Ammo Question

H

HotMetal

New member
I want to purchase some ammo for my Redhawk .44 magnum, anticipating an upcomiung extended hiking/camping/fishing trip to the backwoods. Looking at the balistics of some of the ammo that my local store stocks, from what I can see, the Federal and UMC Remington 180 grain JSPs have greater velocity & eneregy at 50 yards, than 240 grain Remington SP and semi-jackets. Do the 180 grain JSPs therefore have better penetrating ability than the others?

Also, on another subject, will occasionally firing CCI .44 mag shotshells damage the barrel of my Redhawk?
 
Never shot any shot shells. The 180 umc's have a very large muzzle flash and are a little more crisper in recoil. I'm not sure what the ballistics would be, but they have an extreme "fun factor" if you are looking for that kind of result. I target shoot exclusively. The 240's are good target rnds. The 180 umc's would make better campfire stories. Boom and flash. I shoot a sbh.
good shootin
kid
 
Worrying about penetration, what are you expecting to encounter on your trip? That would deterrmine what load you should be using. On a average lighter bullets penetrate less than heavier bullets. Bullet mass plays a big role in penetration.
Shotshells, being nothing but lead shot, will not harm your barrel.
 
The 180's will probabaly expand more because of the higher speed. Federal has a premium cast core hunting bullet at 300 gr. that should do the trick for you. On deer sized game, a hollowpoint like the Hornady XTP works very well. On large, dangerous animals, a solid, hard, cast bullet is better to get penetration through the vitals. Federal Pick your caliber etc from the list at the top.
 
You may look into the Remington 275gr Core Lokt. I have fired it quite a bit from my Smiths and was pleased with the accuracy out to @ 100yds. Never used the Federal 300gr, but that sounds promising to.
 
I believe that the 240 grain load is a better general purpose load. It is certainly going to penetrate more, if you are concerned with livestock or bears. For 'social work', I also like the heavier bullets.
Shooting the shot shells will not hurt your Smith in any way. Go for it. They are loads of fun too.
 
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