44spl. Wad-cutters?

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Drm50

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Finally got a good 24. Have not much experience with 44 spl.
Target loads. Always loaded 240 cast, factory dupe approx.
Guns were fixed sight S&Ws and Colts. Now with the 24 I want
to develope a bullseye load. I have 3, 29-2s. 61/2", the 24 with
6" barrel seems to balance in my hand better than the 29s. Must
be due to lighter barrel. Anyone have pet target loads for WC in
44spl. In my 25s and 14s I have found they do the best with
WCs at close to original bullet weights. Any input will be
appreciated.
 
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I load and shoot Lyman #429348 180 grain full wadcutters in my 44 Specials.
yhst-15321267663876_2271_1278835

Purchase mine from Western Bullet Co.
Load 4.0 to 4.4 grains of Bullseye.
Light roll crimp just over the bullet's shoulder.
 
Hi Dan,

I just saw your post and was gonna email, but thought I'd share with the forum. I vote for the 429348 mold, too. Bullseye is a good choice, so is Unique! I plan to try Trailboss and VV N310 at some point.
Nice thing about the 429348 is that a light load with this will shoot to same point of aim as a full power load with, say, 429421 classic SWC.
The heavier wadcutters that lyman used to make, "may" give a couple issues. Higher point of impact is one. The heavier WCs at a slow target velocity might need a faster twist to give best accuracy. Also, they eat up more lead!
I don't know about others, but my 429348 mold throws good slugs without any problems filling out sharp edges. Kind of surprising, maybe, given the design.

Jim
 
Or try plated FP bullets. Or the new coated bullets.
Soft wadcutters can leave some lead behind.
One of the best loads I have ever worked up in 44spl uses the Rainier 240 FP.
They also make the same bullet in HP.
5.5-6.5 gr. Universal is my range.
The 6.5 load in HP would also make a good defense load.
I use a slight taper crimp and .002" interference fit for the bullet.
Haven't backed one out yet.
 

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Be careful with the 429248 moulds! at one time Lyman made both a 240 gr and a 180 gr wadcutter with that same number, no marking on the mould to indicate the difference. I loaded some up from the Lyman loading manual that I had which only listed the 180 gr bullet and luckily fired them in my M29 instead of the triple lock target that I also owned. After the seriously heavy recoil told me something was wrong, I weighed the bullets and did some research in old catalogs where I found the moulds listed in both weights. With appropriate powder charges, the heavy bullets worked just fine, and would make a really effective self defense load I think.
 
Buffalo Bore loads a 200 gr WC listed @ 1000 fps in the 44 spl as a defense load.
They also claim it is safe in the Charter Bulldog.
Kicks like mule in mine!
A call to them might let you know what mold they use.
The poster was created by another forum member so credit goes to them.
 

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6string, I'll buy the 180wc mold. Still raining cats& dogs here.
just cleaned and primed 200 cases. No WCs on hand. Have couple hundred 240g SWCs left over from last gun. Thank everyone for input.
 
I don't have a .44 Special. However, in the .44 Mag, I've had really pleasing results using a Rim Rock Bullets 200 gr. DEWC, and a starting load of 800X. It shoots like a .44 Special target load. I have 3 .44 Mags and they all like that load. I know there can be differences in accuracy due to the difference in case length, but that combo of bullet and powder could be worth taking a look at.
 
Skeetr57 is almost right in that Lyman made 2 similar wad-cutter moulds for a .44 Wad-Cutter. They have different numbers though!

The first is 429348 which is 180 gr. +/-. The second is 429352, which is 245 gr. +/-. I own both.

I believe he is confusing this with the Lyman 358432, which was available in 2 weights, 148 and 160 +/-. I looked for years for the 160 gr. version and have a 4 cavity. Makes goof "Full Power" wadcutter loads.

Or, he could be thinking of 358430, this came in a 150 and 195 gr. version.
 
I load the 180 grain Lyman 429348 wad cutters with 5.7 grains of Bullseye. They shoot very well in my 3" M624 and in my longer barreled M29s. I use a light roll crimp just over the bullet shoulder.
George
 
If you don't want to cast them, our forum buddy Penn Bullets sells a 185 gr. 44 DEWC.
I have shot them successfully but prefer them to weigh what my other loads do so the POA changes as little as possible.
QuickLOAD says I may be able to get 1400 fps shooting them 2 at a time out of the 445 over 24.5 grains of 4227.
Or 1200 fps shooting them 3 at a time over 20 gr. of 4227 in the big 444.
That's a 570 grain bullet 1.485" long. :)
Penn's 185 DEWCs actually weigh more like 190 gr.
 
Cool gun......and scale!
The scale reminds me of the OLD portable tube radios like Zenith that had a pop-up dial.
I have my grampa's old one but try finding a "B" battery or the tubes it used......
Think it also used a now obscure high voltage, many small cell, battery.
Love that art-deco Buck Rogers type look.

BTW I grew up in Pullman. Lived there from 1958 (3rd grade) till 1965.
Nice area. I enjoyed it.
 
Last edited:
Joseph Stalin said:
If you don't cast your own bullets and want to try 44 caliber wadcutters Matts bullets has some interesting bullets for a reasonable price.

44 Caliber : Matts Bullets
Click to expand...

WOW! Not trying to be rude, but 17 or 18 cents (plus shipping) each is what you call a reasonable price? I'd hate to see what you call high-priced ;)

If a 240gr SWC will do the job for you Drm50, Xtreme sells theirs for less than 13 cents apiece - and shipping is free right now.
 
TAROMAN said:
What velocity is that 5.7 grain load making?
Click to expand...

I haven't borrowed my friends chronograph to measure them, but I'd assume between 800 and 900 fps. That's based on the loads for a 180 grain 429348 WC listed in my 44th edition Lyman manual, which showed the following Bullseye loads:
Start 4.0 gr. - 691 fps
Max. 6.8 gr. - 1033 fps
Velocity data listed was for a Colt SAA with 5-1/2" barrel.
I shoot them out of a S&W M624 with 3" barrel.
The 5.7 grain load was given in another thread on this forum as someone's accurate load for the 429348 bullet.
George
 
Penn Bullets makes an excellent .44 wadcutter. Loaded with 5.0 grains of WST it is very mild and accurate. Most important----Penn is now offering coated bullets vs the traditional wax based lube.
 
Groo here
If your looking for a paper punching bullet, a sharp shouldered
bullet will work.[ WC,SWC rn with a paper cutting shoulder etc]
The most accurate overall will be the RN orginal.
After all, that is what the 44spec was first intended for, targets...
 
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