In terms of expansion and penetration, the 250 grain Partition is probably the best jacketed bulled you can put in a .44 Magnum. I use it in a 9.5" Ruger SRH (1400 fps using H110 powder) on deer, hogs and occasional vermin, and its performance is always quite predictable: excellent tissue destruction and plenty of penetration (exits are the norm). With that being said, though, the 320 grain wide, flat nose bullet from Cast Performance, loaded to 1400 fps, gets my nod as the do-it-all load in my .44 Magnum.

By the way, both the Partition and the Cast Performance loads will group inside 3" at 100 yards, and on good days, the groups get down to the 2" range.

Kyler - Thanks for the comparison between the XTP and the Partition. This is what I suspected and my experience with XTP in Africa is similar to your observations. For heavier game, I believe the Partition will provide better terminal performance.

Tomek - How does the Partition react to bone? Specifically, have you taken any shoulder shots on pigs?

Yes, I have taken shoulder shots on hogs, and when the Partition hits bone, you get tremendous damage to the vitals, although some of this can be attributed to secondary bone fragments. Penetration is still excellent, though, and unless the other shoulder is hit (and the hog is fairly large), an exit is generally the norm.

As to the XTPs, I no longer use them. In the early 90s, I broke apart a number of them on light-bodied big game. And when a 300 grainer (1330 fps) from my SRH lost its jacket and the core broke up on a 175 pound fallow deer, I lost all faith in them. Yes, they are accurate, but they are too fragile for serious game applications.