Rossi Rifleman

Handsome lookin' six-shooter, Sarge, and a nice lookin' bullet. Be a swell trail kit out in the Southwest for sure. A 255 grain bullet moving at nearly 900 fps is no slouch. Should deck black tailed jacks, coyotes and deer with equal success. Stepping that load up to even 1,100 fps would be adequate for hunting black bear at sub-70 yard distance.

That is a good knee supported group way out at 100 yds. You've got a good shooter there.

The .434 cylinder throats are not causing any problems.
That is good shootin.
If you get the mold and cast your own, you could try them sized at .431.

Thanks guys. I tried to order these at .431" and was told Western only sizes them .430". Reading up on this Lyman mold indicates it tends to cast on the small side, which might explain that. As it worked out, the .430" shoots fine in this revolver.

I'll reserve the 429667 for 44 Special level loads. For my hunting load in this revolver, I've been using the 240 XTP at about 1350. With jacketed bullet shortages and price increases, I'll switch to a 250-260 grain ogival wadcutter, RD or LBT powered to 1100 or so by 4227 or HS6.

If you wanted, you could beagle the mold.
Ive done this with an ideal .457 round ball mold to get more accuracy in my 45-70 when making up small game loads.

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/MoldMods/BDE.pdf

Since the bullet was flying straight for 100 yards and cutting nice clean holes, I decided to see how it would do with a little turbulence. I sat three one-gallon jugs in a row and behind each, slipped in a scrap of 3/8 plywood. The fourth and last jug was backed an inch and a half of old, wet phone book. Behind those was another scrap of 1/2" plywood, a saw block and a steel plate in case anything got away.



I backed off about 12 feet, sat down on a bucket and held carefully the first jug. I am pleased to report I did not miss, but I did get a little wet. Turns out a 255 grain RNFP trundling along at 860 fps generates a little more mojo than the internet-at-large would have you believe. The bullet bored straight and true through the center of all four jugs, the plywood scraps, the phone book and pert near broke through 1/2" plywood behind it.



It mashed out a bit on the way through. I deem the load trustworthy for general use.

more then enough penetration.
People,internet,gun writers dont understand what a big slow bullet with a decent meplat can do, Elmer Keith proved that.

That's a pretty impressive test, Sarge. The bullet had some momentum going. I wonder what the result would have been if your jugs were set at around 25 yards. Might demonstrate its hunting capability. I seem to recall writer, Brian Pearce, once writing that he had taken black bear with .44 special and flat point cast bullet with similar velocity at around 50 yds.

now you know why the 667 is my hunting bullet.
I cast it to about 9 or 10 BHN and let it do it's thing at 1400 fps. out of the lever rifle.
no need for more speed.

Mad Trapper wrote:more then enough penetration.
People,internet,gun writers dont understand what a big slow bullet with a decent meplat can do, Elmer Keith proved that.

It'smost frequently said about the 45ACP, but applies here as well. "Old, fat and slow will get the job done".

Make smoke

Applies to the venerable .45-70 just as much. These days hunters seem to be reloading to much higher velocities, but I keep reading that too fast cast bullets might not penetrate as well as cast bullets running around 1,400 -1,600 fps.

... or perhaps that's just what I choose to read, as that is the level I usually load .45-70 /.450 Marlin - LOL