Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting "Heeled" Bullet

What is a "heeled" bullet? I own some old .44 Evans repeaters which use a "heeld" bullet for best accuracy. No one can give me an answer from Buffalo Arms, so was hoping some of the folks on this forum have any ideas. Thanks.

it's like a .22 rimfire bullet, the heel (portion that goes inside the case) is smaller than the bullet diameter. Bullet diameter is the same as the o.d. of the case.

Many thanks, mtmisfit. Now, I have to figure out how to do it.

The book Shooting Colt Single Actions (�1995, by Mike Venturino; MLV Enterprises, PO Box 914, Livingston, MT 59047), has a good chapter on reloading the 41 Colt, the most famous reloadable heel-type cartridge. It might be worth your while to read it as the information therein may be applicable to your Evans'.

Here's my answer for heeled bullets in the .41 long Colt.

Pretty cool. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Those look like Hornady XTP's. Want to fill us in on what tool you used to do that?

They're .40 caliber Magtech 180 grain JHP's, Jim. (.41 Colt's are actually a .40 caliber, having a .403 groove diameter)

I fabricated a die to swage the heel on them. It's at work right now. I'll stick a pic up when I bring it home.

I don't like shooting jacketed bullets in my antique guns with their softer steels. It's lead all the way for me in an antique.

Mountain moulds will more than likley make a bullet to your specs. He has an online, or did, design program. I know he does heel molds for he did one for me. 480 Achilles, and at a weight I wanted.

There were three broad classifications of Evans rifles, the old model, the transition and the new model. I've only owned, shot and reloaded for the new model. With the new model you don't really need a heeled bullet. I used a 0.421 diameter cast but friends have used regular 0.429 diameter bullets and apparently they worked just fine. Also with the new model you can buy new brass, like from Rocky Mountain Cartridge, but 44 Magnum brass works.

Concerning the transition model, some say it uses the same ammunition as the new model, i.e. 44 Evans Long. Some believe it uses the ammunition from the earlier old model, i.e. the 44 Evans Short. Personally I don't know.