.44 mag. External Ballistics Question …

P

Pilgrim

New member
I have some questions about external ballistics for the .44 mag. I am needing this information for sighting in my rifle for deer hunting. If anyone could help me, I really would appreciate it. Also, please let me know where I can find detailed external ballistics information. I am thinking about buying the RCBS.LOAD ballistics software – any opinions or experience on that would be appreciated too.

1) What is the vital zone or kill zone for a white tail deer? I would guess 8” would be about right.
2) What is the maximum point blank range (MPBR) for the above vital zone?
3) What is the zero range for this MPBR?
4) What is the impact point at 100 yards?
5) What is the impact point at 25 yards?

Specifics:

Barrel length: 22”
Bullet: Speer 240 gr. JHP
Powder 1: 24 gr. H110 with a magnum primer – approx. 1800 ft/sec muzzle velocity
Powder 2: 24 gr. 296 with a magnum primer – approx. 1800 ft/sec muzzle velocity

Thanks for any help you can give.
:)
 
You're welcome. Re-read your post again. Yes, 8" is about right for the kill zone of an eastern whitetail. For the record, though, I'm not a fan of JHPs for deer hunting. I much prefer a jacketed soft point; better penetration and weight retention. I've also heard good things about hard cast solids, but I have no first hand experience with them.
 
Answers from Sierra

For whoever might be interested ...

I called Sierra's Tech Line at 800-223-8799, and they were very helpful. The guy I spoke with there ran this through their ballistics program, and here is what they came up with:

1. MPBR with 8" vital zone = 180 yards
2. MPBR zero is at 154 yards
3. 100 yard impact is at 3.9 inches
4. 25 yard impact is at 1.1 inches.

This is using a scope height of 1.5" (ie. bore is 1.5" below LOS).

He also told me about a free :D ballistics program from HuntAmerica.com. Check it out at http://internet.cybermesa.com/~jbm/ballistics/calculations.html
 
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