I am the proud pappa of a new (to me) S&W 657!

I think this gun is begging to be fed cast bullets. I think it will go with me pig hunting this year.

I am just looking for your experiences with cast bullets and this cartridge.

I will buy a couple of boxes of bullets until I find one that I really like and then buy the mould.

Buy the RCBS 41-210, and load it in front of any of the following: 7.0 grains of Hodgdon Universal Clays, 11 grains of Accurate Arms #5, 15 grains of Jeff Bartlett's WC 820 PD, or even 21 grains of IMR-4227. Use standard primers... You will never find a better cast bullet for the .41, IMHO.

(If you like jacketed, I shot Remington 210-grain JSPS using the 4227 load, too.)

The Lyman 410459 is also an exquisite bullet, but the mould is discontinued now, and very hard to find... Same load data will work for it...

I also like the SAECO 220-grain with the wide meplat, but don't remember the mould number.

And if you want to get really "exotic", order the 411-275 SSK mould from Walt Melander, owner of NEI. Cast using my alloy, it weighs right at 290 grains, and 18 grains of H110 gave me just above 1200 fps out of a 6" Model 57. The cases don't fall out, but they push out with little effort. (And Accurate Arms lists 13.5 grains of AA #9 behind the same bullet, in their second manual. I sent them the projectiles and brass, and asked them to work up the load...)

Enjoy... There is nothing you can do with the .44 that can't be done with the .41, and you can do it with less powder, less recoil, and a flatter trajectory!

Thanks for the advice. I have always favored RCBS moulds. My preference has always been toward heavier bullets than "standard" when using cast bullets. I like the sound of the NEI mould.

My local candy store stocks Cast Performance bullets and they often make heavy for caliber bullets. I will give them a thorough try. Thanks for the recipies

You are more than welcome... Email me if you decide you want to try some of the heavier bullets w/o buying the mould. Walt cuts good moulds, but they are pricey, and I would prefer he use meehanite than the aluminum he uses....

Have fun, guy, and if I can help, give me a holler. I have everything from a 161-grain Lee to a 190-gr wc to the heavier stuff... I own eight .41s, and only a pair of the .44s.

Where can I buy cast bullets that have gas checks for my 41 mag? The cast bullets I was useing lead my barrel up so bad I would rather pay the price for jacketed.

Don, PM me and we can talk about cast bullets that will lead only very slightly. The ones you have are probably too hard... A gas check is not needed for anything in handgun velocities, they just have to be sized right.

Regards,

doubless...

quote:

Originally posted by Jacobite:
Where can I buy cast bullets that have gas checks for my 41 mag? The cast bullets I was useing lead my barrel up so bad I would rather pay the price for jacketed.

Get yourself the Lee .410 sizer kit with liquid alox lube. Soak the commercial hardcast 210-220 gr bullets in mineral spirits or Coleman lantern fuel (dump them into a coffee can and cover with the fuel) for 45-60 minutes to wash off the hard wax lube. Let dry. Tumble lube with the Lee liquid alox per instructions and run through the .410 sizer to clean off excess lube (makes less mess when the bullet is seated). Load them over 8.5 gr Unique to duplicate the Remington lead SWC load (about 1050 fps in your revolver). You will have no leading. It is the commercial hard wax lube that is causing your leading. The above is really easier to do than it is to explain it.

Larry Gibson

Sounds like a lot of work and mess.

FWIW, I use Thompson's Red Angel exclusively in all my handguns, and I don't find leading to be much of a problem at all... Size the bullets right, make sure the alloy is soft enough to upset when the expanding column of powder gas hits the base of the bullet, and you should not have any real problems.

Any lead bullet is going to lead SOME. The idea is to limit it. And I believe gas checks are unnecessary for velocities below about 2000 fps. In fact, I have absolutely no handgun bullet moulds that require a gas check. I have been casting for a bit over 20 years now, and I have yet to find a need for a gas checked handgun bullet.

I may have made my intentions unclear. I don't cast bullets nor do I want to. I want to buy bullets that already have gas checks or bullets that will not lead my .41 up like the bullets I am useing now do. I am useing North East Bullets right now. That is what the local shops carry. I spend too much time loading for my M1 Garand, Swiss rifles and AR-15 and shoot the .41 so little casting myself is not an option. I don't even cast my own round balls I trade for them with my friend.

quote:

Originally posted by Jacobite:
I may have made my intentions unclear. I don't cast bullets nor do I want to. I want to buy bullets that already have gas checks or bullets that will not lead my .41 up like the bullets I am useing now do. I am useing North East Bullets right now. That is what the local shops carry. I spend too much time loading for my M1 Garand, Swiss rifles and AR-15 and shoot the .41 so little casting myself is not an option. I don't even cast my own round balls I trade for them with my friend.

Check out Cast Performance Bullets in Wyoming, Leadhead, or Beartooth Bullets. They have a good selection of cast bullets with gas checks. I've pretty much settled on a 250grWFNGC bullet for big game. I started with the .41Magnum in the '60s and at present am "down" to 32 firearms in that caliber. I've taken animals from picket pins to elk and elk-sized+ African game with a .41Magnum. If you're up to it, the .41Magnum will do the job. Enjoy the heck out of yours.

quote:

Originally posted by Jacobite:
I may have made my intentions unclear. I don't cast bullets nor do I want to. I want to buy bullets that already have gas checks or bullets that will not lead my .41 up like the bullets I am useing now do. I am useing North East Bullets right now. That is what the local shops carry. I spend too much time loading for my M1 Garand, Swiss rifles and AR-15 and shoot the .41 so little casting myself is not an option. I don't even cast my own round balls I trade for them with my friend.

You're going to find the GC'd and properly lubed commercial cast bullets are going to cost as much as jacketed bullets. Relubing the commercial cast bullets as I described is not all that messy, certainly not as messy or troublesome as removing leading from barrels. If you don't want to clean leading out or do what it takes to not get leading and good shooting performance with cast bullets then it appears you'd be better off buying bulk Remigton 210 SP from Midway and not bother with cast, or the mess.

Larry Gibson

ones that have given me luck with accuracy are the rcbs stated above the lyman 230 the lbt 250lfngc and my favorite the 230 ballistic cast.

I have had great success with the Specialty Pistol cast bullets in my FA 41mag. I shoot the 265gr LFNGC bullets with NO leading and they shoot just as good as any jacketed bullet. I found with them, the faster I pushed them the better they shot.

I tried some of the Cast Performance bullets and have to say that these shot much better.

SP cast bullets

Look for bullets w/ square or flat bases. I think a lot of leading problems w/ commercial cast bullets, is due to the beveled base which lets the gase blow by & start melting the lead around the base before it reaches the lube. I have found far less leading regardless of lube used using flat based bullets.

https://secure25.securewebsession.com/proshootpro.com/order.htm

This link is for Leadhead bullets. they have both gas checked and plain base hard alloy cast bullets. 245-270 grain GC. 215 and 230 grain Keith plain base offerings.

I use the 230 grain Keith style sized .411 in my Ruger Bisley. I haven't done much load development with it, but 8.3 grains of Unique will put 5 shots in a sub 2 inch group at 25 yards. Guessing MV is just over 1000 fps, but I don't have a chrono. Very mild recoil. No leading with this load.

another company that produces first class cast bullets is Mt. Baldy bullets

I sold my 7 1/2 in redhawk a few years ago,(which i still regret)due to hand problems.it would put my cast 240gr lee bullets into one big hole at 25 yards using AA #9,loaded up to about 1300 fps.

Here's the link to Mt. Baldy. You don't get much better than Frank's 220 grainers.

http://www.mtbaldybullets.com/asp/products.asp