Basics of reloading cast lead bullets

[243sniper]

Hey guys,
So I’m planning to get a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 magnum primarily for reloading, range shooting, and carrying while hunting. I’m really wanting to shoot cast lead bullets but I don’t really have too much experience reloading lead bullets. I’m planning to just buy lead bullets instead of casting my own. So mainly what I want to know is what powder and bullet combinations do you prefer? Also I’ve heard that lead bullets can’t be loaded to as high of velocities as plated bullets is that true? And is there any techniques I should know?
Thank you to everyone!

 

[Jack Ryan]

Buy a reloading manual.

 

[edwardware]

Lee's manual had a pretty good chapter on casting and loading lead, the Lyman cast bullet manual is much more extensive. Both are old enough to be missing the miraculous innovation of coated lead bullets; they really are magic for most any application.

Buy a book or two; this is not a question that will be answered in a thread. . . there's a fair bit to it.

 

[brewer12345]

Lymans fourth cast handbook Will be very helpful. I suggest you order coated cast bullets. More forgiving.

 

[dartor]

Try to find a company that sells powder coated bullets. For powder I'd look at Unique or Alliant 2400.

 

[WrongHanded]

I started with coated lead (SNS Casting, Acme, Missouri Bullet Company, and others offer coated lead bullets). Then I began to load uncoated lead (but with gas checks).

As others have said, Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition is a good buy. Lots of data. Many powders to choose from depending on your desired velocity range. Unique, 2400, H110/W296 (and others) are all commonly used for .44 mag, so data is plentiful. Start with a manual and that will help narrow down what you might have interest in using.

As far as velocity goes between lead and jacketed (I assume you meant jacketed not plated, which is different again), you can get lead to run pretty fast. Again, a manual will tell you more about that. But I run a 300gr WFN lead bullet at around 1200fps in my Super Blackhawk. And that's plenty fast enough for most folks.

 

[forrest r]

Common mistakes reloads make with the 44cal blackhawks & cast bullets are:
buying too hard of a bullet/too hard of an alloy
too small in diameter of a bullet
using a factory expander that's designed for the short/small in diameter jacketed bullets

Don't know how fast you plan on driving your cast bullets but this is what a 308w bbl looked like after 30 shots with a 15bhn cast bullet doing 2600fps+.


Unique is a good powder for the 44mag/general range use/play. Home cast bullets (8bhn/9bhn) that are pc'd and loaded with unique to make range fodder/blammo ammo for plinking @ 1300fps.


If I were you I'd start looking around for a .431" bullet that's cast out of a 12bhn alloy and pc'd. Or buy cast bullets that are .430" in diameter and cast out of a 12bhn alloy and pc them yourself. The pc will bump the bullets up to .431"/.432". Most commercial casters sell bullets that are made out of a 16bhn to 18bhn alloy and then use a super hard bullet lube. You really don't need bullets that hard.

 

[243winxb]

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.


Bullet- 240/250 gr lswc flat base. WLP, Starline Brass, 10 gr Unique or 23 Grs W296. 18 bhn. Bullet diameter .430" Coat the store bought bullets with Lee Liquid Alox over top of the hard lube already on the bullets.

The bullets in photo were a test using oven heat treaded extra hard bullets.

 

[Charlie98]

For general shooting loads, it's hard to beat Unique; if you want to go faster, start at 2400 and go up (AA#9, W296/H110, IMR4227, etc.) A properly sized cast bullet is paramount, I run commercial cast .41 bullets as fast as 1900fps (in my Marlin 1894) and I don't have problems with leading. Someone also mentioned a too hard bullet, that can aggravate the 'improper size' condition and lead to accuracy issues and leading.

You may need a touch more case flare when seating the bullet to avoid shaving lead off the bullet.

Honestly, I just load them the same as I do jacketed bullets... there isn't really any trick to them besides the mechanical basics.

 

[reddog81]

Powder coated lead bullets can be driven up to and past the recommended velocity thresholds for most plated bullets. One thing to watch out for is that most dies made these days are intended for use with jacketed bullets. Having a slightly larger expander die for use with lead bullets can be helpful to achieve the best possible accuracy.

If you're planning on shooting much 44 Mag, reloading is definitely the way to go. Moderate loads of Unique are great for shooting something powerful, but not painful like most full strength factory loads can be after a long session at the range.

 

[Texas10mm]

Elmer Keith used 16:1 alloy, bhn of 11 when developing the .44 mag. He mostly used bullets with no gas checks, Lyman 429421.

As stated fit is key. Commercial cast bullets are almost always too hard, too small, and have a poor choice of lube.

 

[Slamfire]

The classic Keith load was 22.0 grains 2400 under one of his 250gr 429421 bullets. I am going to state that that is still a great load. Loading manuals claim that 20.0 grs of 2400 is now the maximum, and all of my data is with 1980's or 1990's 2400, I did not have a chronograph when I was shooting older 2400. They were not available. I don't know if the reduction in powder is due to better pressure measuring devices or due to a formulation change. I think it is due to better pressure measuring devices and they are telling us the powder changed to get us to cut our loads.

Alliant 2400 is a great powder because you can cut the charge without something horrible happening. I have shot thousands of rounds with a 240 L with 17.5 grs 2400 in a 44 Magnum case, and that was the load Keith shot in 44 Special cases, in vintage Colt SAA revolvers!

The best "pedal to the metal" powder is H110/W296. Both are the same powders. But, you can't cut the charges, it is full power or nothing.

I tried AA#9, it shoots well, but the powder granules were tiny, just above sandpaper grit in size, and that caused all sorts of gumming up issues with my Dillion 550B powder bar.

I will say an outstanding mid range load is a 240 L with 8.5 to 9.0 grains Unique. Powerful, accurate, less recoil and blast than the magnum.

The 44 Magnum is easy to reload with cast bullets. Use any standard primer you want, use an appropriate powder, seat the cast bullet to its crimping groove, and give a good crimp. Just roll the case mouth into the crimp groove, don't over crimp and squish the bullet.

I have included 240 JHP data, just in case. I always finished up my shooting sessions with JHP's, it pushed any lead in the throat out the muzzle. This is not recommended for heavy leading as it does raise pressures, but I never had a problem with light leading and my loads.

Ruger Super Blackhawk  Stainless Steel 7.5" Barrel 
   

250 LSWC 17.9 grs 2400 little dandy rotor 22  CCI primers 
25-Nov-90 T = 70°F   
   

Ave Vel = 1192     
Std Dev = 33   
ES = 90    
Low = 1131   
High = 1221   
N = 6   

250 LSWC 21.9 grs 2400 little dandy rotor 26  Fed primers 
14-Jan-91 T = 50°F   
    
Ave Vel = 1355     
Std Dev = 75   
ES = 186    
Low = 1256   
High = 1442   
N = 6   

    

240 Speer JSP 22.0 grs 2400 Lot 457  Midway cases WLP(brass)
19-Jun-11 T = 91 °F   

Ave Vel = 1245    
Std Dev = 17   
ES = 57    
Low = 1224   
High = 1281   
N = 10    

accurate    

240 LSWC 18. grs AA#9 Midway cases WLP (brass)  
19-Jun-11 T = 89 °F   

Ave Vel = 1254     
Std Dev = 18.54   
ES = 71.553    
High =  1289   
Low= 1218   
N = 30    

accurate, light leading    
  

240 MagTech JSP 24.0 grs W296 (80's)  Midway cases WLP(brass)
19-Jun-11 T = 91  °F   


Ave Vel = 1351    
Std Dev = 18   
ES = 63    
Low = 1309   
High = 1372   
N = 10    

accurate

Three Screw Super Blackhawk  1967 mfgr  7.5" Barrel

    

240 LSWC  20.0 grs 2400 thrown, lot 406 mixed cases, Wolf primers
T = 80 ° F  23 April 2011    
     

Ave Vel = 1182   
Std Dev = 29.3   
ES = 117.8   
High =  1239   
Low= 1121   
N = 20   


240 JHP 18.0 grs AA#9   mixed brass CCI 300  
23-Apr-11 T = 80 °F   

Ave Vel = 1195   
Std Dev = 22   
ES = 62.88   
Low = 1216   
High = 1154   
N = 6   

240 JHP Old Remington Factory ammunition  
23-Apr-11 T = 80 °F   


Ave Vel = 1416   
Std Dev = 13   
ES = 31.56   
Low = 1434   
High = 1402   
N = 6

 S&W M629-4 Stainless, 5" Barrel

   
240 LSWC 8.5 grs Unique  thrown, Midway Brass WLP 
25-Nov-04 T = 58 °F  

Ave Vel = 1023  
Std Dev = 25  
ES = 99  
Low = 958  
High = 1057  
N =  30  


240 LSWC  20.0 grs 2400 thrown, lot 406 Midway cases, Wolf primers
T ≈  60-65 ° F 19-Apr-09   

Ave Vel = 1155  
Std Dev = 32  
ES = 128.4  
High =  1213  
Low= 1084  
N = 30  


250 LSWC 22.0 grs 2400 Midway cases, Fed primers 
1-Oct-95 T = 75 °F  
 
Ave Vel = 1336   
Std Dev = 39  
ES = 108   
Low = 1286  
High = 1394  
N =  6  

240 LSWC 18.0 grs AA#9 CCI 300  
21-Oct-00 T = 75 °F  

Ave Vel = 1169  
Std Dev = 32   
ES = 116.2  
Low = 1094  
High = 1210  
N = 25  
 
240 JHP 18.0 grs AA#9 Midway cases, CCI 300 
T ≈  60-65 ° F 19-Apr-09   
    
Ave Vel = 1125  
Std Dev = 26.43  
ES = 86.71  
High =  1164  
Low= 1078  
N = 18  
  

240JHP R-P 24.0 grs H110 Midway cases WLP 
9-Oct-05 T = 66 °F  
  

Ave Vel = 1228  
Std Dev = 21.47 
ES = 70.16  
Low = 1268 
High = 1197 
N= 22

 

[Crunchy Frog]

I shoot a lot of cast lead bullets. My primary source is www.bulletsbyscarlett.com.

Be aware that some lead bullets are swaged. That process uses a relatively soft material, pure lead or close to it. Suitable for modest/low velocities only. The big name manufacturers’ lead bullets (Hornady and Speer) are swaged. You can often buy cast bullets less expensively.

 

[RKRCPA]

Read this, then get back to us.

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

It will save you time and money.

 

[BWS]

I'd start with working up,and dialing in the "fit" using a Unique "mid-level" load around 1000 fps. This is going to be your day to day,get'r done loading. Once you and the rig/load have become one with the universe,and are capable of ripping up beer cans @50 yards offhand...... then a hot 2400 or H110 load will be a whole lot easier to digest. Handguns require a tremendous amount of quality practice. Gotta find a real accurate mid level load,and then practice, a LOT.

 

[RealGun]

I stopped using Unique for magnums, because the felt recoil was worse than when using a slower burning powder designed for magnum loading. The most shooter-friendly I have tried is IMR4227. Mid range loads work very well with AA#7. I have been using coated bullets but got terrible coating deposits along the entire bore. Another batch wasn't so bad. The moon and stars have to align to get good results with bare lead. The gun isn't necessarily compatible. When loading for a really serious magnum load I use jacketed, semi-jacketed, or gas check bullets. H110/W296 is very impressive in both 41 and 44 Magnums. I have a cowboy load for a backup set of guns that uses Trailboss and which makes a nice target load using bare lead. I avoid any lead over Brinell 12.

 

[Hondo 60]

Buy a reloading manual.

Buy several reloading manuals.

The powder & charge weight depend on what bullet you're gonna use.
It also depends on the "hardness of the bullet".
There is no one pat answer.
Waaayyyy too many variables.

And to top it all off, what worx GREAT in my gun, may absolutely suck in your gun.

Lots & lots of things to think on here.