Long range target bullet for 44 mag

[kamelryttarn]

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but I couldnt find anything when I did some searches.

I recently got my 9.5" Ruger Super Redhawk and it will be used almost exclusively for silhouette shooting. I am looking for a really good bullet mould that will give excellent accuracy at 200 yards and retain enough energy to knock down the rams with ease. Since the cylinder of the SRH is quite long (I've been told it's longer than most 44 magnums) I want a bullet that takes full advantage of this

Is a hollow base bullet more accurate in flight than a flat base? What's the preferred nose shape? Is a hollow base bullet (made from linotype) suitable for the gas pressures of a magnum load or am I better of with a flat base and gas checks? I just assumed that the longer bullet shape of a hollow base with the same weight as a flat base would automatically give a better bullet coefficient and therefore better flight and accuracy.

[Wayne Smith]

I can address the base issues. At these pressures you would blow every skirt off. You want GC boolits or FB boolits. For the other issues simply do a search for everything 44Man and Lloyd Smalley have written and enjoy!

[Tom Myers]

Since the cylinder of the SRH is quite long (I've been told it's longer than most 44 magnums) I want a bullet that takes full advantage of this.

Just what is the distance from the front face to the rear face of the cylinder in the Super Redhawk? I am curious as to what the maximum cartridge length would be for a 44 Magnum in this firearm.

Also a hollow base bullet will have a lower ballistic coefficient that a solid base with the same length and profile. Ballistic Coefficient will vary in direct proportion to the weight of a bullet assuming that the profile does not change.
Also, increasing the length of a cast bullet seems to reduce the ballistic coefficient. probably because of the added drag caused by the grease grooves along the sides of the bullet as it move through the air.

[Blammer]

flat base or GC will be what you want.

I have found my best accuracy with round nose or trun cone designs, of course I only shoot to 100 yds

[high standard 40]

I can address the part of your question about a bullet that has enough retained energy to reliably take targets.

Any 44 slug that shoots accurately will take the rams down. Find a combination that is accurate and the rams will fall.

[kamelryttarn]

Just what is the distance from the front face to the rear face of the cylinder in the Super Redhawk? I am curious as to what the maximum cartridge length would be for a 44 Magnum in this firearm.

Also a hollow base bullet will have a lower ballistic coefficient that a solid base with the same length and profile. Ballistic Coefficient will vary in direct proportion to the weight of a bullet assuming that the profile does not change.
Also, increasing the length of a cast bullet seems to reduce the ballistic coefficient. probably because of the added drag caused by the grease grooves along the sides of the bullet as it move through the air.

I don't have the exact numbers here right now but it was roughly 44.2mm (about 1,74 inches)

[kawalekm]

I played around with extended length cartridges in .44 magnum and this is what I ended up with.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/kawalekm/1750length240grainbullet.jpg
I took a plain old jacketed 240 grain hollowpoint and added a second crimping grove with a canneluring tool bought from www.ch4d.com. The extra space inside allowed me to load up to 26.5 grains of H110 that pushed this bullet at 1900fps in my Marlin rifle. It's OAL is 1.750" extended. Any longer and it wouldn't feed out of the Marlin's tube magazine.

It's an excellent load, accurate, and I used it to harvest this last year's deer. One shoot at 60 meters and I've got venison in the freezer.

[44man]

Don't worry about it! Any 240 gr bullet/boolit will take down a ram.
Look only for accuracy and the truncated cone or RNFP is far more accurate then a Keith style. Any boolit from 240 to 280 gr would be my choice because heavier will have more drop. I really like the 265 gr RD boolit. A good 250 gr would be great too.
Accuracy first before anything else for silhouette.

[bobthenailer]

the most accurate cast bullet out of my 44 mags beyond 50 yards is the rcbs 240 silhouette bullet it has a gas ck and will be heaver in WW as they spec the weight of 240 gr with linotype alloy.

[fredj338]

I used to shoo the RCBS 240grGC Sil bullet when I was shooting met.sil. Accurate, semi pointed FP, driven @ 1500fps, carried well to the 200m mark. Saeco makes a 265grRNFP w/o th GC that would work very well @ 1400fps or so.

[stubshaft]

I used to shoo the RCBS 240grGC Sil bullet when I was shooting met.sil. Accurate, semi pointed FP, driven @ 1500fps, carried well to the 200m mark. Saeco makes a 265grRNFP w/o th GC that would work very well @ 1400fps or so.

Both of these boolits work great for silly wett. I used the RCBS in my 10"SBH and the SAECO in my DW 445SM.

[TCLouis]

The Lee C429310 GC is the most accurate boolit I have shot out of my SRH. That said, the nose shape requires that tha t I seat deep to the top cannelure to get the round to chamber. The cylinders forcing cone controls C.O.A.L. long before the cylinder does.

YMMV.

[buck1]

Saeco # 432 265gr.GC
This is a great long range boolit!!I highly recomend it!!!...Buck

[fourarmed]

I shoot a .41 in silhouette, but I have beaten a lot of .44s. Most any decent bullet will work out to 100. At 200, it is very difficult to make the lighter bullets group well enough. Go with a heavyweight. If you don't have enough rear sight travel to get on, use a lower front.

[leadman]

I've shot the Lee 310 RFN GC quite a bit a 200 yards. Accuracy is very good and still have alot of punch at that range.
Don't know about a SRH, but the SBH may have to have the rear sight screw shortened unless velocity is over 1,250fps or so to get enough elevation.
Both of my SBHs rear sight screw would hit the cylinder if velocity was down around 1,050 fps. This velocity shot thru the chest of an elk at 75 yards with no problem.