Hello from Scotland

I would like to use cast bullets in my .444p (when it arrives). I see that beartooth seem to use .432 bullets for best grouping etc. Obviously i will have to slug the barrel of my .444p when i get it. Looking around Britain i can only find 245 grain .429 dia gc cast bullets. And as for moulds they all seem to be for .44 ie .429/.430
Can any one tell me were i can get a mould for gas checked bullets suitable for a .444p Marlin ??
Any advice re:moulds etc.

best regards from across the pond.

ENGLANDER.

Talk to Ballisticast, (don't have their # in front of me but there is a link at the castperformance.com site) they offer a number of LBT design moulds in .44 cal, the one I have drops at .432 using wheelweight alloy.
Mark

Good Morning!

I had to look all over for this, I thought I had lost it.

The Lyman 429640 HP is a fine place to start for a low cost mold. It has remarkable accuracy in my Winchester Timber Carbine. It is supposed to weigh 250gr. I cast it soft and they come out at 270gr. I hand lube them with Alox (Javalina). I seat the 2.535" OAL to work through the magazine.

22.0 gr Alliant 2400 gives 1,720 fps with fine accuracy at 50 yards.

40.0 gr. of IMR 4198 gives 1,965 fps. A very nice load.

Lymans 429421 went 1,932 fps ahead of 40.0 IMR 4198. This one sized .430" and seated to 2.560" OAL.

Lymans 429244 loaded with 40.0 gr. of IMR 4198 gives 1,948 fps. This load is very acurate in my rifle. I hesitat to give group sizes, but the extreme spreads were in the single digits.

The Lee 310 gr. bullet is also a good place to start. I purchased a mold based on recommendations from this site, a factory crimp die also. Both work very well.

It will be interseting to hear your hunting results. Are your shots long or short? Are your shooting ranges very formal as in our big cities? Or are you "on your own" as in our rural areas?

Hello from Scotland

Thanks for the input, this casting caper is completely new to me but slowly slowy im learning all the time and this site and you guys are extremely helpful, so much experience to "tap" into!

I have not cast a single bullet yet ! but im collecting quite a pile of bus wheel weights, still trying to decide what mould to get and try first. Also one which will shoot best groups out of a .444p marlin.
William you asked about hunting distance, i shall be using it for woodland Roe deer, Red deer, Sika deer, and hopefully Fallow deer. I have stalked Roe in conifer plantation often less than 20 feet some times 5 ! Normally under 100 yards
As for ranges my club range has very strict rules,5 red flags have to be raised, before a shot can be fired. our range was founded about 1876 i think, if you really want to see it go to www.targetshootingsupplies.co.uk go to links and look at Fife & kinross full bore club they have some photos. My club also use the Blairadam range we mostly shoot from the 200 yard firing point.

Thanks again for the info.

Best regards from across the pond.

ENGLANDER

Englander

Thanks for the link to your club.

Open till ten at night in the summer. We stay light till about 9 or 9:30 pm in summer. Do you have lights?

I am surprised about a range with the emphasis on air rifles. The only place I have seen anything similar is in Oklahoma City.

You have more going on in your club than we do.

I have a ballistic cast 340grain gas check mold that throws beutiful lbt lfn bullets it has a second crimp grove for the 444 I use it in my guide gun and my revolvers and it has been an excellent bullet.

Englander,

Already mentioned is the excellent Lyman 429640HP, but it was also offered for a time in a solid-nose configuration, and has about .305" meplat fronal area.  Although hard to find on the used market, you can give Lyman a call 800-22-LYMAN and talk to Karen Griffin, the customer service/relations supervisor, ask her to make out a special order for a #429640 Non-Hollow-Point mold, and the price will be the same as their regular production run molds, and will take about six months, but the bullet shoots like a house-afire in the .444!

Although I don't care for the mold blocks, or anything about them Lee Precision's 44-310g FPGC bullet with the dual crimp grooves is a well designed bullet (note I said bullet... not mold)  It too shoots well in the .444 Marlin and is easily obtained at a modest expense.

Hope this helps!  Let us know how you make out with your "caper" as you've dubbed it!

God Bless,

Marshall Stanton

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Marshall
Romans 1:16



Beartooth: A Bullet Worth Waiting For!

Hello from Scotland

Thanks Marshall for finding the time to answer my enquiry,i can get hold of the Lee 310 mold with ease so it will be the mold i "cut my teeth" on as it were.
Can you help clear up one thing ? I have received conflicting advice regarding wheel weights, some say straight wheel weights are ok while others say add this or that ?

Would appreciate your veiws and experience on this topic ? As i have said already this casting "caper" is new but im slowly "absorbing" the information avaiable on this site.
Also if i could show my ignorance when people say add this/that from which source ?

Regards Englander

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Best Regards from Across the pond.
Remember ~Britain is an Island it will never be part of Europe ! .22LR .30-30 .308 .444 Marlin

Englander -

Not Marshall, but here's some advice on your casting.

Start with straight wheelweights.  No sense in making it too complicated.

If... the bullets don't fill out well, you need to add a little tin.  Best source is 50/50 lead/tin solder, if you can get it.

Only need about 2% tin in the mix to really make casting go well.

You need some sort of flux.  Nearly anything that adds carbon works.  Some people use a dab of bullet lube, some use candle wax, I've seen sawdust even suggested.  Add a little when the lead is melted, stir, and the crud should float to the top.

By the way, there are some good articles on casting over at www.sixguns.com.  Check the 'Branding Crew' link.

This is how we do it in the U.S., not sure if your wheelweights are exactly the same composition.  Ours are mostly lead with a little antimony.  

Try this and see what happens.  Be sure to ask if this isn't clear.  If you can find a copy of the Lyman Cast Bullet handbook, by all means get it, and read cover to cover.  It is a great reference.

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MikeG