Since you were honest I will be too.

I'd like to have them but can't promise to shoot them anytime soon because fall hunting season is on its way. It may be a few years before I use them.

If nobody else steps up meeting your criteria, I would appreciate consideration.

 

I have a 444Xlr and a farm I shoot at right up the road from me...I would gladly take on this project if someone was to help with a starting and max load with these 310 grn bullets.i am new to reloading so this info would help.sending u a PM.
Sincerely
KeithWalters

 

It looks like the OT is a copy of the Leadhead 300grainer, I've shots thousands of those Leadheads over the years, and took deer with them in both the 44Mag and 444 Marlins. Terminal performance is off the charts in the 444. I learned to love wide meplats with the Leadheads, great offer from nemo288, what's not to like about free bullets. My load for the Leadhead 300gr is my lot of Reloader#7 at 50 grains, with a Federal GN215M primer, deer thumper for sure.

 

I love to work on those for elk season. Let me know if everyone else falls through, been shooting the BTB 290, but wanted to try out a 310, is this leatherhead in Nampa Idaho? Wonder if they still have them, just purchased 500 240's powder coated. Didnt think they had 310's.

 

All three of those are good looking bullets. How do the Leadheads feed in a Marlin? Wonder if they would work in my H&R 444? DP

 

I'll throw my hat in the ring for consideration also.

Thanks, either way very generous offer.

 

I have decided KDog gets the first box.
He is new to reloading so hopefully we can get him dialed in with this load.
I'll keep this thread on hand for when I offer the next box.

KDog: The first step is to determine your COAL.
Load up a dummy with no powder or primer that is too long. Say 2.7"
Then start pushing the bullet in about .01" at a time and test it thru your gun to see how long you can go and still have reliable feeding.
I would then push it in another .01" and call it good.
Hopefully you will end up being able to crimp in the cannelure. This is not assured however.
If you are not at the cannelure, crimp with the Lee "factory crimp die"
LEE .444 MARLIN FACTORY CRIMP DIE
I would start around 44 grains of RL-7 and work up one grain at a time.
QuickLOAD predicts a max load of 46 grains but it is very conservative when it comes to cylindrical cases.
I would approach that 50 grain load with caution.
Accuracy is way more important than another 50 fps.
I have used the WLR primer so far but others have used a magnum primer.
Just stick with one and be consistent.

Hagermanfolloy: Leadheads Bullets is in Kansas. You can buy their bullets here:
Leadheads Bullets,Gas Checked and Plain Based Bullets

DP: I see no reason these would not work in any single or double. You may be able to increase the COAL some in fact.
My double will take much longer rounds than the Marlin will cycle correctly.

 

Nemo,
I feel like i won the LOTTO,,,lol.This is awesome,,,,i will be sure to get some loads worked up and report back on this thread WITH PICS of course.Although i have only been reloading as of this January i haven't had any serious blunders as of yet and expect this to go well,,,,,Like all loads I'm looking for accuracy rather than ft lbs of energy.Thankyou for the opportunity to try a new bullet,,,,i have yet to load up a gas checked bullet.

Sincerely,
Kdog
KeithWalters

 

NEMO I see a 300 and 320 when I click the link, but no 310 and no .432, just up to .431.

Special order needed ? Or am I just blind. :flute:

Thanks

 

The 300's weigh 310. You just specify a .432 size during the order and that's what you get.
The gas check may even be a little larger.

 

Thanks

 

Ha I miss read that thought they were leather head bullets. HAve you ever tried BTB? How do the lead heads compare?

 

Memo, why don't you get a cheap Lee sizer that fits in your press and size to what you need. Beartooths are great bullets, the wait time is long at times, but worth the wait. The Leadheads have about the largest meplat you can get in a 44cal bullet, I also use a lot of there plain base 270 grain bullets, they have the same wide meplat.

 

Those will work in a 44 Magnum revolver if they are not too long. They were very accurate in a Ruger Super Blackhawk. At full velocity they will shoot high so you will need a taller front sight. Recoil is brisk. Expect to penetrate just about any game animal.

Loaded to 1.710, they fed in my Marlin Cowboy. 1500 fps. Good accuracy at 50 yards but keyholes at 100 yards.

If you use a Lee 44 Magnum Factory Crimp die, you should be able to chamber the round. I would try that before you give them away. That is a hell of a 44 bullet.

 

I would try that before you give them away. That is a hell of a 44 bullet.

The reason I am giving away some is that I have more than I will ever use due to an order mistake.
My main 44 magnum load uses a CP 260 WFNGC and is extremely accurate in the Redhawk.
I do use Beartooth bullets. They are great.
Their front ends are very flat with sharp edges.
According to the wise in here their alloy is superb.
I only have a very few revolvers that shoot a true .430 bullet well.
They are the newest S&W 44 specials I have as well as the Encore .445sm barrels.
I am trending towards the BT 280 as a main bullet in the 445.
Everything else gets a .432 as most revolvers made earlier than the mid '90s have big chamber throats.

The double was regulated for the 265 FTX LE load and shoots the JFP well too at 2250 fps [46 grains of H4198].
I am hoping to develop a good load for it using either the 260 mentioned above or a 265-270 WFNGC from someone.
It has bores that are clones of the Marlin MG.

 

About five years ago i bought a "lifetime" supply (800) 310g LWNGC bullets because they were marked down about 70%. These bullets were gone in less than two years. If you have leverguns you can't have too many bullets.

BB

 

My main problem is getting to the range.
There are indoor handgun ranges fairly nearby but 100 yard rifle ranges have
been disappearing for years around here and the one I was using (only 40 yards) may have just died.
I can push things at the indoor range I use most often as they allow revolver rounds in long guns,
but I do not want to fall foul of the rules as I like the guy who owns the place and in fact work for his wife at a YMCA pool.
I am working up a small presentation that shows that the 444 is in the same ballpark as a 500 S&W magnum shot in a carbine.
That would be at the top end of momentum allowed for their backstop.
They use the small mountain of rubber chips method.
Looks like the same stuff we have in our campus football field.
The crumbs might be a bit bigger at the range.
They have a machine that sifts out the lead weekly and they recycle it all.

I have been collecting components slowly for years now.
I am on SS and have a fixed income but try to squeeze out $100 every month for bullets.
I buy what is available as stuff comes and goes.
This has allowed me to pretty much ignore the shortages except for having to try out new powders.
Once I find a powder I like, an 8 pounder is going to last me awhile. Maybe forever.

 

Nemo,
Thanks for your generosity and load advice to KDog, I think it will be a great load for him when he gets it worked out.
phil

 

Yeah!
I love it when a Marlin Owners plan comes together!

Vooch

 

FWIW, I played around with the COAL and this bullet last night.
With my bog stock 1980 444S I could not get anything longer than 2.50" to get past the loading gate.
I know you can modify the gate and relieve the slot in the frame as to allow longer rounds to go in but mine is kinda limited.
With the round at 2.5" I now definitely recommend starting at 44 grains of RL-7 as that is near or at the max in QuickLOAD.
It predicts around 2150 fps (22" barrel).
After I measure the actual velocity, I then tweak the case capacity to have the program match my data.
I am using 68 grains H2O right now. I have measured that in Rem cases.
The Remington rims are .002" thicker than the Hornady and that also hinders getting them in the gun.
Now I see why long tapered noses like the BT 290 LN are so well liked in here as they go in way easier
and can be loaded longer than the big fat noses like the Leadheads.

 

You do realize that QuickLOAD is a predicted type program, it in no way even comes close to actual pressure numbers, because of so many uncontrolled veritables between Handloaders, Firearms and projectiles.

 

Absolutely.
It is VERY conservative when modeling the cylindrical cases but is more accurate as the pressure goes up.
I have had to just tweak the case capacity a little to get it right on in the 445 and 444.
Then my confidence when predicting other changes goes up.
I have used it for several years and even changed powder rates.
It really is handy when playing with wildcats and loads no one has any data for.
No I would not bet my life on it but experience now tells me it is way better than nothing.

 

Got word from memo that they will be on there way Monday :tee:

 

Well i received the Leadheads from Nemo today and i found out what the case over all length is with this bullet in my XLR.Just like Nemo's rifle i could not get this round to feed unless it was at least 2.5 COAL.So now my question is,,,will my RCBS die crimp this bullet where needed or do i need to get a Lee factory crimp die in order to crimp these rounds properly?



Hornady 265 grn on left with a 2.565 length and the deadheads at 2.5 on the right

 

I would get the LFC die. It is just so useful in addition to the others.
You will want to use it in this case unless you have a compressed load.
I would use it anyway.
You CAN crimp onto the nose with a roll crimp but that will not do much to prevent the bullet from being pounded deeper into the case.
I use one for the double (or a lighter LFC) because that presents the opposite problem.
A heavy enough roll crimp in your case may end up damaging the bullet as it scrapes the all important leading part of the shank.

I'll let others better informed than I talk about the need for a lot of crimp with this long a bullet.
I feel that the longer (and wider) a bullet is, the more friction the case is going to give it.
Also the more apt it is to start running into the internal taper of the case (if any).
All of which should lessen the need for a heavy crimp.
I know the heavily compressed loads need hardly any.
Some of these gas check bullets have a gas check wider than the bullet which also keeps it from going into the case easily.

 

The LFCD is absolutely necessary for me and cast bullets in the 444, I use them for all my rifle cartridges I load for. The bullet and rifle design will dictate were the COL needs to be, most times any book numbers are useless, no need to get hung up over COL numbers, just as long as they cycle 100%, put them were they need to be with the LFCD.

 

Just ordered the LFCD for the .444 and my 45/70.Will get this project rolling when it arrives next week.

 

This is one of "many" reasons that I developed the Safari Grade 444 and All-American 444.........any bullet will function from OEM COL to any COL up to 2.750. Believe me I have been in your shoes, but now I am in a very happy place!!!:biggrin:

 

Can you give us ordinary mortals some advice on how to, relatively easily, increase the COAL capacity of the normal 444?
Or point us to the document where you explained this.
I have printed out and read most of what you wrote but don't remember any details about lengthening the COAL.
I am not looking for a massive increase. Just enough to allow those fatties maybe another .1"
Thanks!
(And, yeah, my next project will be to wring out the BT 290 LFN everyone raves about.
I have the recipes posted here in the past.
I can see how the nose shape will allow a longer cartridge. But the meplat is smaller. :|
I really would like to eek out some additional case capacity for the LH 310 WFN somehow.)