Now with all the talk on the hunting forums, I have never really heard Ya or Na on weather or not there are those out there that have found the 44mag adequate for deer in the woods. So do we have anybody out there that has hunted with this caliber, either pistol or rifle and what was your experience with using such please?

Has always worked for me. I am not a dedicated handgun hunter, but I generally have a pistol with me at all times, so if the chance arises, I have the means. I shoot hardcast bullets, but I have to admit for whitetails, a JHP design might be better, my hardcast are just like a hole punch. I trust mine to 100 yards, friend of mine to a 6 1/2' black bear 2 years ago with his.

I shot a yearling cow elk with my 8" Anaconda a few years ago. Used a 240 gr XTP over a bunch of WW296. Shot was about 40 yards, in the neck. She never knew what hit her.

I am not a dedicated pistol huntier either, but if I have some hearing protection, I am very confident out to 100 yards with that particular pistol.

daveinmt

Three of my co-workers killed a deer this past season with a .44 mag handgun. One of them recovered the bullet out of his deer. It was a frontal shot that entered through the neck, traveled just under the backstrap and stopped right at the ham. It was a 240 grain Hornady XTP JHP that mushroomed perfectly.

Don't shoot it in a handgun, but 300 gr dead soft lead paper patched at 1500 fps from a rifle...what do you think?

I use a Ruger 96/44 carbine with a LEE 310 gr. WFN/GC over 20.5gr. of H110 for a velocity of 1575fps. Works kinda like a Mack when it hits, Just keeps on truckn'. This load is for bears and if used against deer I load the Hornady 265gr. FP. It's meant for rifle speed so you may not like it in a handgun.

Hey Chigger, I've killed a good many SE Whitetails with a 21" 44Mag Contender Carbine. The chamber allowed l-o-n-g loading of the 240gr XTPs I used in it. So, I was able to up the velocity over normal loads and still hold the pressure to a normal 44Mag level. Didn't need the extra velocity at all though.

I have a "back-handed compliment" for the 240gr XTP. It ALWAYS dropped them in their tracks by hitting a shoulder either going in or headed out. Never had to track a Deer when using it. Always found a full-profile, perfectly-formed mushroom under the far side hide.

That said, I didn't get "exits", and where I hunt an exit is real nice to have, just in case you do need to track them. Perhaps if I'd tried lung-to-lung shots, I might have gotten an exit, but I've been unable to force myself to move away from the shoulders. Too many years of excellent results with shoulder shots to be putting bullets anywhere else.

Due to the lack of exits, I'd bought some Gas Checked 240gr hard(Linotype) lead bullets to try in it. Then traded it off before I ever used one on a Whitetail. No doubt in my mind they would provide exits, but... it would be difficult to improve on what I experienced with the 240gr XTPs.

Great Deer cartridge for relatively close-in shots. I've not gotten rid of the dies or bullets and was just looking at a 7# 22" NEF Synthetic Handi-Rifle(SB2-S35) in 44Mag yesterday. I've got a nice 30 year old K3-C3 Weaver that would look REAL GOOD on it.

I started hunting with the Ruger Deerfield 2 years ago. The wooded area I am hunting is very thick and close. A really distant shot is 50 yards. The Deerfield is everything that the Ruger ads claim. Mine is surprisingly accurate to boot. I use the Speer 270 grain Gold Dot factory loads. The two deer dispatched were both within 100 feet of me when shot. Both had complete penetration through the ribs, with good expansion evident in the offside hole. Both deer died within 100 feet of where they were hit.

I bought a NEF in 44 for my kids to use for whitetail hunting. Both of them have killed with the longest shot right at 80 yards. My youngest, who was six at the time shot a 110# doe head on with the bullet exiting the hind quarter. For 100-150 yards max, I believe that the 44, especially in a single shot rifle make a perfect starter gun and when they outgrow it a fine woods rifle for dad.

A Ruger Deer Stalker 44Mag Semi-auto carbine was my first deer rifle. With it I killed many deer. My longest shot was about 125 to 130 yards. I used various 240 sp and hollow point factory loads. When I began handloading I still always used 240 jacketed bullets. The heavier bullets had not become popular yet. I have also killed deer with a 44Mag handgun, either with 240 jacketed or 240cast linotype. The 44Mag is very effective.
I use heavier bullets for protection against bear, pigs etc. but still feel 240gr bullets give the quickest kills on deer size game.

Have used the 44 mag on deer, bear & rams with no problems. Usually shoot heavy weight Barnes-x or Nosler partitions with good results. Remember, it is where you hit the animal that counts a lot.

Man, I hope the .44 mag is good enough for deer because I've used it on a few occassions when moose hunting. My .44 Rem. Mag. is in a Marlin lever action, but now, it takes back seat to the rest of my guns.