I'm going to Montana this fall for elk. I'm taking my Ruger SB and am considering the Barnes 200gr bullet. Anyone use this? If so, how did it work? Thanks,

I have only used Barnes bullets in rifles and I haven't hunted elk, but I have taken a zebra with the 44 magnum pistol. I recommend a heavier bullet just in case you run into the big bones or encounted a less than perfect shot angle. A big fan of momentum and deep penetration I used a 320 grain LBT WFN @ 1375 fps (10 inch Contender). Even then only one of three shots exited. One broke up on the far side humerus after passing through the chest. Another stopped in the far shoulder after a quartering shot that passed through the paunch. The third - and probably unneccessary - shot was a broadside double lung shot that did exit. If you plan for the worst you'll be surprised (and disappointed) less often. Good hunting!

I am not familiar with the Barnes 200 gr. either, but am a big fan of the heavier is better theory. My Ruger shoots 300 gr. bullets very accurately with a good charge of H110. Even at longer ranges, I would think that the 300gr. would be doing a lot better than the 200.
FWIW, Peter.

I believe a 300 grain cast bullet or a jacketed bullet such as the Sierra or Speer would be an infintely better choice over a 200 grain bullet in a .44 magnum regardless of the manufacturer for elk.

I have used that bullet on deer .
All 1 shot kills .
But elk are much larger.
I personaly would go with a 300 gr HP , XTP is my first choice.

Johnch

For the 44 Mag....Barnes makes a 300gr Flat Nose Soft Point (stock #43020) made for the 444 Marlin. It has been used successfully on moose, caribou and some pretty big black bears....that I know of. I can't remember the load, but 20.0 grains of H110 seems close. Then there is the Lyman 429421, 250 gr Keith bullet on top of 22 grains of 2400 that worked for Elmer on most everything.....Elmer wasn't wrong!!! 23.0 grains of H110 works too.

Good luck!!

My vote goes for the 320 grain wide, flat-nosed LBT-style bullet from Cast Performance. It is heat treated, available with a gas-check and consistently turns in groups of around 2 to 2.25" (3 shots)at 100 yards from my 9.5" Ruger Super Redhawk. On a number of occasions, it has given me sub-2" groups.

It will break bone better than pretty much anything else out there for the .44 Magnum, and it's my hands-down choice when pursuing tempermental hogs in the thick Texas brush. And it doesn't have to expand to be effective as the wide meplat measures around .38 caliber, and the bullet generally created a wound channel of 1.5 to 2" -- even when no bones heavier than ribs are encountered.

Pushed by a near-max charge of H110, I am getting 1400 fps muzzle velocity, and with a cylinder of 6 rounds, you're holding on to a fistful of game-stopping power.

Someone mentioned the 300 grain XTP, but unless they've totally redesigned that bullet, I'd forget about it. At 1330 fps MV, it failed on a 175 pound fallow buck at 60 yards as it shed its core, did minimal damage and failed to exit. A second shot performed much like the first. Since then, I've tested quite a few in test medium and have experienced similar results. Granted, the XTPs did kill the buck, but the performance was certainly less-than-stellar for a 300 grain projectile.

My second choice would be the 250 grain Partition; it will expand and penetrate but isn't apt to exit as is the 320 grain LBT from Cast Performance.

With that much bullet weight, you should be able to back down to around 1200 fps and have a load more pleasant to shoot which is just as effective.

Bobby you are correct about the XTP being to soft to penetrate well. The Hornady 260 grain that was originaly made for the 444 Marlin will out penetrate the XTP 300 grainer by a considerabe margin. You are also correct about hard cast LBT style bullets nothing beats them on game.

MS Hitman-That load is not at all unpleasant to shoot for me -- but I must add that I do indeed fire many rounds in the course of a year's time. I use the 320 grain/1400 fps load for everything from plinking to vermin & varmints to deer, hogs and some of Texas' plentiful exotics. When I reach for the .44 Magnum, it's the load I am most apt to use and most comfortable with -- no matter what the game may be.

For me, there'd be no real benefit in loading it down to 1200 fps.

Thanks guys. I've been considering heavier bullets. I've been thinking about a 240gr cast bullet I've used. I'll take a look at the jacketd bullets you've listed. I'm not a fan of Hornady. I had a less than ideal experience with them 5 years ago. There are a lot of others out there. I'll let you know how it goes when I get back. We're going to Montana near Bozeman the last week in October. I'm looking forward to it to say the least. My heart races every time I see elk hunting videos.

If you are going to use cast I would go with a heavier bullet in the 300gr plus range I cast my own with a lee mold and wheel weights. Tehy weigh 310 grs. I drop them into water from the mold. I lube and cast check them with a max load of h110 for just under 1300 out of my 5.5 inch redhawk.

In the testing I have done and on game they out preform any thing else I have tryed. I have shot ragged one hole groups at 25 yards with them.

Mr Jim'
Sierra makes a 250gn full profile jacket with an exposed lead tip. They made it for shooting steel. But I have found it works very very well on wild boar giving moderate expansion and deep penetration. I never hear it talked about but for jacketed factory bullets its the best...................JJ