Nightcrawler
Member
That means 100 percent energy transfer.
I suppose, but if the 180 grain load keeps on going, that means it has more energy. It may very well have transferred more into the target (than the .357) as well, and, depending on bullet construction, needn't overpenetrate either. Besides, depending on the scenario, I don't know if giving the target a big messy exit wound to bleed out of counts as "wasted energy".
That's the reason the British loaded their old .455 Webley rounds to less than 700 feet per second, though. The theory was the slow bullet wouldn't overpenetrate and would thusly "transfer" all of its energy.
In any case, the .44 slug will make a bigger hole. A high velocity expanding round makes a bigger "splash" in the target in the same way that thowing a flat rock into a puddle makes a splash (it's not a perfect metaphor as tissue is rather elastic, but bear with me). There's no reason to assume that a properly designed .44 load couldn't transfer more energy than the .357, even if it does overpenetrate. (If not, why bother with .357 at all, when there are 9x19 loads that will expand and stop inside the body?) You've got more momentum, also, which may or may not mean anything. (If it doesn't, though, why on earth do people keep bothering with 230 grain .45ACP loads?)
Personally, I think 1,400 would be a bit on the high side for the 180 grain load I'm imagining. I was just throwing that out there for comparison. I think 1,300 would be nice, which is down into the .357 Magnum's performance envelope. But the .44 bullet of that weight will have poorer sectional density and it'll be thusly a bit easier to make sure it doesn't overpenetrate, given modern bullet design. And, of course, it'd create a bigger wound.