432 Cast Bullets

[Burnston]

Good evening all,

As I've yet to dive into the world of casting, I am at the mercy of commercial suppliers.
There was a slight miscommunication between me and a trusted smith and my m21 cylinder throats have been reamed to .4315.
That said, I wonder if anyone might have a line on a commercial supplier who casts the #429421 in .432.
I sincerely appreciate any contributions.

 

[308 Scout]

Try Beartooth bullets-

Beartooth Bullets Secure Online Shopping They offer .44 bullets in many diameters.

Penn Bullets also offers .432" bullets although they don't have the true Keith style.

Interesting about your experience with the cylinder throats on your 21-4. It wasn't by chance the guy in Henderson, NC who opened them, was it? I sent my 21-4 cylinder to him and he was bound and determined to open the throats to .4315". Tried to tell me that my cast bullets would "spring back" after sizing, yada, yada, yada. I had to insist I wanted them .430", which is what I ultimately got.

Anyhow, good luck with the bullets.

 

[Burnston]

Try Beartooth bullets-

Beartooth Bullets Secure Online Shopping They offer .44 bullets in many diameters.

Penn Bullets also offers .432" bullets although they don't have the true Keith style.

Interesting about your experience with the cylinder throats on your 21-4. It wasn't by chance the guy in Henderson, NC who opened them, was it? I sent my 21-4 cylinder to him and he was bound and determined to open the throats to .4315". Tried to tell me that my cast bullets would "spring back" after sizing, yada, yada, yada. I had to insist I wanted them .430", which is what I ultimately got.

Anyhow, good luck with the bullets.

Sincerest thanks for the suggestions. I've done business with Beartooth, Penn, and even Montana Bullet Works, all of whom make a fine product. Unfortunately, Montana ad Beartooth are a little out of my budget, and Penn only offered a tapered bullet.

As per your smith inquiry, I do not think we're dealing with the same person. In my case, it was an honest miscommunication, as opposed to his insistence. Thanks again.

 

[308 Scout]

Glad it was just an honest mistake!

I understand the pricing issue with the Beartooth bullets. I did see somewhere the other day a vendor who offered larger .44 caliber bullets, but for the life of me, can't remember where.

You might try a "Want to Buy" ad in the Swappin' & Sellin' section of the Cast Boolit forum. That's a bunch of great guys over there.

 

[4barrel]

I found some .432 gas check at a gun show for $5 a box. A .430 jacketed should be accurate. My 44 has .431.5 throats and a .429 barrel.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

I understand that you're asking about cast bullets but if you might be interested in jacketed bullets Zero Bullets makes a 240gr. JSP & it's standard diameter is .4312" dia.

They are very good bullets for the price, IMO. Pricing is $137/1000 & shipping is at no extra cost.

If you buy just 500 they cost more per hundred but if you also buy 500 of another caliber/bullet they give you the per 1000 pricing & free shipping.

Just a thought.

.

 

[rockquarry]

Just based on my own limited experience with this...If the throats are .4315", then a bullet that actually measures .431" should work fine. If you can find a .432", that will also work even if it might be just a hair tight. Try to avoid a hard bullet.

 

[cowboy4evr]

I would buy .431 and not worry about the difference . Remember , it's the groove diameter of the barrel that ultimately determines the size , that is unless the cylinder throats are grossly oversize , like .434 etc . Regards, Paul

 

[308 Scout]

I have a couple of 1917's and like all 1917's their throats are oversize at around .454". I've found really hard (~22 Bhn) cast bullets do OK while keeping leading to a minimum.
Burnston if nothing works out shoot me a PM. I have a 4-cavity 429421 mold that drops them at .432" and I don't mind casting up batch for you.

 

[max503]

If you did cast you could take the 429421 mold and Beagle it to make it larger. Casting ain't all that difficult. Here's my rig in a kitty litter bucket.

 

[RonPagan]

Doesn't dardas cast bullets make you whatever size you want? I got some .40 bullets from them before I found out my kimber had a way oversized barrel.

 

[boatbum101]

Part of the problem is 2 sets of specs for 44 mag . Pistol @ .429 & rifle @ .431 . Most commercial casters just size to .430 & that's it . Many of the newer Lyman moulds are cut undersize also . Unless you're going to buy mould(s) & cast you will pay more for .432 - .433 bullets . While a plain base bullet will work fit is king regardless & quality lube a must . Plain base if you get all that right + correct alloy to match pressure your pretty much limited to 1200 - 1300 fps . I shoot PB's out of all my magnum revolvers & they work just fine . Above those velocities a gascheck is worth the extra work / costs . All my cast rifle bullets are gaschecked because of increased velocity out the longer barrels .

 

[tennexplorer]

Try GTbullets dot com. Some of their .44 bullets come in .432.

 

[max503]

I got into reloading because I bought an "obsolete" Savage Model 340, 22 Hornet back around 1979. Ammo, when you could find it, was sky high. Reloading has been a passion ever since.
Maybe this oversized cylinder is The Universes' way of telling you to start casting boolits. You should be able pick up used equipment from The Cast Bullet Assn forum webite, or The Cast Boolits website for cheap.

 

[fredj338]

Running a bullet slightly smaller than cyl throat is not an issue vs running a bullet the proper size thru a smaller cyl throat. If you want to run 0,431" bullets, the slightly larger throat doesn't usually present an issue.
BTW, putting gc on bullets almost removes the issue. The gc will act like a jacketed base & grab rifling. Leading may or may not be an issue depending on the final bullet size as it passes thru the cyl throat.

 

[slickracer]

Doesn't dardas cast bullets make you whatever size you want? I got some .40 bullets from them before I found out my kimber had a way oversized barrel.

Dardas is no longer open. His bullets were the nicest cast bullets I found.

 

[slickracer]

Doesn't dardas cast bullets make you whatever size you want? I got some .40 bullets from them before I found out my kimber had a way oversized barrel.

Dardas is no longer open. His bullets were the nicest cast bullets I found.

 

[gwpercle]

.431 cast lead bullets , plain based or gas checked , will be just fine in those .4315 throats .
As with any cast bullet load a little load development is required to find the "pet" load . +.0005 over bullet diameter will not be excessive.
Hint...don't use rock hard bullets , softer ones work much better , less leading and better accuracy ... and it took me only 40 years casting & reloading to figure this out .
Gary

 

[boatbum101]

Gwpercle makes a very good point . As I stated above I shoot plain base bullets in my revolvers . My bullets run between 8 to 12 BHN depending on caliber & velocity . I can push them to 1300fps in magnum loads . Sized correctly & quality lube makes the difference . If one looks at Elmer Keith's cast loads he considered 8 BHN " hard cast " . Anyone who has shot his loads knows they are warm & they perform . Many are introduced to cast by buying a box & loading them up . Only to find out that they're too hard , they're undersized & lube just don't work . Spend a week scrubbing lead & then go buy plated or jacketed ever after . Cast bullets you get results equal to the effort you're willing to spend . Same old story " Garbage in Garbage out " .

 

[RonPagan]

That sucks about dardas. Although I have to admit I haven't bought any bullets in years. Too damn expensive compared to making your own.