Hey everyone, I'm getting ready to start casting for the first time, and I had a question about moulds. I have inherited some supplies from my grandfather who used to do a lot of cowboy shoots and reloading. I have a mould for the 44-40, but own a 44 Mag. The diameter of the 44-40 in 0.427", and the 44 Mag is 0.430". Can the 44-40 bullet be safely used in the 44 Mag? I know that I could just buy the right mould, but figured I'd try to use what I have. Thanks for any help.

Cast some projectiles from the mould(s) you have, and mike the as-cast diameter. You may just get lucky... I have a two-cavity H&G that was designed for the 44-40 and should drop bullets of about .428" or so, but with my alloy they come out large enough that a .430" sizer just "kisses" them and applies the lube.

I wouldn't try undersized projectiles. I believe you are setting yourself up for some serious leading issues...

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:
Cast some projectiles from the mould(s) you have, and mike the as-cast diameter. You may just get lucky... I have a two-cavity H&G that was designed for the 44-40 and should drop bullets of about .428" or so, but with my alloy they come out large enough that a .430" sizer just "kisses" them and applies the lube.

I wouldn't try undersized projectiles. I believe you are setting yourself up for some serious leading issues...

+1, good advise. I use the Lee 430-200-RF in my 44-40 and my .44s. They drop at .430 and that's what I size an lube them at, even for the 44-40.

Larry Gibson

Doubless and Larry, thank you for your advice. I inherited this stuff, and have never cast or reloaded before, so i figured I'd ask before wasting time. I figure I'll cast some as you said I should, and mike them. If they are the right size, I'll keep them, and if not, I can always melt them down again.

In addition to measuring, just drive one through the barrel of your gun and inspect it to see if it contacts the bore.

I bought an old Lyman mold for my .44-40. Depending on the alloy used it would drop bullets just large enough to be used in some of my 44 mags. Depends on the as cast diameter of the bullet as well as the bore size of your rifle/revolver. I could use them in my Rugers but not my Marlin. Pity, they shot so well in my Rugers

The alloy you use will have some effect on diameter. The more antimony and tin in the alloy, the larger the bullet will be.

Thank you everyone. Your help is very much appreciated. I haven't gotten around to doing any casting yet, but hopefully soon.

I shoot a 200 gr plain base 44-40 from a Lee mold 400 200 RF, unsized and lubed with Lee tumble lube using 6 gr of Trail Boss. The revolver is a S&W 329 44 Magnum (26 ounces empty) which, with my Bear load (310 gr hardcast & 18.5 H110) hurts a lot.
(Always believe a Bear chewing on you would overcome an recoil sensation).
In any case the light load is nice bowling pin roller and will put a cylinder full in the center mass of a man siloutte at 25 yards. Its energy exceeds the max Trailboss 200 gr load in the 45 Schofield which settled a lot of bad guys hash back in the day. Cast mine from plain old wheelweights and have never had a leading, although the mold is not billed by Lee as one of there "tumble lube" models but at 850 fps, it works fine. When you can shoot a big bore revolver at 22 RF costs, life is good.