I've got a quantity of Lyman #429244 GC 22 bhn bullets but they're sized to .430" The chamber mouths on my Ruger SBH slug .431". I'd really like to cast my own out of wheel-weight which, I think is about 8~9 bhn, and size them to .431".

Will this lyman mould cast to a .431" diameter? Will the gas check still seat and crimp properly if I run them through a .431" sizer die?

Will these bullets, cast out of softer wheel weight, still be OK to hunt deer with? Or, should I go with a harder alloy?

Thanks...

.430 bullets in a .431 throat should be OK. Whats the barrel measure? Concerning casting diameter, it varies with the alloy used. WW metal should be fine as this is a gas check design. Ive shot a lot of these bullets in various revolvers and rifles with great results. You will have to cast some bullets to get the diameter the mold throws. Then you can adjust the alloy.

I don't remember exactly what the barrel slugged at- I slugged it about 3 years ago. I know it was below .430". I remember being happy with the barrel dimensions since they were tighter than the chamber mouths (had a M29 once that was the opposite)

If a Lyman #429244 mould did cast bullets to .431" out of my wheelweight, would the gas check still seat/crimp correctly if only run them through a .431" sizer? Or, does the bullet really need to be sized down .001 to properly seat/crimp the gas check?

The check should crimp on any diameter. Ive never had a problem with the 44 cal checks on any design.

Great, thanks for the help!

As Ironhead said, the checks won't care. I would expect bullets will drop from the mold in the .431"-.432" range, but YMMV. If they are .4305" to .431", just shoot them without sizing. You can then use Lee Liquid Alox lube in place of sizing and lubing. You may also find, if your bore is smooth and free of constrictions, that you don't need the gas check for many of your loads, either. If you decide you do need the check, the the .431" die will be handy.

As to hardness, I always remind people that Elmer Keith developed the .44 Magnum with 20: and 16:1 lead/tin alloy. Not especially hard. On deer, if the weather is extremely cold, the antimony alloys, including wheel weights, can actually shatter on bone. I've not seen it, but Veral Smith describes seeing it happen in Idaho. Up until then he had believed wheel weight alloy was all-purpose, but it was just too hard in extreme cold. If you will be in extreme cold you might consider cutting the wheel-weights with an equal weight of pure lead, plus adding about 1 lb of tin for every 50 lbs of the resulting mix.

Thanks for the cold weather hardness tip, Nick, I hadn't heard about that. In Louisiana we're lucking if it get's in the 20's for the overnight low.

As for the sizing... I had purchased 500 Lyman #429244gc already sized and 'checked to .430". Once I shoot them up I want to cast my own. ...And if I'll be casting my own then I wanted to size them to .431" to match the chamber mouths on my Ruger SBH