Lyman 429667 from Western Bullet Company
Posted: 22 Apr 2022 21:28
I received an order of Lyman 429667 cast bullets from Western Bullet Company, These mic a dead 0.430” As cast and lubed, 10 randomly selected examples scaled 254.5, grains +/ - 1/2 grain. For all practical purposes, they are 255 grain bullets. For commercial gang-mold bullets, these are very well done and consistent.
I’ve been loading 205 grain 44-40 bullets over 7.0 grains of Winchester 231 in a shortened, 5" Iver Johnson Cattleman 44 Magnum ...
for 861 fps, with respectable accuracy. Checking my old edition of Metallic Cartridge Reloading indicates that powder charge is also appropriate for 250 jacketed bullets in the 44 magnum, producing 941 fps (7” test barrel) with 19,400 CUP. That’s right in the ballpark for an everyday working load for 44 magnum revolvers- an easy-shooting load with enough penetration to poke a deer through the neck or shoulders and won’t bust your eardrums if you are pressed to light one or two off w/o earplugs. It’s worth mentioning here the Lyman 429667 shares the same meplat of Lyman’s 429421- the bullet Elmer made the 44 famous with. Keiths SWCs can be troublesome in lever actions, but #429667 feeds like butter through them and should still kill pretty well.
I loaded 50 of these bullets, in Winchester cases, over 7.0 grains of 231. I applied a firm crimp in the groove which produced a finished OAL of 1.640”.
It was a perfect day for load testing; 22 mph steady crosswinds with 28 mph gusts. I have an 8” piece of railroad iron that gets hung from the bottom of my chronograph tripod on days like this. So under less than ideal condition, this load averaged 846 fps for six shots. With a six o’clock hold on a 3” spray painted dot, 25 yard POI was on the top edge or just above the dot. I managed 3 shots in 3 inches, shooting between gusts. At 50 yards the group opened to about 7 inches with a couple of hits almost touching, about 6” above the dot. I’m going to need a taller front sight. I actually hit an 18" diamond plate 3 out of 4 at 100 yards, still trying to hold six o’clock on that damn dot. I was real happy to connect, but it wasn’t anything you could call a group.
I’m real pleased with this bullet. It whacks a plate hard, even at these velocities and it doesn’t lead the barrel at all. It showed glimmers of excellent accuracy when I could get the sights to settle down. I think it's going to shoot real well under better conditions.
I’ve been loading 205 grain 44-40 bullets over 7.0 grains of Winchester 231 in a shortened, 5" Iver Johnson Cattleman 44 Magnum ...
for 861 fps, with respectable accuracy. Checking my old edition of Metallic Cartridge Reloading indicates that powder charge is also appropriate for 250 jacketed bullets in the 44 magnum, producing 941 fps (7” test barrel) with 19,400 CUP. That’s right in the ballpark for an everyday working load for 44 magnum revolvers- an easy-shooting load with enough penetration to poke a deer through the neck or shoulders and won’t bust your eardrums if you are pressed to light one or two off w/o earplugs. It’s worth mentioning here the Lyman 429667 shares the same meplat of Lyman’s 429421- the bullet Elmer made the 44 famous with. Keiths SWCs can be troublesome in lever actions, but #429667 feeds like butter through them and should still kill pretty well.
I loaded 50 of these bullets, in Winchester cases, over 7.0 grains of 231. I applied a firm crimp in the groove which produced a finished OAL of 1.640”.
It was a perfect day for load testing; 22 mph steady crosswinds with 28 mph gusts. I have an 8” piece of railroad iron that gets hung from the bottom of my chronograph tripod on days like this. So under less than ideal condition, this load averaged 846 fps for six shots. With a six o’clock hold on a 3” spray painted dot, 25 yard POI was on the top edge or just above the dot. I managed 3 shots in 3 inches, shooting between gusts. At 50 yards the group opened to about 7 inches with a couple of hits almost touching, about 6” above the dot. I’m going to need a taller front sight. I actually hit an 18" diamond plate 3 out of 4 at 100 yards, still trying to hold six o’clock on that damn dot. I was real happy to connect, but it wasn’t anything you could call a group.
I’m real pleased with this bullet. It whacks a plate hard, even at these velocities and it doesn’t lead the barrel at all. It showed glimmers of excellent accuracy when I could get the sights to settle down. I think it's going to shoot real well under better conditions.