Lee 429-200 anyone try it?

[LonesomePigeon]

The Lee 429-200 is an affordable mold. To me it looks a lot like the Lyman #427098 but with a crimp groove and a slightly more rounded nose.

I got this mold a while ago but never used it until now. I cast up about 50 rounds and when I get a chance to shoot them I will report back. In the mean time, has anybody tried this bullet in the .44-40?

[Froogal]

I have that mold, and I have made about 500 bullets, sized and lubed, but until just recently I had NO 44-40 brass so I have not tried any of them yet.

I now have the brass, but still don't have a rifle to shoot them from.

Patience is a virtue.

[Montana Slim]

Been shooting them for years....Works great for my smokeless 44-40 loads. Works fine in assorted rifles & revolvers, I size to .428.
Good bullet for dinging steel at 250 yds or dusting groundhogs.

Regards,
Slim

[Crow Choker]

When I bought a Uberti Open Top and Win 66 pair both in 44 Spec back around 2008 I used the Lee 200 grain mold/bullets for making ammo. At the time I did 44 Spec using smokeless and 44 Colt using FFF Black powder. I eventually bought a Richards II in 44 Spec and soon after pretty much switched to just using 44 Colt BP loads, then went to using a 44 200 grain Mav Dutchman big lube bullet cast with soft lead. I didn't really have any issues with the Lee, just liked the fact that the Mav Dutchman had that 'big lube' advantage.

I never did any side by side comparisons with the two bullets but would be an interesting afternoon shoot using my three 44 Uberti Colt conversions and 66 Yellowboy rifle. The majority of the time (90 plus percent) I just shoot black powder 44 Colt rounds through the conversions and 66. Sometime back I switched over to using FF black instead of FFF. I have loaded some 44 Spec black powder loads but never saw any advantage over the 44 Colts. I have shot both bullets through a Marlin 94 Cowboy 44 rifle with good results but never side by side, would be an added gun to toss in the side by side comparison. I've shot alot of smokeless reloads through the Marlin using the Lee bullet with good results. The Win 66 digests the 44 Colt rounds 'with equal enthusiasm' compared to 44 Spec's.

[Lucky R. K.]

Patience is a virtue.

You might add optimism to the list.
Lucky 

[Froogal]

You might add optimism to the list.
Lucky 

Just waiting for more snow to melt so I can retrieve the brass.

[LonesomePigeon]

Finally getting around to responding. Nothing conclusive, just a few targets. The Lee 429-200 seems to have potential. This is 5 shots off a sandbag rest at 50 yards. What looks like 3 shots is actually 4 shots in a nice 1" group, then there is 1 shot way out of the group about 2" low.

[LonesomePigeon]

...and here is a pistol target from 15 yards off a sandbag comparing accuracy of Lee 429-200 to Mav Dutchman bullet. The top two targets are out of a Uberti Flattop Target and the bottom two are out of a Colt New Frontier.