44 MAG Hunting loads

[jk3006]

Only if you cast your own do they cost less, unless I'm missing something here.  I used to enjoy the cheap bullets from MBW, but that is NO MORE.  Right now learning how to cast my own is not an option.  My budget no longer allows me to shoot the bullets I want to shoot in the big bores with as much repetition as I need.  And I've found that the cheap laser-cast generic stuff doesn't shoot worth a darn either.   

But a cast bullet will ALLWAYS penetrate, cost less...

[mray]

does anyone here shoot 180s out of their 44s for deer?  Have an loads for those?  I'm new at this, but a guy down at the local gun shop says that if shot through the lungs, a 180, moving faster, makes more sense. What do you guys think?

[Cottonwood]

does anyone here shoot 180s out of their 44s for deer?  Have an loads for those?  I'm new at this, but a guy down at the local gun shop says that if shot through the lungs, a 180, moving faster, makes more sense. What do you guys think?

I would not limit yourself to 180's just to go faster.  Faster does not mean a whole lot if there is not real trade off advantage, as I will take a minimum 240-gr SWC or Jacketed anyday with a good medium load.  My uncle was of the faster mind set crowd and wanted a juiced up load as he called it with a 240-gr JHP and saw the damage it did on a whitetail.  After that he said, never again will he do that as it created to much wasted meat.

But it's your call.

[Graybeard]

does anyone here shoot 180s out of their 44s for deer?  Have an loads for those?  I'm new at this, but a guy down at the local gun shop says that if shot through the lungs, a 180, moving faster, makes more sense. What do you guys think?

I did it once. Doubt I'll ever do that again. One year I was doing a lot of NRA metallic silhouette competition shooting using my old S&W model 29 with the 10-5/8" barrel and four position adjustable front sight. I won every match held in B'ham for iron sights with that gun that year and so decided to use it and my competition load on a deer to see how it would do. The load was 12.5 grains of Unique under a Hornady 180 JHP (pre XTP days). It wasn't as fast as you can push the bullet by any means but it was accurate.

I killed the deer fine but the bullet did not exit and was found under the hide on the far side from a lung shot. It barely mushroomed at all and was almost in good enough shape to reload and shoot again. I didn't like that so gave up on light weight bullets. I've used 240s every since and so far at least haven't had one stop in a deer.

[Davemuzz]

I guess I'm in the "middle" of this. My deer load is the 200 grain Hornady XTP over 24.4 gr of VV N-110. This pushes the 200 grain a bit faster than 1550fps and so far nothing has escaped a well placed shot.


Dave

[Lloyd Smale]

Getting set up to cast can be very inexpensive and is not rocket science to learn. For the price of 4 or 5 boxes of bullets you could be making your own. Score a bucket of wws and there about free after you recoup the cost of equipment with the first 500 bullets you cast. You dont need all the fancy stull that i have. All you need is a heat sourse a small metal pot, a ladle some lead a lee sizing kit that comes with a sizer and a bottle of tumble lube and a mold. You should be able to find an old pot in the cubbord that your wife will donate a lee sizing kit is about 2o bucks a lee two cavity mold is about 20 bucks  and a laddle should be under 20 bucks. for a heat source you can use a coleman stove an electric hotplate or even your kitchen stove if you wife is more forgiving then mine. As to learning. the abosolute first day i ever tried casting i was making good bullets.

Only if you cast your own do they cost less, unless I'm missing something here.  I used to enjoy the cheap bullets from MBW, but that is NO MORE.  Right now learning how to cast my own is not an option.  My budget no longer allows me to shoot the bullets I want to shoot in the big bores with as much repetition as I need.  And I've found that the cheap laser-cast generic stuff doesn't shoot worth a darn either.   

But a cast bullet will ALLWAYS penetrate, cost less...

[Cottonwood]

Getting set up to cast can be very inexpensive and is not rocket science to learn. For the price of 4 or 5 boxes of bullets you could be making your own. Score a bucket of wws and there about free after you recoup the cost of equipment with the first 500 bullets you cast. You dont need all the fancy stull that i have. All you need is a heat sourse a small metal pot, a ladle some lead a lee sizing kit that comes with a sizer and a bottle of tumble lube and a mold. You should be able to find an old pot in the cubbord that your wife will donate a lee sizing kit is about 2o bucks a lee two cavity mold is about 20 bucks  and a laddle should be under 20 bucks. for a heat source you can use a coleman stove an electric hotplate or even your kitchen stove if you wife is more forgiving then mine. As to learning. the abosolute first day i ever tried casting i was making good bullets.

Only if you cast your own do they cost less, unless I'm missing something here.  I used to enjoy the cheap bullets from MBW, but that is NO MORE.  Right now learning how to cast my own is not an option.  My budget no longer allows me to shoot the bullets I want to shoot in the big bores with as much repetition as I need.  And I've found that the cheap laser-cast generic stuff doesn't shoot worth a darn either.   

But a cast bullet will ALLWAYS penetrate, cost less...

Lloyd you hit it right on the nose, I'm getting all set up for my winter project while layed up after surgery on my shoulder.  If one has there own shooting area your spent bullets can be recovered time and time again from the berm. 

The only bad bullet is the one never shot.

[Hooker]

I have used the 240gr XTPs in my muzzle loader for years they worked quite well.
I now use use home grown hard cast that weigh out at 255gr my velocity is around  1400 fps. Terminal performance is equal that of the XTPs except that the HCs will reach the vitals on deer and hogs from any angle. I realize we are talking handgun performance but it is the same .429 bullet traveling at near handgun velocities.

Pat

[Lloyd Smale]

ive done the same thing with my inlines for years. Youd get a kick out of my latest muzzleloader. I took one of the cheap inline falling block guns and wacked the stock off right at the pistol grip and cut the barrel to 14 inch. Its got a 2x handgun scope on it and will shoot under 2 inches at a 100 yards with a 350 lfngc .45 bullet in sabots loaded with 80 grains of goex substitute. It chronos at about 1300 fps. Basicaly a hell for stout ruger blackhawk load. Havent shot anything with it yet as last year was a bust with all the surgery i went through but i should get a chance to try it out this year.

I have used the 240gr XTPs in my muzzle loader for years they worked quite well.
I now use use home grown hard cast that weigh out at 255gr my velocity is around  1400 fps. Terminal performance is equal that of the XTPs except that the HCs will reach the vitals on deer and hogs from any angle. I realize we are talking handgun performance but it is the same .429 bullet traveling at near handgun velocities.

Pat

[Graybeard]

I don't think I'd be publicly posting about making a handgun from a rifle since that's illegal.

[30hrrtt]

Might be ok with the muzzle loader as you don't need either to be registered or whatever you call it.

[Graybeard]

Yup maybe as technically it's not a "firearm" to the feds. Still making a handgun from a rifle is a federal no-no and ya gotta admit even tho a muzzle loader it was a rifle.

[Davemuzz]

Yeah....I gotta agree with that. You tell 'em what you did with a M\L....they just may show up and snoop around lookin for something you didn't tell 'em about.

Dave

[Lloyd Smale]

checked with my lawyer bill and he said that it states a muzzle loader is not considered a firearm and is not subject to the laws conserning barrel lenghts ect.

Yup maybe as technically it's not a "firearm" to the feds. Still making a handgun from a rifle is a federal no-no and ya gotta admit even tho a muzzle loader it was a rifle.

[S.B.]

In my experiences with BATF they will bend over backwards to help with issues like this, not become gestapo troopers.

[Cottonwood]

How did we get so far off topic of this thread?

I believe the question was about .44 Magnum Hunting Loads.

[Davemuzz]

In my experiences with BATF they will bend over backwards to help with issues like this, not become gestapo troopers.

Not to hijack.....but......I worked for 25 years and represented clients before the IRS. We used words like "bend over" and "issues" with that agency as well. Just not in the same order as the sentence you wrote.

Dave.


BTW......I am of the opinion that a Hornady XTP 200 grain with a MV of 1500fps or better will kill any whitetail that roams the hills 'n dales of western Pa. And that would be out to a max of 100 yards provided the shooter has done his job of practicing and can 6" "pie plate" his groups at that distance.

Dave

[jumpsteady]

I like Rem cases( all I had ) 10 grains of Titegroup, Win large primers, and 210 Sierra's. Light recoil, and plenty of speed, about 1375 fps. Plenty for everything here in northeast Kansas

[Davemuzz]

I like Rem cases( all I had ) 10 grains of Titegroup, Win large primers, and 210 Sierra's. Light recoil, and plenty of speed, about 1375 fps. Plenty for everything here in northeast Kansas

You can get away with slower bullets in Kansas. You don't have those hills 'n dales....so gravity doesn't pull your bullets down as quick as they do here. 

Dave

[jumpsteady]

I hunt in the flint hills, where on an average day the wind blows 30 miles an hour. And steep elevation changes. And I dont think that 1375 fps is slow

[Davemuzz]

Well......it's slower than 1500fps. Besides.....with your 30mph wind....your bullets will travel farther....provided you always shoot downwind.

Dave

[jumpsteady]

The reason that I am using Titegroup is that is what I use in my .45 acp, and as of right now I don't have the money to buy any H110. When I get some H110 , I plan to use just the min. load which is 26.0 grains at 1615fps. So I am working up the scale. Its hard to get everything you want when you have a 6 month old daughter that was born 5 weeks early. Anyways, how many THOUSANDS of whitetail deer have been killed using less than 1000 fps? I do not believe that max speed is the answer.

[Davemuzz]

Jumpsteady,

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think if your knocking 'em over at 1375fps and they don't get back up, then going a bit faster isn't going to make a difference. Keep shootin 'em at 1375 and I'll bet they keep fallin over and stayin there.

God bless you and yours on your early arrival of your daughter. I hope all is well and stays that way.

Watch those minimum loads using H-110. That powder can produce some unusual results when you go too low. I would suggest starting half a grain more than the minimum.

MHO

Dave

[efremtags]

I have had good sucess with a combo of handloads and store bought ammo that shoot to the same zero, so it makes it easy if I run out of time and can't get to loading for a season

Handload  WFN 280GR hardcast over 20.5 GR H110
Bought Hornady XTP 300Gr

I find tht the store bought stuff shoots a little more accurately, but all group in the same area. When sighted or 25 yards, I cn shoot offhand to 50 without any compensation to speak of for deer. This is with the same pistol you are using.

I like the hardcast on pigs, and have used them successfully on deer. The hollow point seems to have a more immediate effect, but either brings them down within 50 yards.

If deer is your only game, the 240GR XTP is a good choice, as it offers enough penetration with a little flatter trajectory. With a scoped gun, 100yd shot is possible.

[rks1949]

I use rem cases,H110 (21.5grs) and a WLP primer,with a Lee Hard cast 310 FPRN/ GC bullet. It might be a little over kill,but I use the gun on everything from wild boar,deer,elk,ect. and don't have to change anything on the Super Black Hawk. Ron

[S.B.]

Just recently, started working with a Lee 310 mold and so far, it's a winner. Using 2400 and getting very good accuracy. in all my .44s.
Steve

[rks1949]

Just recently, started working with a Lee 310 mold and so far, it's a winner. Using 2400 and getting very good accuracy. in all my .44s.
Steve

Your right,Steve! It's one of the best bullets I've ever cast,and a "real performer" on game! Ron

[S.B.]

If things go as planned, I'll find out in December of this year.

[Sverre A.]

"I use rem cases,H110 (21.5grs) and a WLP primer,with a Lee Hard cast 310 FPRN/ GC bullet."

Front- or the back crimprill?

[S.B.]

So far, the best accuracy I've gotten was with a moderate load of 2400 and a CCI standard primer? I'm shooting this bullet out of a S&W Mountain Gun so, I don't plan on a barn burner load. Now that the accuracy is coming together, I need to chronograph my loads to see what velocity I'm getting.