Author Topic: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?  (Read 1410 times)

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Offline czvz

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310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« on: September 24, 2010, 02:26:25 AM »
Im considering a Lee 310 gr flat nose mold for a Ruger Redhawk 7.5 inch barrel.  First will this perform well in a revolver?  2nd what are some loads that would perform well on Whitetails? And last what are some mild plinking/practice loads?
Thanx
CZVZ

Offline Darrell Davis

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2010, 05:11:34 PM »
CZVZ,

My standard load for my 5.5" RUGER Redhawk is a 310gr LBT, wfn boolit cast of WW and quenched right from the mold.

This is a Gas Checked boolit.

My go to load is 19gr of AA#9 for just a touch over 1300fps.

I bought 8lbs. of AA#9 some years back, and now see they list loads a bit lower then my 19gr load.

I seldom shoot light loads, but providing your Lee boolit has a large meplat, it should do OK for hunting.

I think that H110 or 296 would both be good powders, but when I developed my loads, it just seemed like AA#9 did a bit better then the others.

I really do think I would follow new loading info with powder bought recently as for some reason the listed charges were reduced below what I use with my older stock of #9.

Keep us posted on what you find, and how it works in your RUGER.

Keep em coming!

CDOC

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Offline 45-70.gov

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2010, 05:48:08 PM »
i  use  280 grain  WFN  from LBT

get it up  to about 1100 or1200  with what ever  powder  i have at the time

and stick with that  load  until the powder is gone

one  load  for everything...simple...no confusion
YOU  POINT OF IMPACT  CHANGES  WITH RECOIL
as the  gun rises  in your hand.......faster bullets shoot lower at short ranges
my  44 specials  shoot   high.....so i don't use them

i have a 22 for plinking
when  i shoot the  44...i am practicing with MY HUNTING LOAD

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Offline Darrell Davis

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2010, 07:14:29 AM »
Hey there 45/70 gov,

I agree, and that is the basic same direction I take.

My 44 is a work gun and I have others for practice/fun.

And that is not to say shoot'in the 44 isn't fun, but the loads are heavy and made to do a job.

Shot a bunch of them yesterday when I was out to empty some cases with the 45/70.

Point well made!

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot (CDOC)
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Offline docmagnum357

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2010, 04:39:29 PM »
I loaded a bunch of those very bullets to about 1100 feet per second, i forget the powder and charge, and they were the only time i have ever seen deer literally knocked down with a handgun.  I gave up on anything but neck shots and high shoulder shots a while ago, and I waited til the first deer was facing me.  headdown, eating.  I aimed as high as i could for the shoulder, and touched one off.  I heard the bullet "smack" the deer.  she sat down, like a well trained dog told to " sit".  The yearling that was with her didnt stray more than a few steps, and I shot her, too.  same result.


Offline docmagnum357

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2010, 04:44:35 PM »
Trouble was, I never found either one o those deer.  Both made it to some very thick brush, no blood trail.  I am fairly certain I broke the shoulder on the first doe, as she hobbled badly getting away.  probably damaged her hindquarters, too.  The yearling initially "sat down" but didn't look like she had a broken hip or damaged ham going away.  Looked for two hours, and got some other guys to help.  lokked the next day, too.  Usually, I can find a skeleton by the vultures.  never found hide, hair or bone.

 

Offline BBF

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2010, 07:09:14 PM »
Would you try those loads again with a lung shot?
What is the point of Life if you can't have fun.

Offline Darrell Davis

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2010, 08:50:22 AM »
Personally, with a good heavy cast boolit (wide MEPLAT!!), and faced with a head on shot, I'd put the slug full length, end to end through the critter.

The neck shot thing is iffy at best.  MUCH !!Too great a chance of a wounded critter.

Now, with a high velocity "J" bullet, I'd take a frontal shot with the hope of a hit at the base of the neck, something that would prevent the "J" bullet from going the full length of the deer.

Been there and done that and it - the full length bullet path - pushed eaten grass into most of the rib cage tissue, making an awfull mess.

You'll have little if any of that problem with cast boolit velocities, but you will have a dead right there critter.

No deer alive is going to remain so, with a good cast boolit passing full length, end to end, of his body.

You can go to the Marlin Owner's or Cast Boolit forum for account after account of sucessful  critter harvests with well placed cast boolits of proper design.

Keep em coming!

CDOC 
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Offline Larry Gibson

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2010, 09:08:01 AM »
310 gr? Don't have that kind of bad ass deer around where I hunt (Oregon & Washington). In my 6"+ barreled .44s i prefer the 240 gr XTP at 1400+ fps.  All shots (I don't take Texas heart shots) are aimed to place the bullets through the heart regardless of the angle.  Never lost a deer and never recovered a bullet as all passed through and through doing a lot more damage inside than a hard cast bullet does.  The deer die quicker that way and don't go near as far.  For 4" barrels I like the 200 gr HPs at 1400 fps as they perform as well.

With cast I like the 429244HP at 1400 fps.  Cast soft this GC'd HP bullet really out performs any hard cast when it comes to killing deer quick.  This soft cast HP performs as well as the XTP load, perhaps a tudge better on smaller deer.  I've also no qualms about using a cast SWC and find the RCBS 250 gr Keith bullet works as well for me as it did Elmer.  As he did I also prefer it cast of 1-16 alloy which whn pushed at 1400 fps will expand in deer at reasonable handgun ranges.

Larry Gibson

 

Offline Darrell Davis

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2010, 12:17:28 PM »
Well Larry, you do sound like you have been there and done that.

However, I prefer to adopt the current common wisdom of using a hard cast boolit with as large a meplat as possible, providing that design will still allow good down range stability.

Unless the many accounts I have read are just a lot of smoke, the large meplat provides nearly as large an area as many expanded "J" bullets, but without the needless and sometimes wastefull distruction of high velocity expansion forces.

I know the meplat of the cast boolit I am presently using is about the same size as the expanded nose of the 30 caliber "J" bullets I have retreaved over the years.

The short version is, unless these accounts are false, I do not want or need the expansion provided by a "J" bullet or a soft cast or H.P cast boolit.

I hope that is true, as I am presently hunting with a 45/70 and a hard cast 355gr LBT/WFN (Wide Flat Nose) boolit.

I have a few days left in the Ideeeeho elk season and until about the end of November for whitetail, so hopefully will have a critter or two fall to the 45/70.  This afternoon/evening would be just fine!!

Keep em coming!

CDOC
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Offline docmagnum357

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Re: 310 Grain Flat Nose Gas .44 Deer Load?
« Reply #10 on: October 25, 2010, 03:03:44 PM »
No, I wouldn't ever shoot that bullet through the lungs.  I was trying to break the shoulder blade, shoulder ball, etc.  Most likely did.  Didn't work too good.  I am quite sure the bullet passd all the way trough both deer in the above account.  From now on, I will use Lyman devastators, or some othe hollow point cast, or maybe(ugh) jacketed, and I will always shoot for heart/ lungs.  the area I generally hunt is so thick, it was cut over fifteen years ago, that you can literally get lost in there after dark. If One gets away again, it will die pretty quick anyway.
I really hate to waste hunting time, natural resourses, or most of all, cause an animal to suffer.  I just won't shoot to break bones again.  Except the neck bones, and then only with a rifle.  I am a pretty good pistol shot, but Handguns are just not for precision work like that, especially on something that feels pain.  I was certain from what I had heard and read that a big flat nosed bullet would smash bones and anchor deer.  Not so, unless i had two flukes in two minutes. Every deer I ever shot with a light (180 or 200 grain)jhp died.  I am confident that Cast hollow points will only work better. But from now on. only heart / lung shots.