A friend of mine has a Ruger .44 Carbine that he is taking Deer Hunting. We did some shooting yesterday and found the .240 grain bullets shot the best. The problem is the .240's he has are solid lead/cast? Can any one recomend some factory ammo that would be good for deer hunting? On a side note it's a neat little gun. Why did they stop making them?
Ruger .44 ammo
- Thread starter HOSSONE
- Start date
Remington and Winchester both have a 240 grain soft point load.
The owners manual will tell you not to shoot cast bullets in the Ruger Carbine they tend to foul the gas system from what I have read, never tried it myself but they are a pain to clean.
I hand load and my carbine seems to like 240 JSP bullets and good dose of H110 which gives about 2" at 100 yards, great brush gun for sure.
Dan
The owners manual will tell you not to shoot cast bullets in the Ruger Carbine they tend to foul the gas system from what I have read, never tried it myself but they are a pain to clean.
I hand load and my carbine seems to like 240 JSP bullets and good dose of H110 which gives about 2" at 100 yards, great brush gun for sure.
Dan
I am currently using PMC 240gr TCSP ammo in my Ruger 44 Carbine. Works like a charm on deer up to 100 yards, haven't tried it any farther but I am sure it would drop them up to 150. Very accurate little rifle with almost no recoil!
Haven't used the FTX but they appear designed to work at the higher .44 rifle velocities.
I originally reloaded 240 Hornady XTPs but they separated on close range deer (under 20 yards) so I switched to JSP bullets and they have held together.
I figure penetration is preferable to expansion for a .429" diameter bullet.
Dan
I originally reloaded 240 Hornady XTPs but they separated on close range deer (under 20 yards) so I switched to JSP bullets and they have held together.
I figure penetration is preferable to expansion for a .429" diameter bullet.
Dan
I don't know anything about cast bullets and hunting. I thought they were more for target shooting?I believe they would take a deer down just curious if there I'd a better option?
A good JSP will probably be an improvement over cast, but not a huge amount. When the bullet is already cutting a near 1/2" hole, expansion is less of an issue. The Keith SWC has a big meplat and causes lots of damage and leaves a big, clean hole behind for a blood trail. I wouldn't hesitate to hunt with it myself if they perform well in the gun being used.
Mark
