the standard 215C . Have neither used the C1 version nor found additional lube necessary.

 

[Outpost75]

My standard bullet in .45 Colt is 45-260F
VERY popular design with over 100 sold!

 

[Onty]

I agree with your selection of 45-260F, instead of 45-251C and 45-253F.

As for 43-215C, did you test it for accuracy from 44 magnum revolver on 25, 50 and 100 yards?

 

[Outpost75]

I agree with your selection of 45-260F, instead of 45-251C and 45-253F.

As for 43-215C, did you test it for accuracy from 44 magnum revolver on 25, 50 and 100 yards?

Tested from Ruger M77/.44 boltgun with 4x scope 4-5" ten shot groups at 200 yards with 7 grains of Bullseye.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I got into loading for .44 WCF in 2016, after I bought a Cimarron 1873 Sporting Rifle. Based on reading John Kort's posts on the Cast Boolit Forum, along with the results from others who used it, I ordered a 43-215C mold. When I cast it from 1:20 alloy mine averaged 219 grains.

Loaded over 2.2cc (~35 grains) of Swiss 3Fg in Starline brass, I got 1329 FPS with excellent accuracy at 50 yards. I lube them with a 50/50 mix of beeswax and mutton tallow. I've shot up to 100 rounds in a single session without the bore getting fouled. Cleanup is quick with a water based cleaner.

 

[Navy Six 2]

I was also fortunate to follow John Kort's development of this bullet loaded with black powder in the 44-40. Accurate Molds has a similar design for the 38-40, 401-185-C. I have used both designs in those two calibers with black powder with complete satisfaction.