44 mag. Heavy Hitters ???

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Keyfer 55

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44 Rem.Mag. 320 gr. OR 300 gr. I have read that the 300 gr. Is the optimal weight for the 44. An artical by J,D jones. He prefers the hard cast 320 gr. bullet for large game. Is there really a need for bullets that heavy??
 
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I did some heavy for caliber stuff for a bit; 230gr .38's and .357's for instance and looked at heavy .44's but (for me) it didn't seem to make a lot of sense unless you have a rather unique situation.

Been stung in the past with odd bullets not being available again (not much is now I know) which scared me away from it a bit and that fact that I don't have a use case for the heavies. If I want heavier than a .357, I'll go 41 or 44. If I need heavier than a 44 I'll go .454.

Not saying its a bad idea but for me I tend to stick with the classic weights for a caliber as I can get them more readily, load data as well, and I'm not sold on the extra weight doing anything for me. That said, I'm not handgun hunting big nor dangerous game now. White tails or a hog is about all on my current routine list.
 
44 Rem.Mag. 320 gr. OR 300 gr. I have read that the 300 gr. I the optimal weight for the 44. An artical by J,D jones. He prefers the 320 gr. hard cast bullet for large game. Is there really a need for bullets that heavy??

Is there a need for bullets as heavy as 300gr or 320gr in .44 Magnum? I think that depends on what you want it to do.

So what do you want your .44 mag to do?
 
Buffalo bore has a 340 gr. I seen a 400 gr. On youtube . With limited case compacticy when
dose momentum suffer from excessive weight.
 
Is there a need for bullets as heavy as 300gr or 320gr in .44 Magnum? I think that depends on what you want it to do.

So what do you want your .44 mag to do?

I used to carry a 44 mag in Alaska when it wasn't convenient to carry a pump shotgun. BTW, a handgun of any description is NOT my first choice in grizzly country, trust me. My go to load is a hard cast 320 gr bullet loaded hotter than a fire cracker, no, it wasn't a fun plinking load.
 
I used to carry a 44 mag in Alaska when it wasn't convenient to carry a pump shotgun. BTW, a handgun of any description is NOT my first choice in grizzly country, trust me. My go to load is a hard cast 320 gr bullet loaded hotter than a fire cracker, no, it wasn't a fun plinking load.
What powder did you use?? I hog hunt a lot with 240 xtp H110/296 , I want to test some heavy cast cast bullets!!
 
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I used to carry a 44 mag in Alaska when it wasn't convenient to carry a pump shotgun. BTW, a handgun of any description is NOT my first choice in grizzly country, trust me. My go to load is a hard cast 320 gr bullet loaded hotter than a fire cracker, no, it wasn't a fun plinking load.

Understandable that you'd want a heavy load for brown bears. I stick to loading 300-310gr at 1200-1250fps usually.
 
I used to carry a 44 mag in Alaska when it wasn't convenient to carry a pump shotgun. BTW, a handgun of any description is NOT my first choice in grizzly country, trust me. My go to load is a hard cast 320 gr bullet loaded hotter than a fire cracker, no, it wasn't a fun plinking load.

I did much the same when I lived in AK, especially up river where the big bears lived (900+ lb was pretty common for the coastal browns on the cams), .44 on me with a 12 gauge or better in the boat.

I used the 310 grain Garret Hammerheads, shot around 1300-1350 out of my 4" Redhawk.

Still have half a box somewhere in the ammo cabinet, dumped the .44 once I moved to the lower 48. Hot .357 does all I need down here now.

But fun plinking load those were not! Not the worst, but not fun.
 
I don't know when the article you read was penned but I imagine it's been a couple decades. Not only has bullet technology improved but we know more about what they do. A 300gr is not really all that heavy and a 320gr is getting there. There is no single, optimal weight without regards for application. How heavy a bullet is necessary typically depends on how big the critter you want to shoot with it is. For deer sized critters and your average wild hogs, something around 250gr is usually sufficient. For elk you might want a 300gr. Truth be told, the big bore revolver cartridges do their best work with heavier bullets. Not the "standard" weights they came up with 70yrs ago. Larry Kelly and JD Jones found this out in the `80's with 300-320gr SSK designs. In the years since, bullets have gotten heavier and the LBT designs have proven much more effective than the old SSK truncated cone designs. I did a fairly extensive penetration test for a handgun hunting book a few years ago and found that the .44Mag gained penetration right up to and including the 355gr WLN from Beartooth. Then I killed an 1800lb Texas longhorn with them. A year later I tested more bullets on two water buffalo. As the game grows in size, so must your bullets.

Next round of penetration tests I'll try the 400gr variety out of both the .44Mag and .45Colt. Though I really think they peak in performance around 355/360gr.

IMG_066613.jpg
 
I don't know when the article you read was penned but I imagine it's been a couple decades. Not only has bullet technology improved but we know more about what they do. A 300gr is not really all that heavy and a 320gr is getting there. There is no single, optimal weight without regards for application. How heavy a bullet is necessary typically depends on how big the critter you want to shoot with it is. For deer sized critters and your average wild hogs, something around 250gr is usually sufficient. For elk you might want a 300gr. Truth be told, the big bore revolver cartridges do their best work with heavier bullets. Not the "standard" weights they came up with 70yrs ago. Larry Kelly and JD Jones found this out in the `80's with 300-320gr SSK designs. In the years since, bullets have gotten heavier and the LBT designs have proven much more effective than the old SSK truncated cone designs. I did a fairly extensive penetration test for a handgun hunting book a few years ago and found that the .44Mag gained penetration right up to and including the 355gr WLN from Beartooth. Then I killed an 1800lb Texas longhorn with them. A year later I tested more bullets on two water buffalo. As the game grows in size, so must your bullets.

Next round of penetration tests I'll try the 400gr variety out of both the .44Mag and .45Colt. Though I really think they peak in performance around 355/360gr.

View attachment 975207
Back in the 90s. I've always liked a 44 mag.
 
I've been doing little research jD Jones's, ssk. He pointed out that 320 gr. Was the optimal weight and shape for maximum
penetration from a (pistol )with w296 power
at the time1990s. From a rifle a (Marlin) at the time a 300 gr. Had more momentum than a 320-350 gr. Due to case complicity.
The 300 was able to have more ft.lbs. due
to higher velocitys obtained from a longer barrel. It really wasn't a lot. So from a pistol
320-350 will increase efficiency in a short
barrel , the ssk design for deep a wound.
 
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I grew up reading JD Jones and have the utmost respect for him. In fact I just got a 6.5JDJ barrel for my Contender because of him but that information is outdated. Also bear in mind that he did most of his hunting with single shots. Today, I wouldn't mess with any of the SSK cast bullet designs. LBT's and specifically WFN's and WLN's are just better bullets. In the Super Redhawk I've driven the 330gr LFN to 1450fps. It's a better bullet than any of the SSK's and the 355gr WLN is better still. Using the lower crimp groove of the Beartooth 330gr, 355gr and 405gr bullets, you maximize case capacity and the need to use a 1.4" case is eliminated.
 
I've got s&w 8 inch barrel h110 and 300gr xtp 1375 fps .tc encore 12 incn barrel
H110 xtp 300 gr 1480 fps. I like the xtp for hogs.
 
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Like CraigC said above, current wisdom is that the larger the game, the larger the bullet. For deer and hogs, I’ve settled on a 250gr cast bullet for most chores, but I won’t turn my nose up at a well constructed jacketed 240gr bullet. I’ve shot some of the SSK 320 grain bullets before. Wasn’t so impressed that I stopped shooting all other bullet weights.

The 44 is a great, well balanced round. It’s like the F150 of the revolver world. Hard to go wrong. Decide on your game, pick you platform, and go forth and shoot stuff.
 
44 Rem.Mag. 320 gr. OR 300 gr. I have read that the 300 gr. Is the optimal weight for the 44. An artical by J,D jones. He prefers the hard cast 320 gr. bullet for large game. Is there really a need for bullets that heavy??

Difference between need and preference.

I hog hunt a lot with 240 xtp H110/296

How is your experience with this combo on the hogs you hunt? How accurate is this combo in the guns you use to hunt hogs? This is where I am at when it comes to bullet weight/style in my handgun caliber bullets. In .44, I hunt with a P.C. 629 "Magnum Hunter" and a Ruger 77/44 carbine. Have tried bullet weights from 240 to 300 gr on deer. Best accuracy in both came from the 240s, especially once you got past 75 yards or so. While the 270s and 300s shot well from the revolver, the 77/44 did not seem to like the 300s. After shooting similar size deer with the 240s and 270s from the carbine, I saw no real advantage to using the harder to get and more expensive 270s over 240s. Same from the revolver. Have always had pass-thrus from both on shoulder shot deer. This year my grand-daughter shot her first deer with the little carbine using slightly lesser recoil loads and got a complete pas-thru at 80 yards on an angling away deer. Bullet entered the ribcage behind the right shoulder and exited the left shoulder thru the scapula. 240 gr Nosler SP over 23.5 gr of H110/W296. I watched the deer shudder when she hit it. It walked up the hill for about five steps or so like nuttin' happened before it fell over.

So much of bullet choice is personal preference. I am a firm believer in the old adage, if it ain't broke, it don't need to be fixed. I also shoot my .44s pretty heavily during the off season to keep up my skills and just for fun. Using the same bullets/loads for this is not only economical, but also keeps me from changing my sights. Now, if I was going to hunt game larger than deer, I would seriously consider something heavier and something that would hold together better. I would also load stouter than I do for deer. But as of now, I don't need to. It was fun and eye opening to experiment with different bullets and different loads. I suggest you do the same, even if like me, you go back to what you have been using. Knowing for sure what you are using works best for you, is reassuring and builds confidence. Confidence in your equipment is important when hunting. But what works best for you may not work worth a dang for someone else......but the reverse is also true. Just because someone touts their load as the best, it may not shoot worth a dang from your gun. What is an important as weight when it comes to bullets is construction and design. New lead-free monolithic bullets are a whole different animal. Using the appropriate bullet for the application is as important as weight.
 
I like my 240 Gr LSWC (hard) over a case full of 2400, thats the most ill do out of a M29. Hits hard enough to kill anything id ever need it for. Dont remember the chrono results, but its around 1375 out of my 8" barrel. Its not quite as much as a full house WW296 load, but the 2400 load doesnt cinch my eyebrows off either.
I mostly shoot full house stuff out of my Dan Wesson, soaks up recoil very nice.

If I had to pack for more than Deer, Black Bear, or Hog hunting, aka. Protection against Grizz, Id use something else.
 
I work part time with a peanut farm on weekends. I kill several pigs and hogs with my t/c 12" 44 mag I preferred the 240 gr over the
300 gr. The 240 gr makes a nice hole the 300
gr. Just passes through with a quarter sized exit.
 
I work part time with a peanut farm on weekends. I kill several pigs and hogs with my t/c 12" 44 mag I preferred the 240 gr over the
300 gr. The 240 gr makes a nice hole the 300
gr. Just passes through with a quarter sized exit.

One of my college roommates worked a peanut farm and they had an animal damage permit. He shot deer and pigs all year with a 22-250. One shot stopper, even on the big pigs, but then again he tried to head shoot them. Hunting presents different situations and you don’t always get to pick your shots.
 
One of my college roommates worked a peanut farm and they had an animal damage permit. He shot deer and pigs all year with a 22-250. One shot stopper, even on the big pigs, but then again he tried to head shoot them. Hunting presents different situations and you don’t always get to pick your shots.
They have a permit. I work days, they hunt at
night with thermo scopes.
 
I always thought this topic was interesting. I guess the long and short of it is that it depends on what you're hunting. For BIG game sure I'd use 300gr+, for deer and such, no. But how much advantage will a 320gr give over a 300gr? I'd be more concerned about how wide the meplat is, definitely preferring wider ones. At that point, you'd have to do a lot of testing to see if one is the clear winner and I have no doubt that heavier will penetrate further but also, just how deep does it need to go? Again it depends on game and I'm of the belief that if you're talking about the biggest of BIG game then you might be better off picking up a 475 or 500, that way you get more weight and more diameter.
 
The key to deciding which bullet to use in a .44 magnum is really dictated by how much penetration you need to disrupt the vitals from what ever angle of the shot you decide to take. In my early years I thought I wanted max velocity and expansion from my .44 Mag so I loaded up 200 grain Speer JHP's to 1500 fps or so..The first deer I shot with this load was a small whitetail buck. The shot was in the neck just ahead of the shoulders. The little deer dropped but when I examined the wound the bullet blew up after about 3 inches of penetration and did NOT even penetrate his skinny little neck! I next tried the Serria 210 JHP and penetration was much better with the bullet rolled up under the skin of the off side on broad side shots. I was still not satisfied and then loaded up max loads with the Hornady XTP 240 grain. The penetration was just about equal to the Serria 210...few of my shots completely penetrated the deer. Now they were all dead as door knobs but I was still not statisfied. Finally I got around to loading up some 250 grain Keith style hard cast SWC's with a big wide meplat to about 1400 fps....They did NOT expand and would shoot clean through a deer at ANY angle I chose! And they killed the deer just as fast and the JHP's bullets. I will probably never go back to expanding bullets in a handgun larger than .44 caliber...To kill reliably a handgun bullet has to reach the animal's vital organs...how big that animal and what shots the hunter decides to take or decline will determine the type of bullet, weight and power...
 
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