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One of Us |
Hey guys just got a Taurus 44 mag with a 6.5 inch barrel. Going to use it primarily for deer hunting on the east coast (MD) and will keep shots under 50 yards. Was wondering if you had any advice on what loads to use (I don't reload yet). I was planning on using my 240 grain Remington flat nose that I use in my lever action but due to the differences in ballistics out of a pistol was wondering if I should go heavier, and if premium loads like Buffalo bore would be worth it? Here it is with my Zastava EZ40. | ||
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One of Us |
The 240 flat nose should be fine for any Deer. If you hunt something with a heavier build like an Elk or big Hogs you may want to look at a heavier bullet. Make sure to practice with that gun until you are confident. Pistol hunting isn't easy. | |||
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One of Us |
Personally I would think you should be fine, and if you feel you need expansion simply switch to the SJHP of the same brand and weight. I shoot the SJHP almost exclusively and have not any issues with it on deer or hogs. It will get a little messy when the heavier shoulder bones get in the way but other than that it works great. I also do not load them to the max loads as they will open up quite violently at the upper velocities. I try to keep them around 1200fps or so. As mentioned, practice, practice, practice. When you can keep all shots from one cylinder in a 2" area off hand at 15yds move out five or ten more. Do this until your at around 40 or 50 yds and your ready to go hunting. Handgun hunting is similar to bow hunting, your going to get more from the placement and bore size generally than from the expansion and rapid energy transfer like when a rifle is used. It is a great sport and if you keep your shots to around 30 - 40 yds max you should have great success with your revolver. Good luck, and have fun. Mike / Tx | |||
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Moderator |
That should work fine on deer. I wouldn't use it on hogs (well, bigger hogs) unless you can avoid bone. I wouldn't worry about the fact that the load will be moving slower out of the Taurus. You should do well with that load. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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one of us |
For deer, the 240 grain Remington flat nose will do just fine. If you're going to make a hole, make it a big one. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ Member of the Delaware Destroyers Member Reeders Misfits NRA Life Member ENDOWMENT MEMBER NAHC Life Member DSA Life Member | |||
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one of us |
that will work fine i happen even know of a decent hog taken with a 240 gr soft point 44mag DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR | |||
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Moderator |
Yessir! It was a fine hog! The only thing that bothered me was that neither bullet exited.......but they did kill it dead! "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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One of Us |
Thanks guys, I am primarily a bowhunter so I understand the concept of practice, practice, practice.... | |||
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One of Us |
I've spent 15 years on the eastern shore. Deer hunting there is usually done in a tree stand in jungle/swamp and I never had a shot more than 30 yards. Used 240gr SWC lead going 1200fps and never lost one. Actually down sized to a .357 shooting a 180gr SWC because I felt the .44 was spoiling too much meat. life member NRA (Endowment) member Arizona Big Horn Sheep Society member Arizona Antelope Foundation member Arizona Wildlife Foundation | |||
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One of Us |
Thanks Ahab I hunt the eastern shore too, and you are right I decided to try the handgun since I hunt out of my bow stands so my average shots are 10 - 30 yards. Any suggestions on a scope for this weapon? | |||
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One of Us |
Luke, The 240 gr. sp should do the job quite well on whitetail, but if you decide that you want something that penetrates better and handles hitting large bone, consider the Garrett Hammerheads. A friend of mine used his .44 with 240 gr. sp bullets to finish off a badly bowshot wild hog. I don't know if he had a bad batch, but the bullets fragmented badly. I had to hand him my revolver to finish off the hog. I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk that I hunt with and have shot whitetail, exotic sheep and wild hogs. All of the animals taken, including a large boar shot right through the shoulder, had exit wounds. None of the animals taken using Garrett rounds had gone far. The nice thing is with these hardcast, wide meplat bullets, you get great penetration, a good sized wound channel, but there's not a lot of meat damage. | |||
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Moderator |
I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm not a big fan of scopes on handguns and particularly at the ranges you are looking to hunt. If you want optics that work well at all ranges and that work great in low-light situations, look no further than an Ultradot (red dot type sight). Cheap and durable. JMHO. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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One of Us |
Yeah, most any "white box" or "yellow box" 240 gr jacketed bullet load ought to do nicely. That said if you're only hunting whitetails and are willing to wait on a broadside double lung shot (just like when you're bowhunting) I expect that most any full power load from 180 grains on up will fill the freezer quite neatly. When you want to have the choice to take shoulder shots and quartering away shots on a monster buck - or when you are hunting bears or pigs - that the heavier stiffer bullets make more sense. | |||
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one of us |
Like you, most of my shots at deer are < 30 yds. I have a 6" 629-2 that has taken some deer with 270 gr. Speer Semi-Jacketed Gold Dots. I shoot the Gold Dots because they are accurate in my gun and expand pretty well at 1250 fps+. I've also shot a couple of deer and a moose with 300 gr. Hammerheads that I usually load for bear protection. I'm not familiar with what Buffalo Bore offers, but I'm guessing they are mostly heavy 300+ gr. bullets with high velocity and pressure. I doubt that my old 629 would do well on a steady diet of their loads. I think the Rem. 240 FPs should do fine for your whitetails. The scope I have is a Leupold 2x20 handgun scope. It's been a good scope, but these days I might think hard about a heavy duty holographic sight by Eotech or Trijicon. I put a cheap version on my 22 pistol last year and I really like it for shooting bunnies anyway. "No game is dangerous unless a man is close up" Teddy Roosevelt 1885. | |||
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one of us |
Ratltrap I have found the Seer 270gr bullet to be excellent as well. As to hard cast factory ammo, I find Garretts to be best, as their bullets are the hardest of the bunch. Buffalo Bore ammo is excellent as well. I have spoken to Randy Garret a few times. He tode me, "If you are in a time bind and cannot get MY ammo, Federal Cast Core is good stuff, not as tough as mine, but good stuff". I have used it and I agree. I have met Tim, the owner of Buffalo Bore, and can say he is dedicated to making great ammo. If you do not reload, or just do not want to reaload heavy lead bullets, ammo from these 3 will work just fine. However for deer any 240gr full power load will work great. For BIG pigs, or black bear, I would start with the Speer 270gr Gold Dot and work up. PS. Garrett 44 Mag Hammer Heads, from a 4" S&W 44 Mag will shoot through a cape buffs brain from the front,or into the brain of a cow elephant on a side brain shot. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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One of Us |
Thanks guys, all good info. I am definitely considering the red-dot, any suggestions on which one? Also with the hard cast bullets like Garrett or Buffalo Bore am I losing anything by not having any expansion on deer? I am thinking it might be worth it to not have to worry about taking on a quartering towards shot. One more question are the BB or Garretts loaded tra hot and if so should I avoid them out of the Taurus? Its not a Raging Bull, its a 44ss6. | |||
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one of us |
Buffalo Bores "Low Recoil" 255gr Keith loads will work just fine for deer. And most everything else for that matter. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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One of Us |
As for the expansion, I've got a 180 gr. AccuBond bullet (fired from a .300 Win Mag) sitting on my desk that went through a gemsbok and lodged in the off shoulder. There's not a whole lot of difference in diameter between the expanded .30 caliber bullet and an unfired 310 gr. Garrett Hammerhead. So I would have to say that based on my experience with killing game animals with my revolver, it works just fine. And I really don't have to worry about penetration, everything I've shot with Garretts, I've never recovered a bullet. As to your other question, here's what is on the label of a box of my 310 gr. Hammerheads. "310-gr SuperHardCast Hammerhead at 1,325 fps. For use in steel 44 mag revolvers, and TC Contenders & Encors. This ammo is too long for rifles, clip-fed autos, or Taurus Trackers." | |||
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One of Us |
Thanks guys, think I might have to buy a few boxes and experiment, but the garrets sound like the best way to go to eliminate any concerns. | |||
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Moderator |
Yes -- Ultradot 30 (www.ultradotwest.com) -- $139.00 shipped. You will need 30mm rings and you are set. If it'll hold up on my .475, it should last indefinitely on your .44. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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Moderator |
Another great .44 mag load is made by Double Tap ammo (www.doubletapammo.com) -- a 320 grain WFN at about 1,300 fps. They are a lot cheaper than both Garrett's and Buffalo Bore's offerings. I have taken a couple of pigs with this load and it's really effective. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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One of Us |
Thanks again guys, Whit I am going to look into that red dot, at the distances I am shooting that should be just the ticket, this will be the first time in awhile I actually look forward to rifle season! | |||
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One of Us |
ok guys sorry for all the questions (but there is no better place to ask, I think you will all agree)... Now my question is since Whitworth sold me on the ultradot 30 for my new Taurus 44 mag, how do I find out if the Factory Taurus scope mount will accept the 30mm rings the ultradot comes with? | |||
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Moderator |
I would call Taurus. Rugers (SRHs) come with a 1-inch ring which is 25mm and not big enough. Chances are that you will need to get another set of rings. Stay away from Redfields if they make them for your revolver -- I broke a set in short order on my .475. I made an error on the price -- the Ultradot 30 has gone up to $145.00 -- but still a bargain! "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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