[Shotgunner60]

Got cow tags for eastern Oregon in November. Just picked up a Super Blackhawk Bisley hunter in .44Mag. Was thinking that as soon as we've got one in camp I'll put away the rifle and carry the .44. Would I be better off with penetration of Hard Cast or expansion of Hollow Point? The more opinions the better. Give me your $.02. Thanks

[Matt-J2]

Never thought about hunting cow, but there's a rather large number of them round here, all penned up and easy to get at.

Soo, yeah, cow what?

[Shotgunner60]

I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for some kind of serious reply. This site is going downhill fast, getting dificult to find anything at all interesting or serious to read or learn these days. Thanks

[critter]

I have the same gun. A really fine hunting arm indeed! Mine is very accurate.

I took a deer with mine (southern whitetail 6-point) at 65 yards using reloaded Remington 240 gr hollow points. I recovered the bullet just inside the off-side skin with the kind of expansion you see in ads. PERFECT.

SO, I think the penetration might be lacking for your application because of the great (TOO good!) expansion.

IMHO, for what you are going to do, I would use a heavy (maybe 300 gr), hard cast with a big ole flat point. I'd prefer the penetration with two 'bleed holes' you would more likely get with them. AND they seem to be VERY accurate in my gun also.

Good luck-that sounds like a lot of fun!

[Shotgunner60]

Thanks Critter. That was the direction I was headed.

[Shawnee]

HPs could be "iffy" on Elk. Go with the hard-cast. Probably wouldn't need the 300gr. but it'll work. You might actually get a little more "swat" with a little bit lighter bullet though.


Good Luck !

:cool:

[HM2PAC]

Thick bone spells trouble for HP's and light bullets.

Go with the biggest bullet you can load properly.

[MMCSRET]

Few years ago I was out looking for some stray stock and was only carrying my SBH and had a cow tag. Was loaded with my general purpose squirrel, coyote, stray dog ,feral cat, broke leg horse putterdowner load of hardcast 240 SWC over 2400. came up on a cow elk @ 40 yards, quick snap shot and she went down dead after running 80 yds thru a stubble field. Shot penetrated heart and did its job. I had always carried a 300 gr. before when I was hunting with the 44.

[Shotgunner60]

Thanks folks. that's what i was hoping for.

[Matt-J2]

You do know there's several creatures, a few even huntable, that can(and indeed, should) be referred to correctly as cows? The female bison, cattle, moose, elk and musk oxen are all cows, off the top of my head.
Given that I know you can hunt moose, elk, and musk oxen(last one not so much in OR, no idea about moose or any of the others), it'd be a mite forward of me to assume which one you're talking about given the rather limited info in your post.

[eclarsen]

People advice against HP from 357mags on whitetails, so I imagine HP on the bigger species from a 44mag would also be advised against as well.

HP's slow penetration and hitting bone would slow it even more. Heavy SP's or Keith-style cast bullets sound good.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I'd definitely go with hard cast for a cow elk.

[dsdanger]

HC, 200 gr. or better.

[ImARugerFan]

I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for some kind of serious reply. This site is going downhill fast, getting dificult to find anything at all interesting or serious to read or learn these days. Thanks

Geez, you were giving up one hour after posting? Patience my friend!

[Floppy_D]

I'm hunting with the same gun this year, though for bear and whitetail. If it were me, I'd go heavy hardcast. There's no overpenetration in the woods. :)

[Water-Man]

Hardcast 300gr. works well.

[countryrebel]

Cast will work well, but there have been hundreds of elk taken with jacketed too. I like 240 xtp's most of the time but I sometimes carry cast just to try something different.

[kmrcstintn]

Hardcast lead flatpoints is what Elmer Keith used; might not be good for self defense in an urban neighborhood, but it does wonders as a hunting load with very deep penetration & the hardened lead flatpoints are notorious 'bone busters'

for your application, you can't go wrong with proven low tech leadheads; if you insist on a jacketed hollowpoint for some expansion, then go with something heavy that isn't moving at the speed of light...something like a 300gr Hornady XTP loaded by Hornady (? @1100 fps ?) or Black Hills

[publiuss]

I use hard cast SWC's for everything except self defence.

[Art Eatman]

FWIW, Ross Seyfried apparently does a lot of handgun hunting. He has often recommended cast bullets with a large meplat. Other comments indicate he prefers the heavier bullets.

I've loaded max with 300-grain jacketed bullets for the 44Mag and for a Ruger .45 Colt. Lotsa thump at both ends, for sure, although I've yet to bother a critter with either. Not hard to get reasonable groups at forty or so yards...