An extra 4....

[twoshooter]

Think my technical advisor (aka lovely and talented spouse) has assisted me with the pics, so as not to butt in on the 44 the range report. These are the reloads with my cast bullets I am getting ready for deer season, and 2 groups. They are L-R 500, 45/70, 444, and 30/30. The 3 shot group is @ 75 yards, the 5 @ 50, working on it.

[RustyReel]

Is that the Lee bullet in your 500? and are you shooting it with or without the GC?? 

Getting ready to load some 500 S&W for the first time.  I have had poor luck shooting GC bullets without the GCs in other calibers and was wondering if it was worth trying in the 500.  The 500 Gas Checks are pricy!

[dpe.ahoy]

Darn good shooting Twoshooter!  The cast you are using in the 444 looks very effective as well.  DP

[mo_bio]

Very nice.  Good question Rustyreel about the GC.  I have been wondering that too.  I have ordered some of the Al checks from the guy on ebay.  Will see how they are.  His prices are doable compared to all the other GC I have found.

[26-t]

Rusty, If you shoot the 500 at more than black powder loads it (Will) need gas checks. The load will melt the bullet base and smear lead down the whole length of your bore. Been there ,Done that. and it is a son of a Gun to get out( leaded bore) even with hard cast bullets.  For what its worth. 26-t

[RustyReel]

26-t,

Thanks.  I will be loading it down to black powder levels.  I don't hunt, only shoot for fun.  I'm sure full power loads are NOT fun.  Like the 45's and 50's because they make big holes in the paper......easier to see.  But, even using reduced loads in smaller calibers I have had very poor accuracy using bullets designed for gas checks without gas checks. 

Also thinking about using the Lee Improved Mini in 50 cal.  I know this will probably stir things up, but I read a review somehwere where others have done this with good results.  Probably a bit undersized but it does not have a gas check base.

[twoshooter]

I am not putting Gas checks on anything. My bullets are mostly straight wheel weight metal that is dropped straight into a cooling barrel from the mold, I float some carpet on top and the bullets drop onto that and they roll off and sink which slow them down just enough that they are cool enough by the time they reach the bottom they won't dent if they land on each other. I am using a 429 sizer on the 444 and a 500 sizer on the 500, with that black moly lube from Midway. The load in the 500 is 20 gr of blue dot and an OAL of 2.100, with just enough crimp to square up the case edge and std lg rifle primers.. Garbhead loaded some up for his and put them through a chrony and reported here that he got 1319 for 3 consecutive shots I have shot several boxes of my loads through my 500 so far and have zero leading. That moly is kinda messy but really works well. With my alloy my lee bullets average about 434gr on the 500.
   The 444 is the Lee 310 mold which comes out 305 from my mold, sized to 429, with an OAL of 2.495. The loads shown here are in those Hornady LE cases which are just the right length to lightly crimp into the second groove. I am using std large rifle primers, ans 20.5 gr of 2400. I am guessing the velocity at 1450-1500 fps but unless someone  is nice enough to run some I don't know. I took a nice buck 2 years ago with that gun/ load also.
     The 45/70 is the Lyman 457122 HP 330 gr flat base. I use 33 gr of IMR 4198 in that , I don;t have a range report in my handi BC yet but it is what I use in my N0#3. Ruger and it is very accurate for me there. I will put up the spec's after I try it out.