Bearman375
Well-Known Member
I'll be using in 10.5 " bbl Ruger so be a bit faster. Want to use on a idaho bear hunt end of the month!
44 mag input
- Thread starter Bearman375
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
I used to be into silhouette shooting and velocity of the new powders and 10 inches helps. I also have a 4 power pistol scope.8" and 10" barrels would help with my eyes now.
BTW - have you received any pressure recently to change your screen name?
The sad thing is that I own a bunch of preferred dividend stock in Anheuser-Busch for over 30 years. I am into competitive car racing an Bud used to sponcer nearly any kind of moto sports event.
I tell everyone even at the store not to buy Bud products!
44 mags just fold up bears and pigs.
scpaul
Well-Known Member
I used to deer hunt with a 8" Dan Wesson with 2x Leupold. Other than point blank I was having problems getting pass throughs that didn't close and make it hard to trail in heavy cover if necessary. I don't know if they're still made but I found a 300 gr. bullet that passed through even at 100 yds, but again that was an 8" barrel. I don't know anything about bears. We have some but to say they aren't large compared to yours is an understatement. If I were in your situation, especially with barrels as short as those, I'd feel better putting as much energy into him as possible. At least he went by not at you. I also experimented with hollow points and believe that they were atleast partially clogging up. They may still make a magnum version of that bullet. Check your manuals but it seems that RL9 and 296/H-110 were my best powders. Be warned in one of my old white load manuals there is a misprint in the 44 mag. Info. That was corroborated by one of the techs at Hodgen. He had a heavy accent and named something like Ole' or Johan. I think he was from Denmark, Sweden, or some place in that area. He said that the load I was using was 2x the pressure and the max in print was close to 3x pressure. This is an OLD pair of white covered manuals. 1 volume was load info and the other volume was ballistics. Before it comes up the rest of that batch was disassembled and checked weight, powder type (visual) bullet seat and crimp. I checked everything that he said. If you have a pair of these manuals, probably about 25 yrs or older. Message me and I'll go dig it out and tell you exactly which load it is. I can't be positive but it seems like it was a set of Hornady Manuals. The manual is white.
Anyone that thinks that they may have that set of manuals message me and I'll get the Info for anyone that thinks that they have set so you can make a note. Someone down the road might stumble into that load. It looks great on paper and he emphasized that it would blow up some otherwise good pistols.
Be safe, nice bear, Paul
Anyone that thinks that they may have that set of manuals message me and I'll get the Info for anyone that thinks that they have set so you can make a note. Someone down the road might stumble into that load. It looks great on paper and he emphasized that it would blow up some otherwise good pistols.
Be safe, nice bear, Paul
Last edited:
Bearman375
Well-Known Member
Pressure? Why ? It's just a handleI used to be into silhouette shooting and velocity of the new powders and 10 inches helps. I also have a 4 power pistol scope.
The sad thing is that I own a bunch of preferred dividend stock in Anheuser-Busch for over 30 years. I am into competitive car racing an Bud used to sponcer nearly any kind of moto sports event.
I tell everyone even at the store not to buy Bud products!
scpaul
Well-Known Member
Ole' said "aren't you glad that you have that Ruger?" I told him that it's not a Ruger. He said" then it's got to be a Dan Wesson be a use that was the only other pistol at the time that would take the pressure." I love my DW"s because of that incident. I still have all of my right hand.
BAKPAKR
Well-Known Member
I didn't have to use a rangefinder.
My farthest shot at an elk, with a revolver, was probably around 60 yards. The one with the 3" was about 25 yards.
scpaul
Well-Known Member
I always found 10 inches a bit too much to control. I got used to using 8 inches and it's got just about the right balance. But you have to remember that I'm only 5'6 1/2" tall. My 8 inch barrels (1 a DW 44 and the other a DW 357) are all full under lug and vent rib. The 44 even has a 2x Leupold. I like to never have found a mount that would hold that scope solid with my handloads. Back when I was shooting it weekly, I could hold a softball size group shooting from bags at 100 yards. I just bet that I can't come anywhere close to that now.
I got a 460 when they first came out but made the mistake of picking up a scout scope. By the time I figured it out it was all but mounted. I probably ought to sell it but just I case I change my mind and desire a scout rifle, which it will be awfully cold if it happens. I've just never liked that setup. I prefer a red dot over a scout. I put a red dot on an 870 with a 3" full rifled barrel.only 21" long. It give pigs a fit if there's much left and is almost as bad on the stock end as the muzzle. I don't shoot it anymore. Right after I built it launching 3" 1&1/2 Oz slugs at about1300 fps. I had to have my right shoulder repaired a second time or was that the 3rd.
I can't even fi d a friends friend, a stranger to me because they've been warned. Party poopers!
sw282
Well-Known Member
Elmer Keith is the Father of the 44 Magnum. His classic load of a home cast 240gr Keith SWC and 22gr of 2400 powder has killed everything that walks in North America. l have hunted and shot this bullet in IHMSA silhouettes for 50 years. lt kills everything, from 55 pound steel rams @ 200 meters or deer and bear @ 50 yards. A 44Magnum is NOT a long range cartridge for HUNTING. l grew up hunting deer with a shotgun behind hounds. l later moved to an area that does not allow dog hunting. Same thick woods as the South Carolina Low Country tho.
My new hunting style was from an elevated stand where 90% of the shots was 50 yds or less. To me, the obvious choice was a 44 Magnum revolver with open sights and 6'' to 8'' barrel. This leaves both hands to climb a tree or ladder stand. l still ''HUNT'' steel rams @ 200 meters with my 44. My big game Long Range Hunting is for prairie dogs ONLY with a 222 Remington varmint rifle
My new hunting style was from an elevated stand where 90% of the shots was 50 yds or less. To me, the obvious choice was a 44 Magnum revolver with open sights and 6'' to 8'' barrel. This leaves both hands to climb a tree or ladder stand. l still ''HUNT'' steel rams @ 200 meters with my 44. My big game Long Range Hunting is for prairie dogs ONLY with a 222 Remington varmint rifle
tx338
Well-Known Member
My handgun bullet preference for elk is hard cast. Killed 2 bulls in the 35-40 yard range with a 5.5" Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt.
300gr Beartooth WFN gas checked bullets. Can't remember chrono velocity, but stout load around 1200 fps. Both bulls took the first round still standing with chest/shots, both got a quick follow up to the front shoulder and dropped. I like the penetration of the hard cast WFN bullets.
Killed several deer with a 4" 44mag. shooting the 240gr PMC TCSP, it worked, but had bullet deformity and did not track straight. One buck specifically shot at about 10 yards out of a blind, chest/shoulder, bullet deflected into and recovered from the deers neck, somewhat flattened out.
Shot a number of hogs with the 7.5" Ruger SBH, 240gr and 300gr XTP hollow points. Not impressed with penetration. These experiences lead me to hard cast LBT style bullets for hunting…never looked back. Last 15-20 years it is LBT bullets by Cast Performance 357 with 180gr, 44 with 300, 45 with 300. All loaded over stout charges of H110.
The exception to hard cast would now be the hard to find Speer .44 Gold Dot JSP or the Speer .452 Deep Curl JSP. These have worked for me on deer and hogs out of 44 and 45 handguns with reliable penetration.
Full disclosure, never shot a bear with a handgun….
300gr Beartooth WFN gas checked bullets. Can't remember chrono velocity, but stout load around 1200 fps. Both bulls took the first round still standing with chest/shots, both got a quick follow up to the front shoulder and dropped. I like the penetration of the hard cast WFN bullets.
Killed several deer with a 4" 44mag. shooting the 240gr PMC TCSP, it worked, but had bullet deformity and did not track straight. One buck specifically shot at about 10 yards out of a blind, chest/shoulder, bullet deflected into and recovered from the deers neck, somewhat flattened out.
Shot a number of hogs with the 7.5" Ruger SBH, 240gr and 300gr XTP hollow points. Not impressed with penetration. These experiences lead me to hard cast LBT style bullets for hunting…never looked back. Last 15-20 years it is LBT bullets by Cast Performance 357 with 180gr, 44 with 300, 45 with 300. All loaded over stout charges of H110.
The exception to hard cast would now be the hard to find Speer .44 Gold Dot JSP or the Speer .452 Deep Curl JSP. These have worked for me on deer and hogs out of 44 and 45 handguns with reliable penetration.
Full disclosure, never shot a bear with a handgun….
Last edited:
thomasbangs
Well-Known Member
My 44 Magnum is a 6 1/2 inch barrel S&W my uncle left me when I moved out west 46 years ago. It was made before S&W designated and stamped them Model 29's. I don't hunt with it anymore but still shoot it with target loads occasionally. I killed 3 black bears and 1 whitetail deer with it and various varmints with it. My hunting load for it is the Speer 240 grain Magnum Soft Point over 21 grains of 2400 and performs well. I never hunted elk with it although I packed it all over N. Idaho while hunting elk.
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
I prefer my 5" 629 just because it is convenient carry. Using a typical belt holster, I can sit down in a treestand or on a rock without the muzzle jamming into the seat. I liked my Ruger SRH, which has a longer bbl, but the S&W is much handier.
For ammo I use Nosler 240 JHP which I got at a good price in bulk, but for hunting bears and such, I still have a stash of Nosler 250gr Partition bullets. They get the job done.
For ammo I use Nosler 240 JHP which I got at a good price in bulk, but for hunting bears and such, I still have a stash of Nosler 250gr Partition bullets. They get the job done.
I'm primarily a bowhunter anymore, but may have to consider using the Redhawk for elk.
I shot deer with it in my youth, but never really considered it when I moved west.
Thanks for the info!!!
Bearman375
Well-Known Member
That helps a lot, thank you
