Deer Hunting with a 44 mag 7 1/2" redhawk

B

beagle

Moderator
I've looked thru all the internet boards, and read all the interesting and non-interesting hunting stories.

I've read up on the ballistics provided by bullet mfgs. for all the various hunting loads, and even those ballistics from individuals which reload for themselves...

I've chosen the 240gr jsp for recoil purposes

And I've read all the speculations about this and that till my brain stem started wilting away.

So, I'm turning to you guys for some much needed help.

I generally hunt with a 30-06, but have recently acquired a Scoped Redhawk with the 7.5" barrel.

I've zeroed it for 125yds and get a 4.5" 6-shot grp every time using 240gr JSP on a 9" paper plate.

The bullet would then punch a hole thru a 1 1/2" thick pine board behind the target and lodge itself almost an inch into the tree behind it, well expanded.

I know the accuracy is plenty for hunting at that distance, and I would think that it punching a hole through that 1.5" board and the tree at 125yds shows that it still has enough power to punch thru the hide and thru the vitals on its way out or at least break a bone or two.

Yet I keep reading everywhere I look that it is "only a 100yd round out of a rifle and maybe 65-70yds max out of a handgun"... But from none with any experience past 65yds.

What I want to know is with a well placed shot behind the shoulder... Is there sufficient energy to drop a deer out to 125yds.

It would seem there is, but I want to remain a humane sportsman and get as much info as possible before I do shoot a deer with it.

I shoot both the 240 jsp and 240 jhp and these are the ballistics...

Velocity is around 1080fps @ 100yds
Energy is around 620f/p @ 100 yds

so I'm guessing that @ 125yds, it would be around 1000fps and 525f/p-550f/p.

Am I correct? And if so, wouldn't this be sufficient energy to humanely kill a deer with a well placed shot?

Anyone with any experience please help. It would be much appreciated.
 
http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.php?uid=12665&page=1624

This chart might help you out some. Granted it is from Corbon but it will give you a baseline of safe-and-sane factory loads.

Please be advised that you can handload .44 magnums to a max load and achieve above what are listed but only do so in a safe manner prescribed by the loading manuals published by reputable sources.

My father used to hunt with his .44 magnum, he loaded his own with the maximum allowable powder and I believe a 240 grain bullet as well. I am unsure of the load specs because he hasn't reloaded in a long while now.

If you want further distance perhaps use a 180 grain bullet instead of 240. Available in Jacketed Hollow Point from Hornady, they are great bullets and will give you a little more velocity and 'distance'.

Hope that helps, I'm sure others will chime in.
 
with a bc of .164 at approx 1300 fps muzzle at 150 yards you should have 987 fps and 518.4 ftlbs of energy and a drop of 6.8 inches from a 100yd zero. Should be fine for deer but I wouldn't strech it out any further!!! This trajectory is like a rock. If you are sighted in at 125 you may want to practice at various ranges to ensure that you know your trajectory inside and out. You will probably find that you will be hitting 11.3 inches high at 50yds. Hope this helps.
 
Remington factory 240's have less energy at 100 than your ammo. Given that you can hit what you're shooting at, I'd say you're all set. Without knowing the math, I suspect your energy figure maybe a bit light. I don't think the bullet would lose 100 ft-lbs in 25 yards. The Remington ammo loses 98 ft-lbs in 50 yards.
Deer vitals aren't as hard nor as dense as 2.5" of wood. You're more likely to see one much closer than 125 though. You may want to sight in at 50 and then shoot at 125 to see where it hits. Mind you, I'm guessing more than you.
 
Just on general principles: Using a bullet with a large meplat, as pistol-hunter Ross Seyfried recommends, I think that any deer inside a hundred yards could easily be meat in the pot.

It's plenty-enough gun.

When quail hunting during deer season, I've carried a Red Hawk for years, just in case I'm attacked by some Bambi that's gone all irate. :)

Art
 
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