Had a 44, never shot it, gave it to my dad.

Now, new SRH in 44mag with a Burris 1.5X4 Merry Christmas to me!

Okay, never have done any handgun hunting and need some advice on bullet selection for it. Hopefully a bullet on the cheaper side of things so I can practice with my actual hunting load.

Thanks.

I know you said you haven't done any handgun hunting, but have you done much handgun shooting at all -- esp. with a .44 Magnum? If not, starting with lighter loads may be just the ticket to making this an enjoyable venture.

I use the 320 grain Cast Performance bullet for just about everything, but at 1400 fps from the 9.5 inch barrel, it is a handful for those not accustomed to such a load. You could start with a cheaper cast bullet in the 250 grain range and then move up to full-powered hunting loads. Some prefer the JHPs, but for me, especially considering that hogs are in good supply here, the 320 grain bullet with the wide, flat nose makes lots of sense and is extremely lethal. But be careful: these heat-treated solids almost always exit, so be extra careful of your backstop.

But if it's only thin-skinned game and varmints you will pursue, a 200 to 240 grain JHP at 13-1400 fps will give you modest recoil and will do the trick on the impact end.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
.. but have you done much handgun shooting at all -- esp. with a .44 Magnum? .

Lots of time with Single Six 22, Beretta 92, SBH in .357 and 1911's. Just paper punching.

I have been a bit worried about the recoil with heavier 300+ loads and I am interested in the lower end of adequate and working up.

I hunt private land in Mississippi and an opportunity at a doe at 40yds or so is a very common.

300grn Cast performance or Beartooth bullets for the heavy stuff[recoil is a little bit on the stiff side if you use a 4 inch barrel but you get the results you want]
I would reccomend Speer ,Hornady xtp for thin skinned game.
Get a Lee mould,240 or 300 grn,use some wheelweights and shoot away at your own pace at a fraction of the cost .Start reloading light and work your way up until you are comfortable with the recoil and your group size.
Shoot straight and shoot safe
Johan

My tried and true deer load for 44 mag in my s+w 629 6 1\2" powerport is:

300 gr Nosler HP
21.0 gr W\W 296
Federal 155 mag primer
Starline nickel case w\heavy crimp
clocks 1215fps across the screens
This is a MAX load.

I've hunted with and carried as a backup a .44 Mag. for the last 20 years and have taken and finished off hundreds of animals. In the course of that, I've tried lots of bullets.

I'll probably get flamed for this but in my experience the best value out there for a hunting bullet is the plain old Remington 240 grain Soft Point.

The price is great and the accuracy and game performance is pretty decent.

I generally don't care for the penetration of standard hollow point bullets on game, so I'd recommend against those versions of bullets.

While it is a hollow point, the Nosler Partition .44 bullet is not a standard bullet and it performs well. However, it groups to such a different point of aim than my practice loads it wasn't feasible for me to use on a regular basis.

Get a bunch of the Rem. SP, practice a ton and you'll have good results.

Great hunting with great hunters,
Kyler

For practice I use the sort of commercially cast 240 grain SWC a fella can find most anywhere. As Kyler said if you are looking for inexpensive jacketed bullets then buy Remington bullets in bulk from outfits such as Midway. If you are hunting average-size whitetails either of these sort of bullets will convert them to venison just fine. If you are trophy hunting or chasing bigger stuff then have a look at the heavier LBT-pattern bullets. Good hunting!

Lets see, SRH! The most accurate loads by far----Hornady 240 XTP, 24 gr's of 296, Fed 150 primer. Hornady 300 gr XTP, 20.5 gr's of 296, Fed 150 primer. LBT 320 gr WLNGC and Lee 310 gr boolits, 21.5 gr's of 296, Fed 150 primer.
All of these are capable of 1" or less at 50 yd's if you do your part.
YES--standard primer!!!!

Dave, that Nosler is a good bullet! Reduce the load 1/2 gr and try the Fed 150 primer, shoot it at 50 yd's and get back to us with a comparison between the two loads. I have never shot the Nosler and am interested if it will do the same as the XTP for groups.

I've gotten better performance using a magnum primer with 296. But a standard primer makes my 2400 loads shine; much better accuracy and consistency than with a magnum primer.

quote:

I'll probably get flamed for this but in my experience the best value out there for a hunting bullet is the plain old Remington 240 grain Soft Point.

you are not alone my friend... I have taken quite a number of black bears and hogs with this bullet. You can litteraly produce a golf-ball sized exit wounds with it.

I don't think there is any need for any heavier bullet than the 240 for deer. I always use the old Speer 225 jswchp.Start with reduced loads and work up.It has to be an accurate load 1 1/2" groups at 25 yds max.Practice because accurate placement is the most important thing.

MS, yes you will get better performance from the mag primer as concerns velocity, but not enough to worry about. I have been loading and experimenting with the .44 and .45 Colt since 1956. I had at one time or another eight .44's. The one I have left, the SBH, is now going on 57,000 heavy loads and an untold number of plinking loads. I used this gun to win Ohio State IHMSA with 79 out of 80.I can not count the number of rounds I have shot with the rest. I have used every powder, primer, bullet, boolit ever made and some of my own designs from home made moulds.
With every single load combination I ever worked up that was extremely accurate using 296, even to the point of a bunch of 100 yd groups approaching 1-1/2", thousands of sub 1" groups at 50 yd's, substituting a mag primer always doubled or tripled the group size. This made me rethink the load and try to work the powder charge to match the mag primers. IT NEVER WORKED!
I have old RCBS dies that were junk as far as accuracy and just about every type die made, even a set of custom bench rest dies that did a fair job but with a lot of work. Guess what? The Hornady titanium nitride dies make the most accurate loads by far, equaling the bench dies
My experience has made it a fact that you will never see me put a mag primer in either the .44 or .45 Colt.
The larger cases from the .454 to larger show a preference for the mag primer and are more accurate with them.
You have to explain to me what you mean by getting better performance from the mag primer!

I like the 300 cast core for hunting...

and the Remington or Winchester bulk bullets for plinking...

Unlike your experience, I have found that for 296, at least, I have an increase in velocity as expected and an improvement in accuracy and consistency of velocity between shots. The opposite is true for 2400.

That is what I mean by better performance.

That is strange and I would like to see some groups from other shooters and what their experience has been. I sure wish this site made it easy to post pictures! It is the only site I visit that I can't do it without going through someone else.

Well, I've found that each firearm is a law unto itself. My results apparently differ from yours, but then that's why different components are available.

Thanks for the replies.

I have ordered a couple of boxes to the Hornady XTP and picked up locally some hard cast 240gr SWC.

Loaded some of the SWC last night with 9 and 10gr of Unique and large pistol primers.

Hopefully to the range tomorrow.

quote:

Thanks for the replies.

I have ordered a couple of boxes to the Hornady XTP and picked up locally some hard cast 240gr SWC.

Loaded some of the SWC last night with 9 and 10gr of Unique and large pistol primers.

Hopefully to the range tomorrow.

Hunting: Exercising dominion over creation at 2800 fps.

I suggest you use 8.5 graions Unique, with that 240 grains SWC cast bullet. That is a very good, easy shooting, not hard on you or the revolver, load.

In a pinch, it'll do on deer, hogs, or two legged predators.

JMO.

L.W.

quote:

Originally posted by Leanwolff:

quote:

Thanks for the replies.

I have ordered a couple of boxes to the Hornady XTP and picked up locally some hard cast 240gr SWC.

Loaded some of the SWC last night with 9 and 10gr of Unique and large pistol primers.

Hopefully to the range tomorrow.

Hunting: Exercising dominion over creation at 2800 fps.

I suggest you use 8.5 graions Unique, with that 240 grains SWC cast bullet. That is a very good, easy shooting, not hard on you or the revolver, load.

In a pinch, it'll do on deer, hogs, or two legged predators.

JMO.

L.W.

I ran about 50 rds through the SRH yesterday. I'll take your suggestion and download it a bit. I was shooting about 2 1/2" groups at 25yds off a rest after I got the scope set. Not great by many of yall's standards, but I was happy first time out, and first time shooting a scoped pistol. I did have a bit more leading than I would have expected, and I am unsure if this is normal or my loads are a bit hot for the bullet and dropping down a grain or so will help clear this up.

I used some "locally produced" cast bullet back when I first started using a .44 Magnum. They leaded with any fast powder. After switching to a major cast bullet manufacturer, Five grains of Bullseye and 7.5 to 10 grains of Unique produced a clean bore. The bullet is the thing and plain base bullets work just fine. Right now I'm using National Bullet in bulk but am sure there are several others out there, just compare prices for the quantity you want. National gives good volume discounts.

Two loads I have had success with.

In my scoped Ruger 10.5"
240 gr Hornady XTP
23. gr H110
CCI 350 primer; Rem. Case
1400 fps

In my Bowen Ruger 5.5"
for fun shooting:
250 gr Leadheads Keith style
6.5 gr Titegroup
865 fps
For general hunting:
240 gr Hornady XTP
23. gr H110
CCI 350 primer
1175 fps

Have fun; shoot often

I have a keith style 44 mould and was thinking of casting some pure lead bullets for deer hunting. I would be shooting them out of a scoped 10" contender with 20-some grains of imr 4227 and lubed with FWFL. I see several people use 240 grain JSP's. I would guess this load would perform similarly. My standard load is the same except I use pure lino and it shoots very well. I could put up with some leading considering the small number of shots I would be taking. I don't like switching between cast and jacketed bullets and I just like shooting lead.
Anyone gone this route?

What is yur' primary target?

Max, my experience indicates there is no reason to shoot pure lino in a handgun. The velocities don't demand it, and it is too hard at handgun velocities to expand like it should. On top of all that, the stuff is pretty hard to come by nowadays, and darned pricey.

I cast 75% wheel waights and 25% lino for my revolvers. The cavities fill out beautifully, as-cast size are very close to design, and weight departure from design is minimal.

And for years I shot 21 grains of IMR 4227 in my Model 57s behind either the RCBS 210 cast or the Remington 210 JSP. POI was the same, and accuracy was outstanding. But I never mixed jacketed and cast on the same trip to the range. If I was shooting cast, I shot cast, period. And vice versa.

(And you really didn't mean "pure lead" for your Contender, did you?)

I want a load for deer hunting.
I use pure lino because several years ago I got a pick-up truck load (4-5 5-gallon buckets full)for $20 from someone trying to get rid of it. If I can find WW's I shoot them or alloy them in, but since I have enough lino to last for the rest of my life, I shoot it.
Why not pure lead for my contender? I have some old roof sheathing. Very soft. I want a bullet that will expand on a board-side shot on a deer. If this experiment doesn't work I will break down and buy a box of 240 grain JHP's, but I hope I don't have to do that.
If leading is a problem, I've heard of someone who paper patches full diameter bullets then runs them through a size die to swage them down. Supposedly with good results. I don't mind at all going to the range and experimenting with things like this. I've also considered cutting a hollow point on some finished rounds. Just another possibility.
I've shot 2 deer with my lino bullets and neither one left a blood trail. I've been lucky to find them.
Thanks for the input.