cast bullets?

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Sorry for another question but I need some help before making an order.

I have a 44mag handi rifle and would like to shoot it as economical as possible. I began looking into hornady xtp and the like bullets but the guy at a local gun shop said get a good lead gas checked wad cutter bullet and that's good enough on deer. I found several on midway but only one saying gas checked. I am just trying not to blow my rifle up by loading the wrong thing.

below are the ones im interested in and the last one is the gas checked bullet. do the first 2 need loaded a certain way or is #3 what I want? will be using imr powder if that helps.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...eter-240-grain-lead-semi-wadcutter-box-of-500

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2...er-430-diameter-240-grain-lead-semi-wadcutter

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/9...-310-grain-lead-flat-nose-gas-check-box-of-50
 
I'd say either of the 240gr ones. That 310 is made for heavy game so I wouldn't use that on deer. Besides it will kick like heck. You can drive either of the others to 1600fps or so and that should be fine on deer. You start really loading up a .44mag in a handy rifle and your shoulder is going to notice. Plus you can load them slower for plinking or target practice. jmho Good luck
heres another that has great reviews.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/8...eter-240-grain-lead-semi-wadcutter-box-of-500
 
IMR 4227 is what I plan on using with cci mag large pistol primers.
 
The biggest factor IMO when using lead bullets for any caliber is bullet diameter vs your barrel diameter. You need to be sure that the bullets are at least .001 larger in diameter than your barrel. Barrels vary, even from the same manufacturer. There are many youtube videos that will show you how to properly slug your barrel. Once you know that size, buy bullets that are .001 to .002 larger in diameter. This really only applies to lead bullets. With jacketed it is less important.

In my own experience, you can get decent accuracy from regular lead bullets but those with gas checks are very nearly always more accurate, especially if you load them on the high end. The blue ring is lube to prevent the bullets from leaving lead deposits in your barrel. Gas checks do this very well as they down allow any hot gas to push around the bullet as it is traveling down the barrel.

As Scooter22 already said, I think 310 grain bullets are a bit much. I also don't know how well they will cycle in your rifle. Semi-wad cutters are going to be more prone to cycle well.

After all of that, I am not telling you NOT to use lead bullets for your rifle, but I have personally never been satisfied with the accuracy of any lead bullet at any load out of a .44 rifle and I spent a long time on it. Cast 240 grain semi-wad cutters is all I use in my revolvers but I don't use them in my rifles anymore. I could get what I consider decent accuracy (I would say 3-4" at 100 yards) but I switched to Jacketed bullets and cut that in half. My favorite are Montana Gold 240 grain JSPs. They are going to cost a bit more but are well worth it.
 
I am shooting the lasercasts in 200gr and using h110 at starting loads and they are great. My rossi 92 with a 20" barrel loves them, and i get zero leading. 4227 should be even easier to dial in a load with, especially with the 240grain bullets. Any heavier and it gets kinda painful on the shoulder with a rifle that light. Not unuseable, just less comfortable. Laser casts are a hard alloy that don't seem to need the gas check, that's why i like them.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Tapatalk
 
ohihunter2014,

Before you spend any serious money to shoot cast bullets in your .44RemMag Handi Rifle you should probably do a bit more research. The Handi-rifle .44Mag has a rifling twist of 1 in 38" and will not shoot longish bullets well. Most shoot 200 grain jacketed slugs accurately and some manage to shoot the 240 grain slugs well too but some don't..

The Handi rifles' barrels are 12-groove with an average groove diameter of .431-.432" and need a cast bullet of at least these diameters or .002" larger to shoot accurately without severe leading. A gas check is usually required if chamber pressures go higher than about 20,000 psi.

Check with the grey-beard guys about Handi Rifle idiosyncrasies.
http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/hr-centerfire-rifles/
 
People shoot lead without gas checks and no leading all the time in revolvers and carbines at .44 Mag pressures. It is about alloy and fit.

The coated bullets help a newbie start cheaper than jacketed with no fear of leading. Fit isn't as critical.

Get some and see if your rifle likes them. I find it hard to believe any .44 Mag gun would not stabilize the most common bullet weight for the caliber.

100 count "sample" packs at SNS:

http://www.snscasting.com/sample-packs/

You can also order 100 from ACME

http://www.acmebullet.com/bullets-reloading-brass/HiTek-Coated-bullets?product_id=437

A cheap way to try something.
 
Thanks guys, I will look into those cast coated ones walk along posted.

I still have to buy powder and primers for it so it might be awhile until I get to load any. I got 100pc starline brass a few weeks ago and mounted a scope on it so powder, primers, bullets are the only thing I need.
 
Ohihunter,
I'd seriously recommend Missouri Bullet Company (MBC). They are fantastic bullets. Get the "Smashers". As Walkalong said, the alloy is the key. But still buy them .431 or .432 bullets. Coated bullets are the way to go now. The ole lubed bullets work fine. But the new ones are the bees knees. Push them as hard as you want. But get a reloading manual. I'd recommend the Lyman because it covers cast "boolits". My powder choice would be Herco. You don't need ridiculous velocity to kill with cast bullets since they don't expand. And your shots probably won't be much past 100yds. You will get recommendations for H-110. H-110 is a great powder for the 44 mag. But it doesn't offer much in the way of leniency between minimum and maximum charges. I just bought a pound of Herco the other day. $22/lb. H110 is $21/pound. But you will get twice as many loads out of a pound of Herco as you will with H-110. 12-13 grains of Herco vs 23-24 of H-110. And there's only about 100-150 fps difference in velocity.

As always though, don't just take someone's word on what load to use. ALWAYS reference a manual. You might be 6'6" and 300 lbs. But that don't mean nothin if your gun blows up.
 
Last edited:
BigBore44 said:
Ohihunter,
I'd seriously recommend Missouri Bullet Company (MBC). They are fantastic bullets. Get the "Smashers". As Walkalong said, the alloy is the key. But still buy them .431 or .432 bullets. Coated bullets are the way to go now. The ole lubed bullets work fine. But the new ones are the bees knees. Push them as hard as you want. But get a reloading manual. I'd recommend the Lyman because it covers cast "boolits". My powder choice would be Herco. You don't need ridiculous velocity to kill with cast bullets since they don't expand. And your shots probably won't be much past 100yds. You will get recommendations for H-110. H-110 is a great powder for the 44 mag. But it doesn't offer much in the way of leniency between minimum and maximum charges. I just bought a pound of Herco the other day. $22/lb. H110 is $21/pound. But you will get twice as many loads out of a pound of Herco as you will with H-110. 12-13 grains of Herco vs 23-24 of H-110. And there's only about 100-150 fps difference in velocity.

As always though, don't just take someone's word on what load to use. ALWAYS reference a manual. You might be 6'6" and 300 lbs. But that don't mean nothin if your gun blows up.
Click to expand...
Now that's funny!!! The 6ft6 comment. I always cross reference things. I had a guy pm me some stuff months ago on h335 saying go like 26-27gr. Hodgdon Max is like 25gr. I ask bullet, powder, etc but no offense to anyone I won't take a
Powder charge unless I check it first. If it's over max not happening
 
Well that's what I remember your height and weight being. I don't load over max either. But truthfully, you usually can. Lawyers and lawsuits cause manufacturers to post under true max. Most people never exceed posted max. And truthfully, there's really no need to. I saw in another thread that you have the Lyman manual. It's a great manual. I have Hornady, Speer, Sierra, and Lyman manuals. If something I'm curious about isn't listed, I check Stevespages, or email the powder company. Never taken more than 24 hours during the week to get a reply.
 
Scooter22 said:
Follow a manual or published data from a reliable source. Not what "someone says". Your working with 30-40K or so of pressure at the end of your nose.
Click to expand...
I never use someone elses data unless I verify it in a book. :)
 
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