I don't know what to shoot this season for deer? My 44 mag rig is a 14" contender with 4x leupold on top. I will hunting mainly deer with the possiblity of hogs. I have some 300 gr XTP's and 280 gr Beartooth WFN, but I can not ge them to group very well. The 300 gr I use 20 grs. of W296 and with the 280 I use 22 grs. of W296. Both shoot 3" group at 100, which is good enough for all hunting situations I'll use the 44 in. Should I use these and accept the accuracy or try something else? Any and all comments and reccommendations are welcome.

brewtcl
I think that that really depends on you. Are you satisfied with that level of accuracy? Do you feel confident that you can accurately hit your target in the proper place with those loads? Have you practiced enough with those loads? These are all questions that I ask myself when I'm working up loads for hunting. A couple of times I had to say to myself that I wasn't happy with what I had. So back to the drawing board & look some more. I have also had to go to a bullet that I wasn't planning on using to get a bullet that the barrel liked. I know for me I want the best possible load I can come up with. Then when I miss. I miss. I can't complain that the load let me down. Just my opinion. Good luck no matter what you decide.
Rich Jake

Thanks for the advice. I do shoot the 44 a lot, I just have always shot 270 or heavier bullets out of it. I am very confident out to 100 yds in hunting situations with both loads. I do like the advice that I might need to find a bullet that the barrel likes more even if it is not something I had planned on using.

What 240 gr. bullets would you recommend? Maybe it would like a lighter bullet. Thanks for the advice, it is a good way to look at it.

Is the throat in your barrel long enough to seat the bullets out to the second crimp groove? If so, do this and work your way up with the charge. You may benefit from this shorter jump to the rifling. I've had two revolvers that would shoot 2" (and often less) 100 yard groups all day, with the combination of seated out 300gr XTP's and W296

Hodgdon H-110 is the only way to go in powder for the 44 mag and similiar calibers. This powder is specific to large bore handgun calibers and provides maximum velocities/energy at optimal working pressures. Burn rate is "right" for the task at hand.

Load data is online at www.Hodgdon.com

If you want to stay with a cast bullet, CastPerformance Has a good selection of 44 cal bullets. I was looking at them after your post before. They have from 255 on up. Any of those would be worth a try. If you still have 300 XTP's you could try what Cas has suggested. I know first hand he is giving you good info. I don't think you could go wrong with a 240 XTP either or possibly 265 Fp By Hornady. Speer sells 240,270 & 300 grainers as well. As to the powders 296 & H110 are supposidly the same. There are a lot of options to try, I'm pretty sure that with a little work you'll probably find something that shoots better. I went throgh this same thing with my 45 Colt barrel until I found what worked well.
Rich Jake
Don't forget about Nosler either.

[ 08-23-2002, 05:48: Message edited by: Rich Jake ]

brewtcl
I tried several loads and several different 300's before I found one that would work also. I ended up with AA#9 behind a Sierra 300. Cut my groups from 6-7" at 200 yards to around 3". I don't recall what it was doing at 100 yards though.
Just my .02
Jeff

If your barrel has a tendency to group better with lighter bullets, an ideal combo projectile to consider is the 250 grain Partition. It will expand sufficiently on deer and yet penetrate more than adequately on a tough hog. The XTP you mentioned worries me because hogs are on the menu. They're designed for maximum upset in relatively soft tissue and may not do the number on a large hog. I used the 300 grain version at 1300 fps on a fallow deer (175lbs. on the hoof), and the bullet failed to exit and in fact came unglued completely. Yes, it killed the buck, but had I opted to break the on-side shoulder with the shot, I may have been in for a long tracking job. Fortunately, the buck was at a slight quartering angle, and I put the bullet through the thin ribs, into the lungs and into the opposite shoulder, where most of it was found.

By the way, the range was 60 yards. ANd other than a few varmints around the house, I have not used the 300 grain XTP on anything else. I use either the 250 grain Partition or the 320 grain Cast Performacne LBT-style bullet.

For all my .44 Mag loads, I only use H-110. I have never found a need for anything different.