what 44mag hunting lead bullet?

[Axis II]

Im looking to shoot a little cheaper but don't want to switch powder, bullet, die settings, etc going from coated lead to say an xtp bullet. I was on Missouri bullet company's site and see a lot of 240gr bullets and im not real sure what would be my best bang for a h&r handi rifle for shooting whitetail deer and paper. right now im running IMR 4227 with 240gr XTP.

any advice?

 

[Walkalong]

http://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=241&category=20&secondary=12&keywords=


or

http://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=461&category=20&secondary=12&keywords=

 

[Axis II]

http://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=210&category=5&secondary=14&keywords=
View attachment 625649

or

http://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=463&category=5&secondary=14&keywords=
View attachment 625650

I noticed these are a larger diameter then the 44mag .429-430. did you link the right ones?

 

[Bull Nutria]

I hunted with a 44mag handi rifle for several years with handloads. that Hornady rubber tipped bullet in FTX 265g was my most accurate. I tried the 225 g FYX and all manner of cast bullets and several different powders. I even had some slightly over bore size cast bullets. best groups were with those 265 g. I used 2400. I really don't recommend hunting with cast bullets. they will work and are cheap. However those Hornady flex tips are very lethal, I shot several deer with those bullets.

the 44 mag has a rainbow trajectory and I never could really get much better than 2-3 inch groups at 100yds. Your rifle may shoot better. I upgraded to a TC Prohunter in 35 Whelan. way better groups and very consistent. Only problem is the TC cost twice what the handi rifle cost. I had fun developing loads for the handi rifle but prefer the TC.
Good luck with your 44mag!

Bull

 

[Walkalong]

I noticed these are a larger diameter then the 44mag .429-430. did you link the right ones?

lol, my reading skills are lacking this morning.

Fixed it.

 

[mdi]

FWIW, SAAMI specs. for 44 Magnum rifle barrel groove diameter is .431", while hand gun groove diameter is .429". Dunno why the difference, but it would be a god idea to slug the barrel of your rifle so you know the exact measurements of your rifle.

I use nekkid lead in most of my 44 Mag loads and Ranch Dog's design 240 and 265 gr. LRNFP "hunting bullets" are very accurate in all my 44s and I would not hesitate to hunt deer/pigs with a RD 240 in my 20" Puma...

 

[Varminterror]

Oregon Trail Laser Cast and Cast Performance are what I buy the most for 44mag. I've loaded thousands of Meister bullets in 38 & 357mags, so I'd be willing to give them a run in 44mag as well.

The downside - hard cast lead bullets suitable for hunting aren't any cheaper than Hornady FTX or XTP bullets, and for deer, a guy doesn't gain advantage from less expansion and deeper penetration which comes with hard cast bullets. They work, but I'd argue they don't work better than the Hornady jacketed bullets for deer. If you're talking about the cheaper lead bullets, I've gotten good accuracy with middle-of-the-road loads with the Speer bullets, but I've not been impressed by their performance on game.

 

[Axis II]

I hunted with a 44mag handi rifle for several years with handloads. that Hornady rubber tipped bullet in FTX 265g was my most accurate. I tried the 225 g FYX and all manner of cast bullets and several different powders. I even had some slightly over bore size cast bullets. best groups were with those 265 g. I used 2400. I really don't recommend hunting with cast bullets. they will work and are cheap. However those Hornady flex tips are very lethal, I shot several deer with those bullets.

the 44 mag has a rainbow trajectory and I never could really get much better than 2-3 inch groups at 100yds. Your rifle may shoot better. I upgraded to a TC Prohunter in 35 Whelan. way better groups and very consistent. Only problem is the TC cost twice what the handi rifle cost. I had fun developing loads for the handi rifle but prefer the TC.
Good luck with your 44mag!

Bull

I have a dedicated reloading shop by me and the guy who runs it said he hears bad things about the FTX/rubber tip Hornady bullets either not expanding or fragging so i stayed away from them in both 44 and 45-70 and went HP. I will give them a shot though because i usually shoot through the ribs and not shoulders.

 

[mdi]

Just found this in a thread a bit lower in the forum; a wide meplat bullet " creates disprortionate to calibre wounding". I'll stick to large meplat bullets for my hunting rounds.

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/The+Effects+Of+The+Meplat+On+Terminal+Ballistics.html

 

[ArchAngelCD]

For practice those coated bullets from Missouri Bullets are good choices.

For hunting the bullets used in Grizzly Cartridges from their sister company Cast Performance would be my choice. They cost more but how many do you really use while hunting?

It is very common for cast bullets to have a diameter that is .001" to .002" wider than jacketed bullets for the same cartridge. Along with the numbers you see for the .44 Magnum, in the 38/357 jacketed bullets are .357" and cast are generally .358". In the 9mm jacketed are .355" and cast @.356".

 

[Axis II]

For practice those coated bullets from Missouri Bullets are good choices.

For hunting the bullets used in Grizzly Cartridges from their sister company Cast Performance would be my choice. They cost more but how many do you really use while hunting?

It is very common for cast bullets to have a diameter that is .001" to .002" wider than jacketed bullets for the same cartridge. Along with the numbers you see for the .44 Magnum, in the 38/357 jacketed bullets are .357" and cast are generally .358". In the 9mm jacketed are .355" and cast @.356".

thanks, just looking for something a little cheaper. hours at work are cut so no more "fun" money. When i started with 44mag a year or two ago XTP bullets were under $25 not they are almost $30 locally. just picked up 50 300gr JHP for the 45-70 and they are $25-50 so i said i have to do something even if its hunt with a jacketed bullet and practice with lead.

 

[brewer12345]

I had no problem busting pigs with ftx bullets in 35 rem, so the same for deer in 44 should.work fine.

I would hazard a guess that any 44 bullet with a wide meplat and good accuracy would do fine on whitetails. A big hole going in and another one going out are all you really need. They are not armor plated.

 

[Walkalong]

any 44 bullet with a wide meplat and good accuracy would do fine on whitetails. A big hole going in and another one going out are all you really need. They are not armor plated.

Yep.

 

[Sunray]

When going from coated lead to say an XTP bullet you need to work up the load again. An XTP is a jacketed bullet. A 'coated' bullet is not.
Hodgdon shows the same loads for a jacketed 240 grain .44 in both rifle and handgun. Different velocities due to the barrel lengths of course. No cast data tested in a rifle though. Mind you, there's no reason not to use the hand gun data for your rifle.
Best to practice with the ammo you intend hunting with though. And use the coated bullets for shooting because it's fun. Or varmint hunting. Nothing beats that for practice for deer season.

 

[Tinybob]

If you do try the FTX bullets make sure to look up the trim to length and COAL for that perticular bullet. They are shorter than standard 44mag measurements, due to the design of the bullet.

Hornady 10th edition says:
Trim to length: 1.255"
COAL: 1.645"
225gr FTX

The rifle data dose not include IMR4227, but it is in the hand gun data.

IMR4227 start:18.9gr, max:20.5gr

Lil' gun has the biggest spread of charges with this bullet.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

240 gr coated MBC Elmer K's would be my choice.