casting 44cal hp's

[Forrest r]

Bought a Mihec 44cal 250 wfn mold with the hp pins. So I cast up some 240gr cupped hp's & 230gr round hp's with that mold. The bullets take a gas check which is fine with me, made my own gc maker for the 44cal's. That got me thinking I have a mihec 640 mold for the 44cal's that I got several years ago and never did anything with it so I cast up some 250gr penta & round hp's with that mold.

A close-up of the bullets

Typically I use:
180gr to 220gr bullets in the snubnosed 44spl's
220gr to 240gr in the 4" bbl'd 44mags
220gr to 265gr in the 6 1/2" bbl'd 44mags
Any 44cal bullet in the 10" bbl'd contender

I'll be taking a hard look at those 230gr & 240gr wfn hp's in a 4" bbl'd s&w 29. Testing will be @ 50ft into wetpack looking for a "house" load. All the bullets will be tested head to head with the 6 1/2" bbl'd 629 & the 10" contender @ 50yds & 100yds into wetpack. While I'm at it I'll also test these "keith" hpswc's at the same time in the 50yd & 100yd tests.

I might test those 230gr wfn gc'd hp's in the snubnosed 44spl. It's hard to beat any of these loads I've already tested in wetpack.

That 240gr cupped wfn gc'd hp might turn itno a real thumper in the contender. I got enough 2400, H110 & mp-300 laying around to find out.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I'm interested in your home made gas checks, please give us details!

Ivan

 

[fredj338]

Nice! I have little use for gc in handgun, but nothing a jhp does that a lhp cannot do just as well.

 

[Skeet 028]

It's kinda funny but I like GCs in handguns. I just bought two 38 HP bullet molds mainly because one was the 358 156 w/GC. Older Lyman molds but I don't need to make thousands of bullets at one sitting. I also have some of the Mihec 2 cavity molds..works of art in my opinion. I also have a GC making tool for 38s...but haven't used it yet

 

[Forrest r]

I'm interested in your home made gas checks, please give us details!

Ivan

Not really much to tell. A picture of the 44cal (left) and 35cal (right).

I make them out of scrap steel & use an arbor press to punch/form them. 1 pull of the handle ='s 1 gc.

I've made my own gc makers for the 22cal/30cal/35cal/44cal bullets that make gc's out of aluminum or copper flashing.

 

[The Norseman]

Casting 44's and Gas Check

Thank you for a very informative Topic.
I like! Also, thank you for the Pictures.

Neato Gas Check Tools/Presses you made.

I like to Reload so this is interesting.
I reload small batches. No Progressive
Presses for me, just Single Stage.

My big RCBS press is out in the Garage,
all Calibers sized before Winter is the Goal.

Thank you.

 

[MajorDude]

Those are some nice looking mushrooms. What is your alloy? If you said, I can’t find it.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Ohhhh, lovely....

second picture, second in from the left !!
It looks like a WINNER to me.

Have fun with your test.

ps;
you've been busy...............

 

[Forrest r]

Started out with 9bhn alloy for all bullets.

It depends on the shape/size of the hp as to it's performance at different velocities. Typically I use the 1bhn ='s 100fps rule meaning a 1000fps load ='s a 10bhn hp. The bhn/velocities will overlap, just depends on the hp design as to how much of an overlap there is. Tested a lot of hp's over the decades using cast/swaged/forester hp tool to make hp's. In pistols/revolvers it's common for:
large round hp's & penta points ='s 800fps to 1000fps
standard round hp's ='s 1000fps to 1200fps
small round hp's & cupped hp's ='s 1200fps to 1400fps

Much over 12bhn alloy (air dropped clip on wheel weights) the hp's start to crack/shatter from too hard of an alloy. It starts to take a lot of tin (tin ='s $$$$) in an alloy to get the hp's to stay together/mushroom when you start getting over 1200fps.

A link to an article in the american rifleman magazine from 1953 testing different hp's & alloys in the 44spl. They tested alloys from 40 to 1 lead/tin to 10 to 1 lead/tin with velocities running from 600fps to 1200fps.
http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/44 spl - may 1953 american rifleman.pdf

I run ladder tests over a chronograph with all the hp's until they fail in wetpack. Then I cast more of the same hp's with a harder alloy and re-test. The hp's will get to a point where the alloy/hp will fail. This will tell me the max load/velocity range + alloys for that hp.