.41 Magnum Bullets

[10mm]

I am looking for a source of hard cast lead bullets for the .41 Magnum. I want a hard cast bullet in the 175g-180g range, preferably a SWC, but shape is not of the utmost concern. All of the big lead bullet companies I can find do 215g SWC, and some that do 245-260, but nothing lighter. I know LEE makes a 175g SWC mould, but I don't cast my own. Anybody have a source for quality hard cast 175g .410 bullets?

As an aside, is casting your own hard or expensive? What type of costs are involved in getting started? Thanks.

[labgrade]

No idea 10mm re the bullets.

Casting is about like other aspects of reloading in that you can get in pretty cheap or you can shoot the moon.

Offhand, Lee's probably the least expensive (aluminum molds) at $16.50 for a 2-cavity mold w/handles. Another $12 for their sizing kit (screws into your press).

About all else you'd need is some lead, a pourer & something to heat it all up in & with.

I'm still using an old Coleman 2-burner stove out on the deck. The pot's an old kitchen cast-off.

Wheel weights from the tire store will get you started & I'd say you'd only have to even allow that unless you wanted to start getting over 1400-1500 fps or so - YMMV here. Certainly can be shot straight at around 100-1100 fps

All told, if you've the stove already, I bet you could get into it well under $50 & turn out some very decent bullets that very same day.

[Intel6]

Being the owner and shooter of 2 pistols in .41 AE I am always looking for lighter .41 bullets that are suitable for loading in the AE case. Unfortunatly they are very hard to find. I still have a stash of the lead 170 SWC bullets that CP Bullets amde for the AE and I also cast my own with the Lee mold. 200-210 is the standard weight for the .41 Mag so finding lighter bullets is not very common. I have seen a few casters offer a 185 SWC that I have used in my AE's but I haven't seen any recently.

Here are a few links with some I found:

http://www.sportsmenservices.com/KEAD%20Bullets.htm

These guys had a 185 SWC that I used before and it was great. Their web page sucks but you might call them, they make great bullets:

http://www.pennbullets.com/

[Steve Smith]

I suggest you look into casting. I had to to get the bullets I wanted for my .45 Colt. Its not difficult, but it does require some dedicated equipment and some space to work in a well ventilated area. For most applications, under 1400 fps or so, wheel weights seem to hold up just fine, and perform well on targets according to all who have used them while hunting. I'm using wheel weights (WW) myself with good results. You can get them from tire store for free if you call around. I probably have about 400# of the stuff right now. The equipment is pretty cheap in comparison to reloading tools. I suggest going through Cast Performance for the moulds, as I just received some from them and they're awesome. They're really using Ballisti-Cast to make their moulds, and you can order from them instead if you choose. I suggest joining the discussions at www.shooterstalk.com on the Cast Bullet forum.

Here are the moulds that Lee has: http://www.leeprecision.com/catalog/...=bullmol2.html

They're much cheaper than the Ballisti-Cast, but the quality is much lower as well. The Lee moulds may be purchased through Midway for about $20, the Ballisti-Casts are $100 for moulds only...handles are extra.