44 mag bullet performance

[remfan]

  
ok  bigger whitetail deer vs 44 mag handi ( or any 44 mag rifle ) 225leverloution  250 xtp  300 xtp 270 gold dot soft point 310 oregon trail WLFN(wide long flat nose) or a home cast 310 lee gascheck in wheelweght alloy(5% tin added) all with near max loads what will give a complete pass thru hit out to 125 yards at most any angle ?  gimmie your stories good and bad   i wanna do a serious comparison  what works what does not and  @ what yardagesand angles    shot placement  will also be considered

[brennemanj83]

I have got a Ruger Deerfield Carbine 99-44 Semiauto.I load it with 265 Hornadys FP's over 22grains of Win 296.Have shot 2 deer with it using that.#1 was at 150yds with lung shot bullet passed clear through and.The deer ran 25yds and dropped dead.#2 was shot at 175yds with a lung and the deer ran about 50 yards and dropped.When I skun it out the bullet was beneath the skin on opposite side.

I really like the 265 Hornady FP's.I just recently got a Handi 44 mag barrel and am in the process of working up a load for it.

[pricecw]

OK, I haven't shot game with this one from my rifles, but here is a recovered LaserCast 44 Cal, 240 gr RNFP (loaded over H110) shot from my 4" pistol.  This traveled through the skull, neckbones, muscle, etc of a mountain lion.



This feeds well in my Marlin lever, the Winchester lever, and works well in my revolvers.  It has become a favorite for both revolvers and rifles.

--Carl

[cwlongshot]

EXCELLENT results with the 270 GD softpoint in the 44mag rifle!!

It is THE bullet for a 44 rifle in my book!! 

CW

[brennemanj83]

EXCELLENT results with the 270 GD softpoint in the 44mag rifle!!

It is THE bullet for a 44 rifle in my book!! 

CW

I have read alot about them in the 44 mag but have never tried any.I might have to try them and see how they work me.

CW what kind of load do you use for them?

[Default]

I have the handi 44 and have had a Ruger deerfield ( late 1969 made) i have killed a few deer with standard remmie 240 soft points out of the deerfield broadside double lung  both under 100 yards with baseball sized exits and short runs ... I load only hard cast 240 round nose flat points so far for my handi 44 and mated Ruger SBH 44  and have gotten great accuracy with W296 and bluedot didnt fare poorly when i tried it .. But i'm set on the W296 , havent had it to hunt white tails long enough yet


    Default

[dpe.ahoy]

240g hornady XTP on top of a max load of H-110= meat with large blood trail and short to no tracking.  DP

[cwlongshot]

CW what kind of load do you use for them?

 Max load of W296.

CW

[jlwilliams]

  I shot a 165lb whitetail with a 240gr hollow point (out of a Ruger 96-44)  from the vast distance of about 40 yards.  Hit him from the front, high chest/low neck.  Just missing the wind pipe, hitting the spine just in front of the forelegs.  Dropped like a box of rocks. Hitting the spine meant that even a lesser round would have been effective, but that's what I hit him with and where I hit him.

[BBF]

Just to show you the diversity of bullets and loads between different rifles.

The 270 gr Speer GD was one of the worst grouping bullets in my Ruger Lever carbine.

Nosler 200 gr HP( WW296) and the 240 gr. Hdy XTE( H-110) are my top performers, at least as far as shooting tight groups.

[teddy12b]

I used 240gr hornady XTP handloads on a 8pt buck this last season.  They run between 1675 - 1700 fps over H110.  I hit a little high just behind shoulder and he went down right there like he got hit by a truck.  He kicked around a couple times and I put another round into his lower neck to make it quick for him.  Notice both bullet entrances in the picture.



The bullet was found on the opposite side just under the skin.  I cleaned and weighed it at just over 180 grains. I was shooting from a higher position and aiming down to a lasered 60yards. 

The bullet/caliber performed great.  I've taken three deer in my life, 2 with a 30-06, and 1 with a 20" puma 44mag.  The 44 mag is the only one that has ever knocked a deer off it's feet.  This rifle is now one of my all time favorites.  I wrote up a long winded hunting report with more pictures if you want to read more about it.  Hope this helps.

[Uncle Ji]

I've been poppin' piggies for 33 years with my Marlin 1894 44 mag the load a choice being 240 grain Speer JSPs in front of a load of 24 grains H110 powder, nothin' fancy but gets the job done.  Never had to shoot a pig or a deer twice with this load in all this time.  I did try 240 grain Sierra JSPs too with same results so either will do.  My biggest pig was over 300 pounds at 125 yards and he dropped like he was hit by the hammer of Thor too.  If I want a heavier bullet I usually grab my 45-70.

[remfan]

ok safe to say   240 xtp does not exit    250 and up hardcast does exit    300 xtp does exit as does 310 grain hard cast     do the 270 golddots  or the 240 JSP  make pass thru    ??

[dpe.ahoy]

I have yet to have an XTP stay in any Mule deer I've taken with the 44.  DP

[Graybeard]

Never shot a mule deer but don't recall a 240 XTP ever staying in a white tail and I've shot plenty of them with it.

[remfan]

what shot angles did you take Greybeard???  i was curious in  1/4 to and away    not always boiler room shots
thats why in my savage ml10  I use 300 mz barnes   no matter what shot angle i always get a pass thru and a DRT deer
thats what i am seeking     1/4 to or 1/4 away shooting @ the offside shoulder  i want a pass thru  hit     and if i get a broadside boiler room shot and hit ribs in and out on a double lung hit I want a hole thru the deer they go down quicker to me  and  2 holes leaking makes tracking easier    ( if neededat all)

[Graybeard]

Broadside or quartering. I don't shoot them in the butt and pretty much never as they face me head on either. Some quartering angles have been fairly severe. I have always strived for as close to a broadside presentation as possible and for many years did most of my hunting from treestands which helped in that.

[teddy12b]

I'm really surprised at how many guys are having the hornady 240gr XTP-HP pass through.  When I took my buck this last season it was at 60 yards with a 44 rifle and the killing bullet was on the opposite side under the skin.  The second shot in the neck was buried in there and I didn't go digging around for it.  I know the first shot hit a rib and broke it all up.  Did you guys getting pass through shots with the 240gr XTP-HP hit any bones at all?

[dpe.ahoy]

I have hit a few bones, leg and shoulder, but try to get heart- lung shots on deer.  I don't like to punch through the paunch and get the meat tainted with stomach contents.  DP