Recommendation for a lee conical mold for the 1858 Remington .44

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Someone has to of had a conical mold for a .44 Remington 1858. Can you recommend a specific one?

 

[bang]

I have one but rarely make them. My issue with them is getting them rammed straight . They do pretty good rammed with my bench loader but still not as accurate as a ball. Also I have to drop the charge down to 18-19 grains or get knuckle rap from trigger guard. XXX glove size hands.
So why push a heavier conical that might fly straight when a ball does. And even a max load won't give a knuckle rap.

 

[Justin.44]

Mark Hubbs with @Eras Gone bullet molds (made by Lee) sells a .44 Johnston and Dow mold. I have one and really like it. They're 217 grains and have a long heel that helps it fit most .44 revolvers and they ram in straight. They shoot well and thump quite a bit harder than a round ball. Here's one in my Remington.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Mark Hubbs with @Eras Gone bullet molds (made by Lee) sells a .44 Johnston and Dow mold. I have one and really like it. They're 217 grains and have a long heel that helps it fit most .44 revolvers and they ram in straight. They shoot well and thump quite a bit harder than a round ball. Here's one in my Remington.

What is the charge you use with those?

 

[Coolhand]

Lee model#90382

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Lee model#90382

Thank You Sir!

 

[Justin.44]

What is the charge you use with those?

I believe the only times I've used those in the Remington were with paper cartridges made from my Guns of the West cartridge kit. I think it is a 20 or 25 grain load, can check when I get home. In my Walker I've used them with up to 50 grains or so.

 

[Coolhand]

Your welcome. I got mine from track of the wolf, I believe midway has them as well.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I believe the only times I've used those in the Remington were with paper cartridges made from my Guns of the West cartridge kit. I think it is a 20 or 25 grain load, can check when I get home. In my Walker I've used them with up to 50 grains or so.

I would appreciate that. With a RB and felt wad I can cram 40grs of 3f. If I could get 30grs with a conical that would work. I was thinking about getting that paper kit. A small review of your experience with it would be much appreciated.

 

[Justin.44]

I would appreciate that. With a RB and felt wad I can cram 40grs of 3f. If I could get 30grs with a conical that would work. I was thinking about getting that paper kit. A small review of your experience with it would be much appreciated.

So I checked and the Guns of the West kit makes a 25 grain charge for the .44, and it works well with the J&D bullet. My experience with that kit has been positive. Easy to use and kinda fun once you get the hang of it. You can make a bunch up while you're watching TV or something and free up some of the loading time at the range. I have noticed some unburned paper in chambers occasionally but nothing problematic. The ones in the blue case pictured below were made about a year ago and I just fired some off a couple weeks ago, they did great.

Just for fun, when I got home I loaded 30 grains of powder, a lubed wad, and a J&D conical in it and it rammed right home perfectly flush. However it did deform the nose a little, kinda rounded it off. I have no doubt that without the wad it wouldn't have rounded off like that.

I haven't tried any other .44 conicals, I'm sure there's some other good ones. I like the Johnston and Dow because it's an exact copy of a Civil War revolver bullet.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Have you ever used the paper cartridge for just the containment of the powder and rammed a rb down on top of it? I ask because I usually only shoot rbs and have yet to see them loaded into paper ctgs. Btw, I really appreciate your troubles getting me this information.
Thanks,
W.S.

 

[Justin.44]

Have you ever used the paper cartridge for just the containment of the powder and rammed a rb down on top of it? I ask because I usually only shoot rbs and have yet to see them loaded into paper ctgs. Btw, I really appreciate your troubles getting me this information.
Thanks,
W.S

No problem. I just tried this and loaded it but I can't fire it yet. I formed a cartridge, filled it with 25 grains, and covered it with another glued end circle. Worked good. Then I dropped it down the chamber, followed by a lubed wad, and rammed a round ball in. Should work great.

I actually probably could've filled the cartridge up to about 30 grains because without the projectile I had to fold some excess paper over before I fitted the 2nd circle of paper over the top. -Justin

 

[user 48702]

There is an old Ideal mold #450229 which is a hollow base conical. It was designed to be used in an original 1858 Remington. They drop at .452 to .453 dia. (size to .451 for the Pietta) and they weigh 172-173 grains, with an OAL of .565 . I found the mold on ebay 10-15 years ago, and I still see them from time to time. I have used them in my T/C Hawken .45 with excellent results. It's not an original style, but a commercial mold which was made for the Remington. Since Ideal was established in 1884, this mold was probably made sometime between that date and the 1920s.

 

[nkbj]

#45468 (AKA #454068) is another, just like #450229 but a little bigger diameter.

 

[user 43911]

I used to have a mold that I wish I had not sold two years ago, mold was marked " for Remington 58"
made by Ideal. Bullet is .548 long with front band at .454 mid band .448 and base band at .442.
I use a hard card over powder if gun is to be loaded for a few days, I also use the same card under round ball and .45 cal rifle, no lube on card only in bullet grooves or ahead of ball.

 

[bud in pa]

I recently acquired a Remington. I was looking at Lee molds and saw their 252 200 FN. That flat nose design imparts a lot of energy on the target. I will have to mic the chambers in my cylinder. I think that 200 grains would be the maximum weight foe the Remington. has anybody tried this bullet?