Why such Heavy Bullets in 44 Mag.?

S

Shooter 973

New member
I've been shooting cast bullets for many years and have been very happy with the performance of the more standard weight bullets in this caliber, 240- 250 gr. Why would you want to shoot heavier bullets than this from a handgun? I have had complete penitration on the deer that I have shot, even at what I consider long range, from my 44's. Thru and thru is good enough for me. Your thoughts please? :confused:
 
I use the 300 grain loads purely for hog hunting.

The central California hogs are well fed and have a lot of wild Russian strain in them. I've shot some in the 350 pound class, and have seen others harvested that weigh far more than that. Often, they are just merely wounded by a badly placed shot. Now they are all pumped up with adrenaline, and can be very dangerous.

When you have to go in the thick brush after them, you want a heavy well constructed bullet that can penetrate the thick armor plate they have in the chest area, the thick skull, and heavy bones of the shoulders and hips, for stopping power. The more penetration you have, the better chance you have of getting to the vitals and central nervous system. I find that a 300 grain hard cast Keith style bullet works best for this task.
 
Shooter973,

I agree with you. For hunting deer here in PA the 240 grain bullet is more than enough, but for those boys that hunt large hogs a 240 grain bullet will do the job however a 300 grain bullet would probably do more damage.

Ron
 
Heavier bullets hit harder. I use 300gr bullets in my .44 and I get great accuracy and they knock the hell out of hogs. My theory is to use the heaviest bullet, pushed as fast as it will go, up to the point that you can't shoot it well. For me the 300gr bullets at 1100-1250 fps is the ticket.
 
Bear defense loads should be the same as the hog loads, for the same reason.

Also, take a look at a ballistics table that shows energy at the muzzle plus how much energy the round has downrange, at 100 and 200 yards. The heavier loads hoard their energy; at the muzzle, no significant difference, but at 100 yards and beyond, MAJOR differences. The guys doing steel-target-knockdown games at long ranges (out to 250+ yards) have figured this out.

Try for a deer at 200 yards, your 240 may not have as much horsepower left as you think. Then again, most people wouldn't try for a shot like that anyways, although the longer-barreled SRH and the various FAs might have enough accuracy with a good rest. Better know what your bullet drop is gonna be - I know I'm years away from even thinking about that sorta thing.
 
Ditto to the bear defense thing. It's why I load up the cylinder with Federal 300gr. Hardcast every time I head into the woods. I want a box or two of that Garrett stuff, but I just haven't got around to antying up with the 60 bucks a box yet. Supposed to be the best though...
 
Shooter 973.........Sometimes I wonder also. You certainly don't need them for deer. The 240/250 work fine even at 900 fps. I shot my first Russian boar at just under 10 yards. I was laying on my belly in his path and as he topped a small rise and I hit him in the center of the chest. He turned and ran to the bottom of the hollow and up the other side. Once he leveled with me one the other side I hit him in the butt. That was the shot that finished him. The first bullet in the chest exited the one hip. The second shot entered the other hip and exited very close to the first hole in the chest. While it's hard to judge distance cross a hollow I would guess the second shot to have been 80-100 yards. The load was the Lyman 429421, 21 grs. of 2400, and a CCI 350 from a 7 1/2" SBH.

The shooting taught me two things. When on the ground and close to a hog, shoot him in the head. That hog could have had me for lunch, laying on the ground and such. Also thoses Keith's dig deep.

We make heavy 44's and 45's and they have their place but to be honest I don't use them much here in WV.
 
Ballisticly more efficient! :)

A 300 Grain .44 Mag only loses about 100 Fps from muzzle to 100 Yards!

Starts slower 1100-1200 Fps at the muzzle but still going 1000+ Fps at 100 yards.
 
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