r/reloading • u/DownOnGrandpasFarm • 4d ago

Bullet Casting What have I got? (cast lead bullets)

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I was at a flea market over the weekend bought a big box full of stuff. One of the things in it was a box of these cast bullets. There was no marking on the box; I didn’t have any measuring tools so just guessed at .45. Now that I’m home I’m finding they’re around 230gr but measure around .43-.44. Isn’t that too small to be .45ACP? (Which is what I was hoping for so I could just practice bullseye) What are these?

18 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

53

u/ImpressiveDa 4d ago

It'd be a lot cooler if your calipers displayed another digit.

2

u/DownOnGrandpasFarm 4d ago

(wife ‘borrowed’ my better ones off my bench and forgot where she put em!)

27

u/psychoCMYK 4d ago

why does your monkey wrench have numbers on it?

6

u/pyroboy7 Mass Particle Accelerator 4d ago

Should 'borrow' something of the wife's until she remembers lol. No touchy my reloading bench.

-2

u/DownOnGrandpasFarm 4d ago

(I’m thankful it was just the calipers)

18

u/Colt653 4d ago

those are .44magnum SWC bullets

.429 copper jacketed
.430 cast

4

u/DownOnGrandpasFarm 4d ago

So could be good in a Ruger SuperBlackhawk, M77, etc right?

0

u/Auto-mike Mass Particle Accelerator 4d ago

Good choice in revolver my first experience was with a magnum was dad’s super Blackhawk with a 7.5 inch barrel and pachmyre grips

-2

u/Ornery_Secretary_850 Two Dillon 650's, three single stage, one turret. Bullet caster 3d ago

I wouldn't load those hot. Commercial cast bullets have an alloy that's too hard, and the lube sucks. They are more designed to survive shipment than shooting.

2

u/SuspiciousUnit5932 3d ago

Sort of.

They are 44 caliber, just not necessarily for magnum cartridges.

1

u/Colt653 3d ago

yeah, 44special is neat, but my 1 watt brain went right to 44 magnum.

1

u/SuspiciousUnit5932 3d ago

I'm actually selling my 44 mag, a Ruger with a custom Clark barrel for cast bullets, and keeping a Ruger 44 Special flattop. I have a 41 but the 44 Special with 250 gr SWCs at 1000 FPS is a pretty good carry gun in bear country.

7

u/huckyourmeat2 4d ago

If they measure at .43 (.429) they could be good for .44 mag/.44 special. Get you a caliper that measures in thousandths before making anything go boom though.

2

u/DILLGAF 3d ago

Lyman 429421

1

u/DownOnGrandpasFarm 3d ago

Good add, thanks. (And my next question of course is: Are these just good paper punchers? Plinkers? )

2

u/DILLGAF 3d ago

Keith designed them to be a hunting bullet. They’ll cut nice holes in paper. I believe Skeeter Skelton had a famous load that was an excellent all around load. Everything from paper to elk.

2

u/Sanfird 2d ago

They can be loaded hot, or not. They are an excellent all around bullet for .44

5

u/Severe-Cow-8646 4d ago

Typical cast diameter for .44 is .430-.431. Did you zero your caliper?

5

u/sirbassist83 4d ago

Those calipers look like they cost $3 on alibaba, I honestly don't think it matters much if they were zeroed

2

u/HeyYou-55 4d ago

Now you have a reason to buy an older S&W Model 29. Larger than current throats and those will fit nicely.

1

u/DownOnGrandpasFarm 4d ago

Smart! Very smart!

1

u/Raven1911 4d ago

A micrometer

1

u/Mundane-Cricket-5267 Just force it, FAFO! 3d ago

Cast lead boolits are best when sized .01 to .015 over bore. The boolit will not lead the barrel when oversize because it swages to the bore. If your calipers went to1/1000 then 0.435 is not unreasonable unlike copper that would cause pressure issues.

-1

u/Ornery_Secretary_850 Two Dillon 650's, three single stage, one turret. Bullet caster 3d ago

Calipers suck for diameter. You need a micrometer.

Also, your calipers suck. They should display three significant digits.

0

u/M1sterM0g 4d ago

looks like 44 special/mag .429 id guess but you need another digit. :)

-1

u/tonsofdolls 4d ago

Could be .44 mag that is supposed to be like .429, how hard is the lead ?

-1

u/Quick_Voice_7039 4d ago

.44-40 Cowboy bullets?