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.44 ammo for hunting

asquires
I was out today sighting in my 44 rifle for gun season .I started out w/some 180gr then I shot a few 240 gr. My question is which load would do the job for deer hunting the 180 hollow point or the 240 hollow point?
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • Cubslover
    240gr Federal Fusion or Hornady XTP
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  • savage170
    I've had real good results with remington 270 grain corelocks
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  • LesWVa
    Just depends on how big of a hole you wish to make and how much meat you wish to waste should you make a bad shot.

    Factory loads. I normally go with 240 Grain JHP American Eagle made by Federal. My main attraction to them is I can get them from a local dealer for $19.00 a box (50).

    If I were truly concerned about the ammo or if a .44 can cleanly kill deer. I would get nothing but Federal Fusion in either grain.
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  • surekill
    The 180's will work just fine.
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  • SCorvers
    Personal experience tells me to use 240's for deer. The 180's expand too fast and leave a shallow wound channel.
    So...240 HP's or SP's is the way to go.
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  • allen griggs
    I was with my buddy Gary when he shot a big doe with a .44 mag. He had that little Ruger carbine.
    The doe was going away from him, and he shot the doe in the butt. I wouldn't have taken that shot, but that was Gary.
    The bullet went through one ham, went more or less above the guts, and traveled diagonally through both lungs. We found the slug when we skinned the deer, it was just under the skin at the opposite shoulder. The deer dropped dead.
    After seeing that performance, I would not have hesitated to shoot the biggest buck with that bullet.
    He was shooting a big slug, it was either 225 gr or 240 gr, not a hollowpoint. It was an all lead blunt nosed slug, not copper jacketed, I don't recall what make.
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  • asquires
    thx for the info!
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  • iwannausername
    For a semi like the original Ruger carbines (didn't they make 'em in lever and bolt fairly recently) you should only use jacketed ammo, to keep lead from fouling up the gas system.
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  • kissgoodnight
    Your only problem IMO is range for the 44mag. I would go with 180. It has all the power you need for deer and will get a little better range.
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  • allen griggs
    Gary had that little Ruger semi auto. Cute little carbine.
    He wouldn't have known that his all lead slugs could be harmful to the gun. He didn't fire it much anyway, five or ten shots at the range, and then only when deer hunting.
    That slug was hell on the deer, though.
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