I am fairly new to pistol shooting. I am looking for a hardcast bullet for my 44 mag for use in bear defense. Can anyone recommend a good hardcast to reload with.

As well, I have never reloaded for pistol but have reloaded lots of rifle so any tips on reloading hardcast bullets would be appreciated as well.


Thanks

As usual with such questions, I suggest you go to

www.cb.gunloads.com

which is the Cast Boolits site. Ask your questions there.

I can tell you that "hard" bullets are not necessary in the .44 Magnum, where straight wheelweight alloy works very well indeed all the way up to 1500 fps. I've had pure-linotype bullets fracture in animals, being too hard and brittle. After changing to bullets made of 2/3-linotype/1/3-pure lead, I have driven 250-grain .44 semi-wadcutters COMPLETELY THROUGH bison and moose on body shots, so I also see no real need for heavier bullets.

I carried .44 Magnums and cast-bullet loads for bear defence for many years in the far North; fortunately, I never had to actually USE the pistols for that purpose. When bears needed shooting, I managed to have a rifle available. The pistol sure is an enormous comfort, though, when watching the critters mooching around and coming closer and closer....! Been there, done that, as they say.

Thanks for the info Bruce

Are you using a S&W, Colt Anaconda, Ruger Redhawk or Blackhawk?
My suggestion is use a 300 grain slug at a below top end velocity.
Check this fellows bullets. I've used his 300 grain 45 Colt bullets and some of his 357 bullets very impressive QC, prices are good.

LTD Custom Cast Bullets


Jim

S&W 629

I'd use H110 or 4227. Only because they are the ones I grew up reloading with. Get your bullets sized .430 or .431. I'd bet the 300 grainer would plow thru an awful lot bear before it came to rest.
Elmer Keith liked to see holes on both sides of the animal. 44 and 45 caliber bullets leave the barrel of the firearm larger then most bullets get after impacting the animal.
Jim

I cast Lyman bullets that average about 325 grains with straight wheelweights I think but do not know that this might be good bear medicine. My chrono broke but I think they were going over a thousand but not sure. good luck

The Lee 310 gr boolit and the LBT 320 WLNGC, both with 21.5 gr's of 296 and a Federal 150 primer are so accurate as to be scary and will do the job on anything.
Stay away from 4227 in the .44 and .45, it is VERY temperature sensitive. H110 is OK but I would add 1/2 gr more.

Select a bullet with a crimp groove in the right location for use in the 629. Later 629's apart from having a stronger lock up, also had a longer cylinder which allows more latitude in bullet selection. Earlier ones had quite short cylinders.
Another vote for W296, however it is one of those powders you dont use for light loadings due to erratic ignition.

Guy/shooter/inventor named "Harvey" years ago (1950s) beat the drum, much, for the fact that pure lead hangs together better than alloys which tend to fracture and ... He had pure lead bullets and half jacketed pure lead bullets... Something to think about when you might want to break a shoulder to slow a bear down and ruin its day before it ruins yours...

Todays lubes make this alot more possible.

Elmer Keith seemed to think that 250 grains was enough... but he was smaller and his old .44 Specials were not .44 Magnums... And his fascination with 2400 arose from the lack of anything else available... by his own admission.

I would suggest you look into a case mouth expanding device. Lyman used to only have them in the 310 tools/dies, then they came out with the "M" die and now Lee has something similar. You don't "bell" the mouth much, but if you don't bell it some, it is next to impossible, at least for me, to seat lead bullets without shaving lead off the base which is not going to improve accuracy. Of course bears are big targets... luck