good hunting load for .44 mag 240 gr keith bullet

[sundogg1911]

Hello. This yeah i plan to take a deer with my Taurus M44 with 8 3/8" barrel, using open sights. Does anyone have a great load using 2400 powder? plenty in the books, but i'd like to hear from someone using a similar setup. thanks  :eek:

[dave375hh]

I use the 429244 GC bullet(260grs) with 21.5grs of 2400 in a Super Blackhalk Hunter. This load avg. 1406 fps, and 12 rounds in the Ransom rest @ 25yds. measure 1 1/8". Whatever load shoots best in your Taurus between 18.5 and 21.0grs will be more than enough for deer. I've taken two of them with my practise/bumming around load of 429421 W/ 9.0 grs Unique at 1100 fps. complete penitration on broadside shots.

Be sure to work up to that first load in your Taurus it could be too warm in a double action. I Know it's too hot for my old Mod 29 S&W.

[ras308]

I shoot a swaged semi-wadcutter HP from Hornady and shoot 16 grains of 2400.  I've had complete penetration on a Corsican Ram shot in the chest, the exit was through the hindquarter.  This load is easy to shoot and very accurate in my RSBH.

[Graybeard]

I think that these days that load is about 1.5 grains hotter than book. Elmer's old load with the Keith bullet was 22.0 grains back in the old days but 2400 powder has changed since then. Yes I've used 22.0 with the newer power but no longer do.

Long years ago my shooting partner and best friend Billy Doss (now deceased) and I used that same Lyman 429244 GC bullet in NRA metallic Silhouette competition all over the area. We used 17.0 grains of 2400 and got super accuracy, plenty of knock down on the rams and mild recoil for long shooting sessions. That load still works great today.

But for a hunting load with that bullet I max out at 20.0 grains and use anything between our old load of 17.0 and 20.0 depending on what the particular gun being used likes best.

SAAMI pressures on the .44 Mag have been reduced quite a bit from the original specs. Why I dunno but I suspect it has more to do with folks not liking the recoil than any real safety issue.

Back when I first started shooting it you could find plenty of as new S&W 29s for sale that had only six rounds fired thru them. Once I picked up one with the box of ammo and only six missing. The previous owner fired one cylinder full and decided it was more than he wanted. These days factory ammo is rather mild especially compared to that early stuff.

[ricciardelli]

Well, my favorite .44 Magnum hunting load doesn't answer your question, but I might as well post it here.  This load has taken white tail, muledeer and antelope out to 110 yards ... one shot was all that was required on each and every kill.

Bullet: Sierra 240 Grain Jacketed Hollow Cavity
Powder: 25.8 grains of H-110          
Primer: CCI-350          
Case: Remington          
Firearm: Ruger Super Blackhawk, 7-1/2" barrel
Optics: Open factory sights
Velocity: 1607 FPS @ 15' from muzzle
Accuracy: 6-shot, 100 yards, <6"