[dullh]

Haven't been hog hunting yet, but thinking of a good load. Rifle is a Marlin 1894 .44Mag, have a 4x32 scope on it, and thought this would be a good load:

300gr Hornady XTP
18grs of 2400
Hornady brass
Winchester magnum pistol primer

Book says MV is around 1500fps. Anyone ever used this kind of load on hogs? Will it crush on through the "plate" for a straight on shot? This, by the way, is the same bullet I currently use in a sabot in my Encore 209x50.

If you have any other ideas (different bullet weights/types) let's hear them but keep it related to .44 Magnum caliber since that's what I have.

[buck460XVR]

Should work. Hornady shows a max of 17.1 grns of 2400 under it's 300 grn XTP, Lyman shows 17.5, but other manuals show your 18 grains as alright. I assume it will be stout. Remember, just cause it's a rifle don't make the action any stronger than a revolver. Also, Winchester doesn't make a magnum large pistol primer, but their LP primers are good for both standard and magnum loads.

Altho I usually pick a bullet and then develop a load for it, I still compare it to others before settling on it for hunting purposes. Lil' Gun works well with heavy bullets in magnum pistol cartridges too.

[flipajig]

This is what ive worked up and its working in my M94 winchester in 44mag. Nosler 240 grn HP 20 grn of 2400 CCI LP primer COL of 1.610. My best groop at 100 yds is right at 3/4 '' on a avrage i shoot around 2in at 100 yards with this combo.I also have a contender with a super 14 barrel and a super blackhawk in 44mag also. Im working up some cast bullets for them to hunt with this year for deer and hogs.

[loadedround]

It appears to be a good load, but for safety's sake, drop it down to 16.8 or 17.0 gr and work back up to your 18 gr watching for pressure signs and extraction/ejection problems. Last thing you want to happen is a jammed rifle and facing a mad wounded hog. Good hunting. :)

[dullh]

loadedround,

Good advice. I wouldn't want to get off a shot only to need a second shot and the case bloated and stuck! I'll start lower and work up...I'll stop short of flattened primers, extractor impressions, stuck action, etc.

[rcmodel]

The following load is over most current published MAX!

I'm shooting 18.5 grains 2400 under a 300 grain Nosler in my Marlin 1894P.
Speer #13 lists 19.0 max with thier 300 grain bullet.

No pressure signs at all, and it really thumps a block of hedge stovewood or steel gongs.

I have no doubt at all it would work well on any hog alive.

rc

[41 Mag]

Can't say how it would shoot from a rifle, but my normal load uses the Remington 240gr SJHP over 22.5grs of W-296. Shoots very well and haven't had any hit with them run off.

[loadedround]

Dullh:
Good luck on that hog hunt. Wish I lived closer, would be looking for an invite to that pig roast. :D

[MovedWest]

I'm shooting 18.5 grains 2400 under a 300 grain Nosler in my Marlin 1894P.
Speer #13 lists 19.0 max with thier 300 grain bullet.

No pressure signs at all, and it really thumps a block of hedge stovewood or steel gongs.

I have no doubt at all it would work well on any hog alive.

rc

Sorry for chiming in so late on this one, but according to all my books this is wickedly hot for a 44 mag. RC, I know you've got a lot of experience in reloading and I don't doubt your data, but is this for a lead bullet or a JHP?

My Hornady manual lists 17.2gr of 2400 as an absolute max under their 300gr XTP's, and that's only for the Thompson Contender (sure it would be fine in a Ruger SBH, too). Cross referencing my Lee manual I noticed that they list 18.5gr of 2400 for a lead 300gr bullet. That made me remember that you shoot a lot of lead rounds.

Is this load you specified for a lead bullet or a jacketed bullet?

Thanks as always.

-MW

[rcmodel]

As noted, it is the 300 grain Nosler, which is a Jacketed bullet.

Alliant, who makes 2400 powder, lists 19.0 grains 2400 with a 300 Speer Unicore jacketed bullet.
Speer lists the same load.

Hornady is notorious for being a little light in some of the load data it publishes.

The 18.5 grain load I am using is giving no signs of pressure in my rifle, and was worked up to carefully, stopping 0.5 grain below the listed data I have.

rc

[MovedWest]

I knew you knew what you were talking about. :) I was just hoping to see how you arrived at that load. Amazing how two companies as notable for consistency as these two can differ in their load data for essentially the same round.

I always thought something was wrong with the Hornady load data for the 300gr XTP. The 240gr XTP factory loads seem to be pretty snappy on the recoil, but the factory 300gr XTP's are very mild. When I loaded the 15.9gr rounds myself they seemed to be on par with the milder factory loads. I wanted more, but didn't want to blow myself up in the process. Alliant is the only one I know of (now) that lists a charge that heavy.

Just out of curiosity, how does this 300gr round perform in a revolver? How accurate is it?

dullh - apologies for hijacking your thread.

-MW

[rcmodel]

how does this 300gr round perform in a revolver?Don't know.
My .44 revolvers are .44 Specials.

rc

[MovedWest]

I hate to say it, but I tried the 300gr XTP with a 16.0gr load of 2400 and I got a square primer. Not flattened, but squared. That told me that I hit max pressure with that load and I'm too timid to move forward in the progression. FWIW I saw the result with a CCI350 LPM primer.

I haven't tried it with a standard LP primer.

-MW

[Remo-99]

I got a square primer. Not flattened, but squared. That told me that I hit max pressure with that load

Magnum cartridges with normal working pressures can 'flatten' out pistol primers quite a bit, hard extraction or breechface impressions left on the headstamp are other indicators that pressures are too high.

[qajaq59]

You wont need a hot load to kill a hog. If you put that .44 in, or just behind, his ear he'll go down like you dropped a house on him. Have fun!!!

[Marlin 45 carbine]

interesting post and I'm sure the hot .44 will do the job.
I shot one with my Ruger Old Army loaded to max charge, a dry sow a little over 300 lbs. the scale we had was a 300lb and it barely bottomed it out. I took the shot when the sow was moveing in a sort of trot from a ground blind and was broadside to me about 30' away. too far back and a little high but drilled both lung tips. had to track it about 1/4 mile over patches of snow and frozen ground and it was still blowing blood when we found it and another one in the head to finish it. upon dressing it out found the Lee mold conical slug stuck in a far side rib.
my nephew was in the blind w/me carrying his H&R 20ga Mag loaded 3" #2 buckshot but the hog turned and ran so fast neither of us could get off another shot.
I killed another much smaller one a month or so earlier with a C&B revolver DRT but I think I'll henceforth stick with a long gun.

[tango2echo]

I've put about 70 hogs down with a 6"bbl GP-100 in .357 out to 80 yards (and as close as 8ft). All of the loads listed above will kill, fold, spindle, and mutilate a big hog. Any standard 240gr .44 mag load will kill a big hog with proper shot placement.

With that being said, your load should work fine, and will be on the hot side. I really like the 240gr XTP in the .44mag.

T2E

[Seafarer12]

I use to put hogs down with a 22 mag FMJ. Any 44 mag should do the job. Personally I would go with a 240 grain soft point myself.

[tggdeer]

I do a lot of hog hunting. It is, one of the best tasting wild game meats there is. I have killed many many many of them. I think your load is fine , if your going to use a 44 mag.. The 44 mag. will be fine, maybe 95 percent of the time, but, I would not want to be there in that other five percent when it is not. I would use a little bigger gun, and not worry about the load.There will be times when a well placed shot,no matter what the caliber, is not good enough.There will be more of these times with smaller guns.Don't forget,wild hogs are in the dangerouse game class for a reason.

[Walkalong]

.270 Grain Gold Dots. Never shot a hog with them, but they work extremely well on deer. At least from a rifle anyway.

In a Red Box for a reason. Start low and work up. :scrutiny: