.44 Magnum Deer Load - Which bullet?

PoFF

PoFF

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I'm getting ready for this year's deer season (already!), and this year, I want to ditch the scoped bolt action to try something more challenging, iron sights lever rifle.

My Win94 is chambered for .44Magnum, and I want to develop a good load for medium-to-short range hunting (50 yards). Now, I know that I'll be using H4227 powder (powerful enough, without the noise and flash of H110), and as bullet, I'll use Hornady XTP hollowpoints, which gave me good results in other calibers. BUT, I'm wondering if I should use 240 grains or 300 grains? I've loaded for those to weights and both are accurate at the range I'm looking for, but which will deal the most damage to the deer?

Thanks for any advice.
 
At the ranges you'll be shooting (100 yds or less), I'd go heavy as possible, i.e. 300gr. No big difference in trajectory compared to the 240gr, but a bit more penetration when it hits something

In my handgun, I use 20.0 gr of H4227 (almost a full case) under the Lee 305gr cast flat nose and get about 1300 fps out of the 8 1/2" barrel. You'd do a bit better in your rifle. That's as slow a powder as you can use in the 44 Mag and still get maximum velocity and I like that. The slower the powder for a given velocity generally means lower peak pressure, which is easier on the gun.
 
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Take both bullets and do some penetration tests. All the specs in the world don't mean spit until the bullet hits something. Bullets all act differently in the real world.

I would stack up some phone books and put water filled milk jugs behind that stack. Launch a few bullets and see what happens. Then you will need to decide on the type of impact/expansion/penetration that best suit your hunting style.

You could repeat that test with a piece of 1" or 2" lumber infront of the jugs instead. 3/4" plywood is also a tough medium to go through.

I am trying to simulate having that bullet hit a bone before entering the boiler room. XTP's are all built to different specs for different end uses/cartridges. Don't just judge them by weight alone.

When working on my 45LC, that simple test showed me how wrong one of my bullets was. A simple change and I now have a load that I can trust. I found H110 to be superb.

Jerry
 
Bullet: Sierra 240 Grain Jacketed Hollow Cavity
Powder: 25.8 grains of Hodgdon H-110
Primer: CCI-350
Case: Remington
Firearm: Ruger .44 Carbine
Optics: Leupold 1x4
Velocity: 1919 FPS @ 15' from muzzle
Accuracy: 5-shots, 50-yards, <1-1/4"

I use this same load in my Super Blackhawk.

Both have taken white tail out to 115 yards with a single shot and no tracking.
 
I have loaded lots of 44mag ( for use in a SW629 ) for hunting when I lived in Michigan ( oddly enough lots of people hunt with a hangun because most of Mi its handgun or shotgun only...no rifle

Anyhooow , you can't go wrong with the 300Gr XTPs . I would be carefull with non premium ( Rem / Win bulk 240 JHP ) I have a couple in my bench that have the jackets completely separated in game !

I have had good luck with the Sierra SPs and Hornady XTPs

If you look in the Hornady catalog the 300gr XTP is rated for a HIGHER impact velocity ( usually a 300gr will be going slower than the 240 )To save you from looking it up the 240 max is about 1800fps , the 300 max is 1900fps This is because the 300grs have beefier jackets. BTW you should be able to get 1800fps easily in a carbine with a 240gr so you will be at the max end of what the XTP is designed for

This is why, as already suggested the Hornady 265Gr FP is the cats ass because it was designed for 444 Marlin velocities

Another great choice is the harder to find 250Gr Nosler partition , I use these for my 444 Marlin and they seem to hold up no problems so they won't be a problem in a 44Mag carbine

Swift makes a A-Frame 240 , 280 and 300Gr but I haven't shot anything with them so I can't comment

If you are worried about the XTP overexpanding go with the Nolsler Partition
 
I emailed Hornady a couple of years ago when I started to load for my Marlin. I was concerned because the specs that they showed were basically for handgun velocities. I got a reply within hours and they told me that the 240 XTP could handle any speed that a 20" barrel could throw it at.

I use them mostly because I can get them easily and they do the job out to 100 yds.
 
I use 300 gr. Hornady XTP bullets with sabots in my inline muzzleloader and according to the book that came with it, the load I used 120 gr Pyrodex RS, they are supposed to be going 1745 FPS at the muzzle. They worked great on many deer and even some out past 100 yards, they were the best bullet of many that a bunch of us tried over the years and that is all I would use now. You hit a deer in the vitals and all you hear is a smack and the deer goes down fast.
 
Loaded up 265 Hornady's and their 300gr xtp's in the Father in law's Ruger Deerfield. We found the 265's held together a bit better and seemed a bit more accurate. we didn't test alot of loads though. I believe the 265 Hornady was designed more for the 444 Marlin so it should easily stay together in your shorter 44.

Perhaps you could go one more step toward Old School and use cast lead, they are cheap like Borsch = more play time.

Noel
 
Noel said:
Perhaps you could go one more step toward Old School and use cast lead, they are cheap like Borsch = more play time.
Click to expand...

Hehe, I shouldn't need more than one shot... and if I did, I probably wouldn't admit it in public. :D

For plinking I prefer CMJs, easier to handle and quite cheap too.

Back on topic, how's the expansion on those 3 XTP bullets (240, 265 and 300) are they similar or will the lighter will overexpand and maybe fragment on impact due to the extra velocity? I like the idea of having a bullet that travels a bit faster because it will most likely generate higher impact energy than a heavier one at close range (if my number crunching is right), but the extra penetration of the 300 grains is tempting...

I am aware that the 240 grains is designed mostly for revolver use and using it in a 20" rifle might push it close to its limits, while the 300 grains is probably designed for rifle, hence the heavier jacket.
 
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lead is good

Cast bullets will do just fine,
240 gr Lyman silver star Cas bullet from my 16inch 94 at a spit overr 27 paces.
Velocity was just over 1200 fps. Nice 8 pointer was one shot front on. Not even so much as kick. Good and clean

My pard, 240 gr lee SWC cast from Wheel weights from his timberwolf, just over 1200 fps broad side on a beauty 9 pointer. just behind the shoulder.
clean down no tracking.
Cast bullets are cheaper, lets you shoot more and get good.

Shot Placement, Shot Placement, Shot Placement

Nothing like doing the deed with ammo you loaded and bullets you made?
Good Luck
 
Are you sure you can use a .44 mag for deer hunting, in Alberta if we get caught using anything in a handgun caliber we are charged and the fine is stiff.
 
No problems here AFAIK, as long as the caliber is 6mm or more, that's the only caliber limitation for deer in Quebec.
 
I have been shooting 300 gr xtp's from my trapper and have found their accuracy suffers after @75 yards.During a call to sierra I mentioned this and was told that this may be due in part because of the rifling twist being too slow to stabilize the long 300.The 240's shoot very nicely, but I wanted this gun to go in after shot black bears so all the grunt I could get was what I was after. Had I been aware there were such a thing as 265 gr bullets available before I bought 1500 300gr xtp's I would have bought those:rolleyes:
 
In Alberta there used to be a minimum length for hunting cartridges which excluded any handgun calibers for big game hunting. Over a year ago that rule was lifted because it also excluded all the new short magnum calibers, so you can hunt with 44 or 357 magnum in Alberta now.
 
Wise move if you ask me... I can't really see the point of forbidding handgun calibers for hunting except to prevent people from hunting with an handgun and carrying a rifle in the same caliber to cover them up.
 
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