Here is an account of a fellow I know up in Alaska. He used a 44-40, his two friends used a 458 Win Mag and a 375 H&H. The events occurred last fall. Here is what he wrote to me:
I pumped three shots into this average 55" Alaskan bull at about 50 yards. The first two
bullets were into the chest behind the front leg and the latter a little further back. He was in very thick cover. I could only see the tops of his palms at first but waited until he turned broadside to walk away before firing through a narrow opening. He didn't take two steps after the initial hit.
I found two out of the three slugs. One was just under the off hide and the other about an inch from it. the original cast bullets weighed 210gr. The recovered bullets were 203 and 206 grains.
My two friends used more modern calibers: 375 H&H magnum and 458 Winchester magnum of all things. The 44 WCF dropped and killed my bull faster than either of theirs shot in a similar fashion and distance. I found that to be of interest.
"My cousin's cousin from Missouri used the Win 458 mag. He shot his bull at about 50 yards. It hit the deck pronto. But he had to give it two finishers, one with another 510 gr. 458 and the final with a 300 gr. JSP from his 44 mag.
My other friend used the 375 H&H mag with 200-something gr. Barnes X bullets. The first shot through the chest and into the far shoulder sent it running through the brush for about 80-100 yds. He chased it like a Banshee and shot it twice more to seal the deal. A fourth round didn't connect. We recovered all three of the properly aimed projectiles.
None of the big boomers killed the moose in these instances any better than the humble 44 WCF. My hunting partners are accustomed to my desire to use more traditional cartridges on my annual moose hunt. I haven't used a scoped rifle since 1987. With an exception of an O/U Browning rifle in 270 Win, I have exclusively taken my bulls with revolvers or vintage Winchester lever guns."
Here is yet another example of an anecdotal account leading the reader to a faulty conclusion; specifically that a subsonic pistol cartridge can kill big game faster and more humanely than two of the most successful big game rifle cartridges ever to come down the pike. Things happen for a reason, and if the .44-40 worked, in that instance, apparently better than either the .375 or the .458, there is a reason for it, despite what appears to be a disconnect with logic.
According to the account, there is little fault to be found with the .458's performance, the moose went down to a single shot, and was unable to get back on his feet, as was seemingly proper under the circumstances. Had he been left, he would have bled out in due course, but it was felt that under the circumstances a finishing shot was humane and prudent, but the bullet didn't follow a tract that would immediately kill the critter. This was subsequently accomplished with the .44 belt gun. Just firing blindly into a downed animal without consideration of what, if anything, your bullet might hit, will not produce the desired effect, and it doesn't much matter what you use.
The .375 was loaded with an X bullet, which suggests a bullet made prior to the introduction of the TSXs, and probably in the popular 270 gr weight. The earlier Xs in .375 caliber had some problems, as they were designed to expand only when impacting on very dense targets like African buffalo, which was the perceived purpose of that particular bullet. As a result these bullets developed a reputation for inconsistent, expansion and performance on lighter North American game, even moose. Consider that the 270 gr X has a pointed profile, so without some moderate upset it would not produce the wound volume necessary to quickly incapacitate an animal as big as a moose. Although he says that the 3 bullets were recovered, he doesn't comment on their condition. When a bullet fails to perform in the way it was designed to, the big game animal wounded by it can travel a long way if pushed by an eager hunter. No disrespect is intended here toward the hunter armed with the .375, my preference is to follow up immediately after a shot as well. In the end though, this moose travelled but a short distance before it piled up.
In the final tally, each moose was shot 3 times, including the one shot with the .44-40!
In dense bush where the range is short, the .44-40 can certainly put meat in the freezer, but had the hunt been made on the tundra, or along a lake shore, where the range could extend well beyond 100 yards, the .44-40 hunter could have been left with little more than track soup.
I don't believe it.
