Your Best Handgun Hunting Bullet For The 44 Mag/44Spl

[jwp475]

Just 21 gr with my 330 gr Lloyd. You and JWP are so correct for large animals but I use the same on deer. They are not easy to kill. No soft hollow points for me. My deer loads will work an the largest animals too.
You fellas have seen failures on large game with HP's but destruction of meat on deer is where I draw the line. My buff loads work on deer. No way I will speed up boolits, make them soft or make a HP.

Nothing wrong with a big bullet, except recoil. I load mine the same way and keep them sighted in with big bullets that way I am covered for any size or species of game.

[35 Whelen]

I haven't used any of my .44's on small game, but have taken three deer. I completely agree with BruceB that heavy bullets, at least in my limited experience, really aren't required. I have three versions of the 429421 and reserve it for practice although if that bullets was all I had I'd use it on deer without hesitation. That said, my all time favorite bullet and the most accurate is the RCBS 44-250KT. With WW's mine drops at about 258 grs. and slices through deer even at relatively low velocities. Did I mention it's a very accurate bullet?











35W

[EDK]

My favorite HANDGUN boolit is a full wadcutter 44 for animals under 70 pounds...got a LEE, a MIHEC, and Blammer's 429352 clone. For larger animals, MIHEC 429640 or RANCH DOG 265/NOE clone or various 429421 clones. 429244 feeds in unaltered MARLIN rifles.
Pick one you like. They're all good for me.

[Lloyd Smale]

I have at least a half a dozen 44 mags at any given time. I don't need to have a one bullet fits all mentality when it comes to a 44. If I want to shoot deer I can grab a nice smith or a lighter ruger and if I want to hunt bigger game ive got 44s that are set up for big bullets but for the most part if anything bigger then deer, black bear or hogs comes along I use a bigger gun. Ive got bigger guns and its kind of silly to not use them when its an advantage. that said id bet the 99 percent of the handgun hunters here will never shoot anything bigger then a deer or pig. A 240-250 swc or lfn or wfn in that weight range at 1100-1300 fps will kill any deer, black bear or pig on the planet. Sure its not the only answer and your choice is just a viable and like I said I do have guns set up just like that. I too was caught up the the big bullet craze back in the 70s and 80s. Just had to have 300 grain and up bullets in my 44s. I got older and a bit wiser and found that elmer keiths good old 250 killed just as quick and was more fun to shoot. I doubt theres many animals that that bullet wont shoot through lengthwise if casted out of a proper alloy and launched at 1100-1300 fps. .

Just 21 gr with my 330 gr Lloyd. You and JWP are so correct for large animals but I use the same on deer. They are not easy to kill. No soft hollow points for me. My deer loads will work an the largest animals too.
You fellas have seen failures on large game with HP's but destruction of meat on deer is where I draw the line. My buff loads work on deer. No way I will speed up boolits, make them soft or make a HP.

[44man]

Why did I go heavy in the .44? Darn hard to say but it started with the 240 XTP. I shot 3 deer with it and I seen them fall after a good run. I back track every deer to where shot and I found no blood on the ground. I recovered all 3 bullets. If I was in the thick, I might have lost them.
I did not make molds then so I bought the 320 gr LBT's. It was amazing with blood all over the place and runs were around 20 to 30 yards instead of 60 to 100. Then I bought the Lee 310 and it is amazing too. My 330 gr has an ogive to fit the cone angle so is very accurate. It is a WLN but the meplat is really 79%. The boolit will not stop and does 34" of soaked paper. I would not fear shooting the largest animal with it. With around 1300 fps it is perfect. But nothing works as good as the .475 or .500 JRH to put deer on the ground at the shot with less meat damage.
I thought I used the .475 on my first deer this season but not true, I used the JRH. 4 of the five were legs up at the shot and a buck made 20 yards. The JRH is a deer bomb but I would shoot the largest buff with the same thing. Bigger is better.
My gripe is I can't make a keith shoot as accurate in any gun. It works if you hit but I can't tweak it.

[Outpost75]

Of all the people who use #429421 or its clones such as Saeco #441, how many are using it in LEVER ACTION rifles and actually get it to feed with no drips, runs or errors?

In my experience the SWCs work fine in revoilvers, but are nothing but TROUBLE in leverguns, and I am tired of jiggling the lever trying to get the things in.

I prefer a standard weight 230-250 grain ogival nosed bullet with large (0.3") meplat in the .44s. I find that bullets heavier than about 250 grains mess up the zero, so that you cannot use lighter bullets without holdover or readjusting your sights.

The 240-grainers penetrate quite well enough. I am not shooting dinosaurs. The heavier bullets don't shoot as flat and gobble more lead. I don't see the need for them.

[Lloyd Smale]

I have to agree that the swcs are a bit more difficult to work with then an lfn. Even more so in the 45s then in the 44s. That little rcbs 240 swcgc bullet is just plain a shooter though and so is the 429422 and 421. Only downfall to all three of those bullets Is there gas check bullets and you have to deal with that but the way they shoot ill deal with it. Another good swc is the lyman 330 swcgc. As to all the kieths and generic kieth swcs yes you have to play more with size, alloy and even then one gun might shoot them well and another very poorly. Don't know what it is with the 45 colt but ive always struggled with 250-260 swcs. I have one mold a discontinued version of the rcbs 255 (they made at least three versions) that seems to be a step above the rest but for the most part its 280 grain and heavier lfns for me in the 45.

Why did I go heavy in the .44? Darn hard to say but it started with the 240 XTP. I shot 3 deer with it and I seen them fall after a good run. I back track every deer to where shot and I found no blood on the ground. I recovered all 3 bullets. If I was in the thick, I might have lost them.
I did not make molds then so I bought the 320 gr LBT's. It was amazing with blood all over the place and runs were around 20 to 30 yards instead of 60 to 100. Then I bought the Lee 310 and it is amazing too. My 330 gr has an ogive to fit the cone angle so is very accurate. It is a WLN but the meplat is really 79%. The boolit will not stop and does 34" of soaked paper. I would not fear shooting the largest animal with it. With around 1300 fps it is perfect. But nothing works as good as the .475 or .500 JRH to put deer on the ground at the shot with less meat damage.
I thought I used the .475 on my first deer this season but not true, I used the JRH. 4 of the five were legs up at the shot and a buck made 20 yards. The JRH is a deer bomb but I would shoot the largest buff with the same thing. Bigger is better.
My gripe is I can't make a keith shoot as accurate in any gun. It works if you hit but I can't tweak it.