The Magtech 240gr SP, kicked less that the 225 DPX, and the 225 FTX, but more that the 165 and 180 CorBon.
This load has less recoil than any of the other 240gr factory loads.

The 240gr Starfire was next in recoil.

The next 240gr loads, the Federal, the 2 Remington, and the Hornady were pretty thumpy in the 4" gun.
These loads kicked much harder than any of the above loads.
They will be IMHO too much for anykind of fast DA work without some serious practice.
Back in the day I usually used the rubber Pachymar grips that had part of the rubber covering the backstrap when I used these for Duty use. These grips make a big difference in hand comfort.

Both the Buffalo Bore 255 SWC, and my reload with 21 gr of 2400 kicked less than the last five 240gr loads. The BB load kicked more than my 2400 load, it seemed to be loaded with a faster powder, as it seemed to have more wack.

The recoil of the WW 250 Partition gold was up there with the above "hard kicking five" as I call the fed, RP and Hornady load.
The Fed Hydroshock was just a little less than them,but noit by much.

Now the following may be a suprise to some, but discovered it several years ago.

The Speer 270 load has a fair amount less "hand wack" than the hard kicking five. It is very noticeable in the 4".

Like wise the Black hills 300gr HP has a little less hand wack than the Speer 270.
The Federal 300gr Cast Core is in this same recoil class as well.

These heavier bulleted loads are also much more comfortable to shoot in the Airweight 329.

None of these loads kicked to hard for hunting in even the 4", or for bear protection IMHO.

But again the 6 1/2" revolver was much more comfortable to shoot with the same load vs the 4" gun.

Now you know why Dirty Harry carried a 6 1/2"er.

Where they hit:
I have removed the Glaser Safety Slugs from these results. The ones I have are pre CorBon, and have always shot pretty erratic.

First the 4":

Even at 15 yards there was a 6" difference in point of impact between the loads.

As expected the faster lighter bullets hit the lowest, with the slower heavier bullets hitting higher.

Since I only shot one round of each load [ well twice I thought I might have pulled a shot, so I refired that load], some might say there is not enough of a statistical data base to assume anything, and in a scientific sense you are correct, however for the most part the trend of certain loads to group together was present in both the the 4" and the 6.5".

Also results might vary with 2 different revolvers [I am going to repeat the test with 2 different 44's] and with a different shooter, as the recoil of the gun is a big factor in point of impact.

The lowest hitting rounds:
The CorBon 44 Special 165gr
Speer 200gr Old HP
RP 180SP
CorBon 180HP
Speer 200gr Short Barrel load
CorBon 165gr HP
These loads shot a very respectible group.

Above them, centered about 2" higher:
CorBon 225 DPX, Hornady 225FTX [touching]
RP 240SJHP
RP 240SP
Reload 21gr 2400
Fed 240gr HP
Fed 240 Hydra Shock HP
At the same height but @2" to the right 240 Hornady XTP, 250 WW Partition
With the exception of the last 2 the others shot a pretty good group.

Between the above loads, and the below loads:
Speer 44 Special 200gr HP Blaser and the
Reload 8,2gr Unique hit side by side.

About one inch higher in a very good group:
Magtech 240 SP
Starfire 240HP
Buffalo Bore 255 Cast
Speer 270 SP

The Black Hills 300gr hit a little over one inch higher still.

Now the 6.5":

Here also there was a 6" difference at 15 yards between the impact point of the different loads.

The longer barreled gun showed pretty much the same trend.

However it did not shoot the lighter bullet Magnum loads in as tight a group as the 4" gun, but it did group tighter, quite a bit actually with the heavier bullet loads.

The lowest hitting loads:
CorBon 44 Special 165 HP
CorBon 165 HP, CorBon 180 HP, touching.

A little over an inch higher:
RP 180 SP Speer old 200gr HP touching
Speer 200gr Short Barreled load

Here is where the 6 1/2" really shot a good group. All the following loads were well with in a 2"x2" square, 2 to 2.5" above the other loads.

CorBon 225DPX
Hornady 225FTX
Federal 240 HP
RP 240 SJHP
RP 240 SP
Hornady 240XTP
Reload 21gr 2400
Buffalo Bore 255 Cast
Speer 270 SP
WW 250 Partition.
Speer 44 Special 200gr HP Blaser
Reload 8.5gr Unique.

The Federal Hydroshock 240 HP shot one inch under them, while the Black Hills 300gr. HP, the Magtech 240 SP and the Starfire 240gr shot one inch higher than them.

When I was done with all of the above shooting I fired a 5 shot group with both revolvers with the 21gr of 2400 Reload.

The group with the Four inch was a little under 2", three almost touching with 2 that I flipped a little out.

With the 6 1/2" I shot a five shot group under one inch four shots touching.

I also did some plate shooting with the 8.5gr Unique load, and a little with magnums with both revolvers.

And little one hand shooting as well.

With Magnums, especially the 240gr bullets the 6 1/2" again demonstrated how much more plesant it is to shoot.

This is all excellent info which everyone appreciates, so keep a coming on it.

The Magtech is one of the few factory .44 rounds I've not tried (you don't know where it's made do you?). Nor the BB, I think because I was under the impression they don't have a 240.

Clint if I remember shot a "light special", whatever that was. I think that's what he said in "Magnum Force".

Oh, some time if you get the chance try a 29 in the 8 3/8" barrel. If you like the 6 1/2" you will love that one. It's a REAL sweet shooter.

Shack

Actually I do have an 8 3/8" 29.
I plan to get it out and shoot it to.

Magtech is loaded in Brazil. It has quite a bit less recoil than the big 4 240gr factory loads.

The Buffalo Bore 255gr cast load is a good one.

Actually the "Inspector" was supposed to say that he used special light loads....

But he made a mistake in his lines and said "light specials", and they left it in the movie.

Nice work! Thanks for posting it!

quote:

Originally posted by Shack:
This is all excellent info which everyone appreciates, so keep a coming on it.

The Magtech is one of the few factory .44 rounds I've not tried (you don't know where it's made do you?). Nor the BB, I think because I was under the impression they don't have a 240.

Clint if I remember shot a "light special", whatever that was. I think that's what he said in "Magnum Force".

Oh, some time if you get the chance try a 29 in the 8 3/8" barrel. If you like the 6 1/2" you will love that one. It's a REAL sweet shooter.

He was talking about is "qualifying" load was what I took from that line.

quote:

Originally posted by jwp475:

quote:

Originally posted by Shack:
This is all excellent info which everyone appreciates, so keep a coming on it.

The Magtech is one of the few factory .44 rounds I've not tried (you don't know where it's made do you?). Nor the BB, I think because I was under the impression they don't have a 240.

Clint if I remember shot a "light special", whatever that was. I think that's what he said in "Magnum Force".

Oh, some time if you get the chance try a 29 in the 8 3/8" barrel. If you like the 6 1/2" you will love that one. It's a REAL sweet shooter.

He was talking about is "qualifying" load was what I took from that line.

That is how I understood it as well.

When I want to play a round with a lot of target shooting we have a less expensive option locally, which is commercial re-loads. You may have a company in your area too that does that. You get a nice discount for returning your brass. They are 240 gr RN lead bullets however that over time produce some fouling. And they aren't high velocity. You might call them "cowboy magnums" and there're probably 1K or so fps. But useful for general range shooting or for weekend shoots at the farm. You could obviously take a deer too although I don't use them for that.

As to Clint, I read an interview with him many years ago in which he said, either he didn't own any guns or that he'd never owned a gun. I don't recall which. It was one of those type magazines you see in doctor office waiting rooms. I found that a little surprising.

Especially in view of something else I've heard. One of the .44 Auto Mags built for "Sudden Impact" recently changed hands in a private sale. It's the one they call "Clint Two". A well-known AM collector now has it. I think it went for $60K.

Anyway, "Clint One" was given to Eastwood, but nobody knows what became of it. If he no longer has it, then someone has themselves a REAL nice collector piece.

Oh, I'll throw this in just because it's interesting. The story is that during the movie he got put out with malfunctions and threw the gun in the lake and they had to send a diver down for it.

As to the Model 29, his "light special" or "special light" loads were obviously blanks...in real life maybe a custom handloaded 180 grain jhp?

Have any of you shot anything with the Remington 275gr Core Lokt Jacketed Hollow Point factory load?

I originally bought it for my Winchester Trapper 44 Mag carbine.

I just found 2 boxes of it I had mixed in with some other stuff.

Well on a sad note I had to shoot my 4" 44 Mag today. I had to put my big male Llama down.

He was my [and the wifes] favorite. From the first day I looked at this place, I could walk up to him and "pet" him. This was a suprise to the original owner, but this Llama and I hit it off right on... The owner had llamas for the AG tax exemption..

Well we have grown to like them, especially Romeo the big male.

Well I used factory Hornady 240gr XTP.

First shot though the brain, the bullet passed through, and went into the ground about 5 or 6 inches, well expanded core and jacket remaining together. Held together well.

Second round through the heart, passed through, and went into the ground so far I could not find it.

Main thing is, my buddy did not suffer.

First off, sorry to hear about the llama. But glad to hear that the XTP worked well.

Do Llamas have double skulls?

Even 1400 lb holstein steers drop to a 40gr 22 long rifle. Then their throats get slit to bleed out.

Well since the 44 Mag can do so many things well, is there really a great all purpose load???

The standard 240gr loads kick too much for Defense, and probably penetrate too much for urban use.... Yet expands too much, and penetrates to little for Big big game hunting and protection against 4 legged critters....

So, since my buddy wants to acquire a supply of factory 44 Mag ammo to fullfill his future needs, would he be best served to get a good supply of 2 loads. Say, Federal 300gr Cast Core for the field, and say, the CCI 200gr HP Short Barrel load for Urban use???

quote:

Originally posted by onefunzr2:
Do Llamas have double skulls?

Even 1400 lb holstein steers drop to a 40gr 22 long rifle. Then their throats get slit to bleed out.

Dave

I just did not want to take any chance that my Llama, Romeo [named by the original owner, but it fit him well, he stood over 6 foot tall] would suffer in the slightest. So I used the 44 Mag.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Well since the 44 Mag can do so many things well, is there really a great all purpose load???

The standard 240gr loads kick too much for Defense, and probably penetrate too much for urban use.... Yet expands too much, and penetrates to little for Big big game hunting and protection against 4 legged critters....

So, since my buddy wants to acquire a supply of factory 44 Mag ammo to fullfill his future needs, would he be best served to get a good supply of 2 loads. Say, Federal 300gr Cast Core for the field, and say, the CCI 200gr HP Short Barrel load for Urban use???

For a self defense load in my 44 mag I use the Remington 240 grain Semi Jacketed hollow point. This bullets expands to extreme porportions with penetration about like the 45 ACP Ball. This bullet blow a very large wound channel in Deer and I have no dought that it will leave an indelable mark on anyone that gets in front of one. One will be all that they will want IMHO

jwp

I have used the Remington 240 SJHP, and I have seen it used by others in actual shootings. It worked great. However It might be too much recoil for my buddy, for a DA Defense load...

Also I have shot a bunch of deer with that load in a 44 Mag Rifle and never recovered a bullet.

It is a great killer.

It is good at shooting through car doors, car windows, house doors and walls, and most furniture as well.

I can say the same for the RP 240 SP and the Federal 240 Hp as well...

I carried them all and tested them all...

After all a man has GOT to know his limitations...

Well the limitations of his ammo anyway...

Other considerations for 44 Mag ammo...

For Personal protection a few other considerations come to mind...

One of the reasons I switched form RP 240 SJHP to Federal 180 and 240 HP is because the Federal had a smaller Nose, and was much faster/easier to speed load...

Fast foward to the present day and 44 Mag ammo with no lead exposed is better for spending time in the tubular magazine of a lever rifle and in a speed loader carried in a persons pocket.

Also over a period of time, bullets with lead exposed may show some oxidation of the lead.

And brass cased ammo may show some corrosion, that nickel cases will not show....

HUH! factory made ammo! what will they think of next

I've already said this, so at the risk of being repetitive, remember what gun we're talking about here. Or as someone or other once said, "seeing this is a .44 Magnum...and can blow your head clean off..you've got to ask yourself the question..."

ANY major factory load in any bullet weight will be PLENTY adequate for self-defense and for deer IMNSHO (that's In My Never Sure Humble Opinion).

I wouldn't worry at all about the recoil in a 240 gr for self-defense. It's not bad at all for a normally constructed guy, with only two conditions. One is that you're talking roughly 1350 fps or less and two, is it's not a real light piece. For any S&W Model 29 or the Ruger SBH a 240 is not that bad in recoil.

DA? I don't think the question there is recoil. The real problem is accuracy with DA. Have you ever shot action practical? Try it both ways and you'll immediately see what I'm talking about. Forget the .44, just a snubbie .38 is enough to see the difference. I don't know about others here, but if I want to CONSISTENTLY knock down steel plates at even 15 yds, I have to cock the gun, aim it and squeeze it off deliberatly to hit anything.

When I blast away DA style like in Goodfellas or something, I'm lucky to keep it on paper at all. What I'm saying is, it's just not that easy to do. Unless you want to go out there and REALLY practice a lot with the double action shooting to get those shots off real quick like accurately. Not all that easy.

Kind of reminds me of Sheriff Lil'l Joe in Unforgiven explaining his shooting style. Remember? He wasn't all that fast, but he was willing to stand his ground and get off a well aimed shot. On the other hand, you saw what happened to that guy in Pulp Fiction when he blasted off a whole cylinder full at point blank at the two hitmen but was way too shaken to hit anything but the wall.

I strongly suspect that's what the game's all about. I had a chance to try this out once on a fat forkhorn that charged me. Double action style. A hit was sheer luck doing it that way. I'd forget the double action and go for accuracy. Again, just my opinion..

Btw, here's a factory load that hasn't been mentioned - Speer's 240 Gold Dot HP @ 1400 fps/1044 ft lbs out of a 6 1/2. I'll be trying it next season.

Shack

Many years ago I shot a lot of PPC where we fired all of it double action, even the 50 yard stage.

Also back then we did a lot of practice with our work guns shooting full power 44 loads.

While it was a common practice to do a lot of single action shooting, we did a lot of up close full power DA practice as well.

[Just for the record, I do not know of any Agency/Dept. that allows their "regular" officers to "thumb cock" their handguns]

Well as I am older now, and do not get as much full power DA practice, I like to carry a load for D that has a little less recoil than full power 240's.

I did sahoot a few plate racks a couple of weeks ago and my times were about the same DA as SA.

Also in todays world I do worry about too much penetration shooting full power 240's in a crowded area.

quote:

Well since the 44 Mag can do so many things well, is there really a great all purpose load???

The answer to that question...NO.

Welcome to the forum, cottonstalk!! Glad to see you make your way over here!

quote:

Remington 275gr Core Lokt Jacketed Hollow Point factory load

I re-read alot of this post and picked up someone asking about these,they perform in the same class,maybe even a little better than partitions.

Rather than start a new thread I'd like to revive this one to ask for opinions on the Speer Gold Dot bullets, in the 240 .44 mainly.

That's one I've not tried yet. We talk a lot here about the XTP and I'm familiar with that and with the Sierra (it's used by C-B as their factory bullet) and others. But how about the Gold Dot HP design? For those who don't reload they have their proprietary off-the-shelf loads up to a 270 SP in .44. The advertising touts the bonded core and 90% weight retention.

I have shot 3 pigs in the head with the factory 270 Speer SP [finishing shots at point blank range] all gave comlete penetration through the skull. One was recovered against the skin, it was shot throgh the top of the head. It held together real well.

It is very accurate in the 4" 44 Mag.
It shoots pretty good at 100 yards in a Winchester Traper as well.

I have not shot the current 240gr Speer bullet.

The 270gr Speer load is one of my favorites. I carry it a lot at the deer/pig lease.

N E: What lever action rifle are we talking about? Better check the rate of twist. My Marlin will not shoot anything heavier than 250 grains. You also need to test feeding in the rifle before reaching a final decision because bullet profile and over all length are critical in feeding from the tubular magazine. If OAL is a factor the cartridge stop can be modified but you need to work it out before a bulk ammo purchase.
My vote for a 44 all around load would be a 250 grain wide flat nose gas checked Beartooth bullet with H110 powder. There are plenty of custom loaders who could put this load together if you do not reload.

bob it is the Winchester 44 Mag Trapper.

I have had 3 different 44 Mag rifles, an original Ruger a Marlin, and now the Winchester.

They all had 1 in 38 Micro Groove barrels.

When I had the first 2 heavier bullets were not around.

Like most 44 Mag rifles [they all shoot near one hole to 75 yards and fall apart at 100], I started out with 240gr bullets, but then just as an exeriment I shot the factory Speer 270 SP and the Federal300gr Cast Core at 50 and then 100 yards.

Strangely enough they shot real good at 50 AND at 100, better than the 240's.

They work through the action perfect.

NE, I see you're already using the 270 Gold Dot for both deer and pigs. As soon as I saw it, I was thinking the same thing, a possible one-stop shopping solution for both. And OK for black bear too, I'd imagine.

The construction of the 240 HP looks similar externally to an XTP but with the smaller opening. Are they basically equal in effectiveness or does anyone see an advantage one has over the other? They both of course come in ready-to-run packages for non-handloaders but with only 50 fps separating them (Hornady's XTP is 1350 and the Gold Dot is 1400 - both on the warm side for factory ammo, but still not up there with C-B and its Sierra HP).