Help on picking a 44 MAG mold for a Rossi ranch hand...

kyjelly44

kyjelly44

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so im getting started with the casting gig. im looking at what would be a good mold that will not cause feed problems with the lever gun im going to be running.
im looking at the lee mold, and kind of leaning toward the lee sku #90341 240gr round nose. but ya can i even run this round nose in the tube mag...?

thanx for any info.
 
you need to slug the barrel of your rifle to find the size (diameter) of the bullet you need
you prob need a .432 dia bullet flat nose
the 90341 is .427 dia

you might be able to lap mold to a larger size but not .005
 
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Lee precision said:
Lee Double Cavity Mold produces a .429 diameter 240 grain round nose bullet suitable for cartridges like 44SP, 44 Mag, etc. Handles included.
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These bullets will probably shoot just fine as cast. I see no issues with that round nose in a tube mag. The traditional 44-40 bullet was a round nose, and has been used in tube mags for over a hundred years.
The issue you may have relates to how long the assembled cartridge is. If it's too long it can tie up the rifle, as the cartridge lifter can't raise it. I suspect this won't be an issue here.
 
The mold you have linked is a gas check design and although you can shoot it without one I would choose a non gas check bullet if I wanted to shoot them check free. I would start with one of the Lee .429" 240gr non checked molds and go from there. You may find they cast a little larger than advertised anyways and you can shoot them as is with no sizing.

I assume your calibre is actually .44 Mag and since it usually uses .429" jacketed bullets I would start one or two thousandths of an inch larger if I had not slugged my barrel. So a .430-.432" slug would be a good spot to start and try some loads if you have not or cannot slug your barrel for the actual groove diameter. If you know the actual size of your barrel people again usually cast one or two thou over that. If the load shoots good and doesn't lead then it is ok regardless.
 
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kyjelly44 said:
http://www.mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=3&=SID
ok this mold looks like the bullet i want to use. but this .429 and .433 thing is confusing the $h1T out of me. but i would like to stay away from gas checks.
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it's oversized so you can use it with the 444 (.432). sizing from .433 to .430" or .429" won't be a problem at all.

his molds are a work of art! i just ordered and got a 600 grain .501 mold with 2 HP pins and a flat one. it was oversized to use with another calibre so it comes out to .503 or so.

i personally don't bother with gas checks, but both my bullet molds allow for gas checks, just use it as normal. although i did buy 1000 gas checks just to see how it goes.
 
kyjelly44 said:
http://www.mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=3&=SID
ok this mold looks like the bullet i want to use. but this .429 and .433 thing is confusing the $h1T out of me. but i would like to stay away from gas checks.
Click to expand...

That bullet is the one myself and one other guy designed and it basically put mihec on the map. If you want to try some , slug your barrel and I can size accordingly and send you some to try. If you want to get away from the gc mihec could probably remove it for you.
 
I would suggest going with a round nose flat point design as some leverguns don't like the sharp edges on a semi wadcutter. Most 429-430 molds in the 200-240gr range will probably work but it never hurts to slug and know for sure what you are dealing with.

There is nothing wrong with Lee molds particularly at the price. Can put out tens of thousands of bullets if cared for. That said, a quality mold is a joy to use and behold. I'm looking for an excuse to order something from Mp one of these days. Also have a couple on order from NEI that I really look forward to seeing.
 
definitely get a RNFP type mould, not a SWC mould, for use in a lever action rifle. Your throat size is the determining dimension for accurate shooting, not bore size. I have a Browning 92 .44 mag with a .429 bore, it will not shoot cast boolits accurately under .434 dia because of its large throat.
 
kyjelly44 said:
http://www.mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=3&=SID
ok this mold looks like the bullet i want to use. but this .429 and .433 thing is confusing the $h1T out of me. but i would like to stay away from gas checks.
Click to expand...

I use a MP432-640 gas checked mold. As others have stated, these molds are works of art; I have four of them and on the waiting list for others. This one drops solids at 275gn, small HP at 265gr and large HP at 255gr using ww; size is 0.431. They all feed and shoot fine out of the rossi ranch hand, however 44 specials don't feed as smooth. I size and check them with a lee sizer to 0.430

The load for the solids that seems to work good is 21gr of H110.

Can't speak to accuracy out of the ranch hand, as I can't hit anything with it anyhow. Great accuracy out of Ruger SRH.
 
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I can recommend the Magma Engineering mold 44-225-RNFP - FB ; Slug your bore and go .002 over. This bullet feeds exceptional, has a good lube groove and a crimp groove and best of all has a flat base for better bore seal.
Depending on alloy will probably drop about 4-5 grains more. Some guns will feed the Keith or SWC design and some just wont without. carrier work etc. Save the aggravation with this or any RNFP design.
Magma 's webpage has menu for bevel or flat base bullets.

Doc
 
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