44 spl and 44 mag bullet size

[BondoBob]

I'm sourcing some bullets for 44 cal. This will be my first batch. I had thought that lead bullets for 44 were 429 diam or 430. Are there other diameters that are acceptable? They show 427. And which diameters are better for plated/jacketed vs soft lead? The weights I'm looking for are 200 and 240.

Thanks

 

[mikejonestkd]

For 44 mag and44 special: in general jacketed bullets are .429," and lead are .430"

 

[hammie]

What "mikejones" said. The .427 bullets are used in the 44 Winchester Center Fire (.44-40), which typically had a groove diameter of .426/.427.

 

[dahermit]

You have no control of the bullets you buy...jacketed .44 bullets will usually be .430, commercially cast generally will be either .429 or .430. However, if you are casting your own, the conventional advice has been that it is acceptable to shoot cast lead bullets sized to match bore size or up to .003 over bore size. For the last several (or few decades) years the advice from casters in the know has been to slug your cylinders and size your cast bullets to cylinder size.

 

[FrankenMauser]

What firearm(s) are you using?
There are a lot of known bore/groove averages for various makes and models, and we can probably ballpark it.

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Cast bullets should be a bit over groove diameter.
If you don't know your groove diameter, the best advice is to buy the largest diameter you can get. Usually, that's .432" from a good supplier. But, it's often only .430" from the idiots that just make bullets and don't actually care how they perform or understand the market.

 

[BondoBob]

It's for a S&W 429-6 4" barrel.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Try to get .432". If you can't, .430/.431 should be okay. There may be some leading, but probably acceptable levels.

 

[zeke]

Might help to know what gun/throat size. A lot of variation in earlier revolvers.

 

[FrankenMauser]

A 629-6/29-6 would not be early production, by any means.
At the oldest, you're looking at 1994.

 

[buck460XVR]

Since this is your first attempt at reloading for .44, I suggest a good jacketed. Those will be .429 or .430. Jacketed will give you the best chance for success as they are more forgiving with crimp and do not need to be sized to throat/bore like lead bullets.

 

[zeke]

FrankenMauser-sorry, didn't read through the whole string

 

[black mamba]

I've owned and shot a ton of ammo through three different Model 29s: a 1957 4-screw "pre-29" 6½" blue, a 1979 pinned and recessed 4" nickel, and a 1997 629-4 6½" Classic. I've never shot anything but .429-.430 jacketed or .430 cast in all three, and all loads have been superbly accurate. Unless you have a very unusual cylinder, the .430 bullets should be all you need.