Henry Big Boy...opinions

[SidecarFlip]

Gary...

Appreciate the enlightenment on pills. Was talking to one of the group this afternoon and he's concerned about penetration past 100 yards with a 44 round but I'm thinking he's thinking a typical round nose or hollow nose pistol pill like we normally shoot or a SWC from wheel weights...lol I have no problem with my S&W 44 magnum on deer up to 75 yards with round nose or hollow points and this tube is much longer than a revolver.

That propane cooker out back just isn't for cooking fish and turkeys.....

I may just run the iron sights and be done with it. It's not a long range rifle, more of a short range woods rifle. I'm thinking the scope rail wil detract from the asthetics f the rifle anyway. I can picture myself on our property up north, the Henry on my shoulder and the Smith in the Desantis on my hip. If the short tube don't get it, the longer one will....

I always ask my wife for her input on any firearm purchase. Her comment was "It's a handsome rifle". That it is. A bit on the heavy side at 8.8 pounds empty with no rail or optic. Probably close to 10 loaded up and 13 with a scope and rail.

 

[Trickymissfit]

Gary...

Appreciate the enlightenment on pills. Was talking to one of the group this afternoon and he's concerned about penetration past 100 yards with a 44 round but I'm thinking he's thinking a typical round nose or hollow nose pistol pill like we normally shoot or a SWC from wheel weights...lol I have no problem with my S&W 44 magnum on deer up to 75 yards with round nose or hollow points and this tube is much longer than a revolver.

That propane cooker out back just isn't for cooking fish and turkeys.....

I may just run the iron sights and be done with it. It's not a long range rifle, more of a short range woods rifle. I'm thinking the scope rail wil detract from the asthetics f the rifle anyway. I can picture myself on our property up north, the Henry on my shoulder and the Smith in the Desantis on my hip. If the short tube don't get it, the longer one will....

I always ask my wife for her input on any firearm purchase. Her comment was "It's a handsome rifle". That it is. A bit on the heavy side at 8.8 pounds empty with no rail or optic. Probably close to 10 loaded up and 13 with a scope and rail.

with 8" barreled 629, I'd felt OK out to close to 100 yards. Yet would feel a lot better at ranges under 80 yards. The T/C's are solid 100 yard guns, and the .445 might go 125 yards on deer. The real issue here is accuracy. But a lever gun ought to give you an honest 150 yards with the right bullet and load.

As for bullets in the 44 mag, I'm still big on the cast Lyman 250 grain bullet with a gas check. 1650 fps is about it with that bullet cast from #2 lead, and even then I get leading after about thirty rounds.
gary

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

As for bullets in the 44 mag, I'm still big on the cast Lyman 250 grain bullet with a gas check. 1650 fps is about it with that bullet cast from #2 lead, and even then I get leading after about thirty rounds.
gary

Are you cold quenching your bullets?? I can get close to 2000 fps out of melted bird shot in my 375 in a 12" twist without leading by using a gas check and cold quenching.
I haven't really pushed my 44 but I was only using scrap lead with a 240 rn mould. I bought a new rcbs 200 gr. mould for 44-40 cal (it was on sale for $20- couldn't pass it up) and I figured I'd toss a few to see the diameter and open it a bit if I had to. It tosses a melted birdshot pill at .429 so I should be fine. It ought to hit 1600 fps easily from my 7.5" srh 44.

 

[Trickymissfit]

Are you cold quenching your bullets?? I can get close to 2000 fps out of melted bird shot in my 375 in a 12" twist without leading by using a gas check and cold quenching.
I haven't really pushed my 44 but I was only using scrap lead with a 240 rn mould. I bought a new rcbs 200 gr. mould for 44-40 cal (it was on sale for $20- couldn't pass it up) and I figured I'd toss a few to see the diameter and open it a bit if I had to. It tosses a melted birdshot pill at .429 so I should be fine. It ought to hit 1600 fps easily from my 7.5" srh 44.

I did not do the bullet casting, but had a guy do it for me. He offered me Linotype as well as #2, and I went with #2. Can't call him up and ask him as he's dead and his shop later burnt to the ground from a lightening strike. On the other hand I had him cast about 300 thirty caliber bullets to use in fire forming 30 Herrett brass. I think he used nothing but wheel weights, and leading is rather severe after about 30 shots. With the 44 mag, the leading issue is much more severe with the T/C's than the 629. But I'm also pushing the bullet close to 300 fps faster. (the 12" barrel will do 1750 fps with that 250 grain bullet, and the .445 is a little faster yet) Now a guy shooting a 44 mag rifle with cast bullets is probably going to experience leading even sooner due to the higher velocities. On the opposite end of this scale are my five (I think five but maybe six) 45LC Blackhawks. I have loaded them pretty hot more than once, and could seem to shoot them forever without leading (Lyman 255 grain without the gas check).

I'll be the first person to tell anybody here that I'm not upto speed on the cast bullet quagmire. I need to seriously set down and learn the art. I may invest in the equipment this winter, and seriously bug the folks that know what's going on. I also wish that this forum would have a cast bullet board, as there are some folks that shoot cast bullets at some seriously long ranges over black powder.
gary

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I'll be the first person to tell anybody here that I'm not upto speed on the cast bullet quagmire. I need to seriously set down and learn the art. I may invest in the equipment this winter, and seriously bug the folks that know what's going on. I also wish that this forum would have a cast bullet board, as there are some folks that shoot cast bullets at some seriously long ranges over black powder.
gary

I'm not a beginner with cast pills (I've been working with them for over twenty years), but I haven't been trying to squeeze out as much as I could out of every combo either. I leave good enough at good enough. It would be good to get a lr cast pill sub forum up and running, wouldn't it.....

 

[SidecarFlip]

Thats not a bad ideal, Maybe I should run it by Len. I suspect there are quite a few of us who use a propane burner for something other than cooking fish or a turkey....

I have a never ending supply of wheel weights from the truck shop where I work. Big trucks use big weights with big lead.

There are some good manufactured pills out there too.

I'm getting cloiser to that Henry every day. I think I'll forget the scope rail and use Iron sights. You can option it with Williams Firesights. I have them on a dimmunitive Ruger and they work quite well.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Thats not a bad ideal, Maybe I should run it by Len. I suspect there are quite a few of us who use a propane burner for something other than cooking fish or a turkey....

I have a never ending supply of wheel weights from the truck shop where I work. Big trucks use big weights with big lead.

There are some good manufactured pills out there too.

I'm getting cloiser to that Henry every day. I think I'll forget the scope rail and use Iron sights. You can option it with Williams Firesights. I have them on a dimmunitive Ruger and they work quite well.

FYI for the both of you, not all wheel weight lead is the same. It depends on who the manufacfturer is. I've had different impurities simmer to the top depending on who made the weights in the first place.

I would suspect the bird shot would be the most consistent in ingredient makeup.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I sent a message to Len. Maybe we can get a sub forum. Sounds like fun. Actually sounds like I'll learn alot.