Lighter/Faster Deer Load

[Hickok]

The 44-40 Winchester 200gr flat point has been used to kill Deer for a long, long time. As well as you shoot that Marlin .44 mag,no worries! If all goes right this season, I hope to christen my 44-40 on a deer with the same type bullet.

I second that fact. That 200gr RNFN will work. WIN94AE has that carbine shooting pretty good with that reload. Hope he gets a nice buck!

[Nathanj]

You've got a great rifle and load combination there. I've used everything from 180's to the 310 in my dad's old lever action Marlin and it kills every time. No telling how many deer, pigs, coyotes, and bear that gun has taken. Post up a pic when you knock one down. Hope you have a great season this year

[Win94ae]

I am just the opposite. I choose my 275 gr. WFN cast bullet over my 240 gr. WFN cast bullet for deer hunting. I like heavy versus light.

Actually, I planned on using a 300gr bullet at first, that wouldn't stabilize, then I went for the 265gr soft nose bullet; but that bullet didn't stabilize either in the 1 and 48 twist. So I have to use what works.

How dead is dead? I don't like light for caliber bullets or hollow points but deer hit with them are just as dead as the ones I shoot with heavy for caliber, large meplat bullets. I like penetration, others like the expansion and lesser penetration. Others worship at the alter of velocity, which really is overrated, but the deer are just as dead. Everyone's experience is different and some have restrictions others don't have to contend with. Shoot what you're confident with and puts a smile on your face.

I want an ethical kill, that I will recover. I weird that way. :/

[Win94ae]

I second that fact. That 200gr RNFN will work. WIN94AE has that carbine shooting pretty good with that reload. Hope he gets a nice buck!

Thank you!

You've got a great rifle and load combination there. I've used everything from 180's to the 310 in my dad's old lever action Marlin and it kills every time. No telling how many deer, pigs, coyotes, and bear that gun has taken. Post up a pic when you knock one down. Hope you have a great season this year

I will have a video of the damage and whatnot. Thank you!

[Static line]

Actually, I planned on using a 300gr bullet at first, that wouldn't stabilize, then I went for the 265gr soft nose bullet; but that bullet didn't stabilize either in the 1 and 48 twist. So I have to use what works.



I want an ethical kill, that I will recover. I weird that way. :/

I agree you have to use what works.The 1894 44 mag has a 1 in 38 twist rate. I figure you just had a typo. Yep,I heard that that twist rate isn't good for anything 300 grs. and above so I took a gamble and went with the cast bullet I use for my 77/44 also which is the 275 gr. WFN. Works just fine out of both of my rifles. That's a good bullet,to bad it doesn't work out of yours.

[sharps4590]

Wat did I say that suggested an unethical kill? Everything I mentioned will kill quickly.

[Win94ae]

Wat did I say that suggested an unethical kill? Everything I mentioned will kill quickly.

Why don't you quote me saying you said anything of the sort?

I'll just ignore those of you that can't have a conversation.

[Win94ae]

I agree you have to use what works.The 1894 44 mag has a 1 in 38 twist rate. I figure you just had a typo. Yep,I heard that that twist rate isn't good for anything 300 grs. and above so I took a gamble and went with the cast bullet I use for my 77/44 also which is the 275 gr. WFN. Works just fine out of both of my rifles. That's a good bullet,to bad it doesn't work out of yours.

I'm totally satisfied with my bullet choice.

[jimb16]

Last year my buck dropped in his tracks when I hit him with a 260 gr .45 RNFP at 50 yards. Went through the lungs. Found 1 small fragment in the deer. Velocity was around 1200 fps. Dead in his tracks is as dead as any deer needs to be.

[dangitgriff]

Fat bullets need love, too!

[Static line]

I'm totally satisfied with my bullet choice.

Well, I'm certain that your bullet will do it's part if you do yours and from what you show on your video, I do think that you are up to the task. Good luck hunting.

[sharps4590]

I agree with you, you are weird.

[Texas by God]

I fired one shot at 40 yards to check my zero. Ready for a close range deer! 200gr fp over 9 grs Unique. 1" target dot. 44 WCF/ H&R Topper

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[farmbif]

I been shooting some 432640's from an mp mold in a marlin 1894 solids are 275 grains small hollow point is 265grains and I don't shoot into paper targets they seem to as accurate as 429421's shooting at trees and stumps and blocks of wood and stuff. but 429215's I'm sure would get the job done just as well as the other bullets when loaded to full power.

[OverMax]

180 & 210 gr. are lighter and faster than a 240 but of the three 240 may be the most accurate.
Have a Ruger 44 carbine here although there are a few additional cast bullet weights used. I could only shoot those factory made mentioned prior.
Ruger 44 mag has a gas ported action. Cast lead checked or unchecked can be troublesome when either streaks its gas ported barrel. Than again having a lever action. >No problem. Experiment with them all.

[longbow]

I am surprised the 265 gr. boolit didn't stabilize... unless it was undersize.

If you are not aware, Marlins have large groove diameter so require fatter boolits than .44 mag. handguns. The SAAMI spec is 0.431" groove diameter for rifle where it is 0.429" groove for handgun. My Marlin groove diameter measures 0.4315" as best I can measure it with a slug and micrometer.

I didn't get decent accuracy from my 1894 until I got a "fat" boolit mould. My gun likes 0.433"/0.434" cast boolits and shoots those just fine if they are under about 280 grs. Fit is king! And Marlins have fat bores and slow twist!

I also wanted to used 300 gr. boolits but could not get them to stabilize much past 50 yards. I even tried some Hornady 300 gr. "J" bullets with no success ~ they were keyholing by 100 yards. I found that a fat cast 265 gr. boolit was stable to 200 yards and shot fairly accurately to that range... with lots of elevation. My Mihec 434640 at 270 grs. solid shoots well to 100 yards. It casts at 0.434" with wheelweights. I usually tumble lube and shoot as cast.

My first mould for this gun was the Lyman 429421 because the Keith semi wadcutter got such good press but it cast at 0.429"/0.430" so undersize in my gun and the SWC wouldn't feed well at all in my gun. The RNFP and TC styles feed well.

Not trying to say you should be looking for a heavier boolit, just that if it fits well a boolit of up to around 270 grs. should stabilize in 1:38" twist at max./near max. loads. If you slow it down, maybe not.

Looks like you have a load that works anyway.

Longbow

[smkummer]

I think you are maybe overthinking this. In the 70’s-80’s, it appeared to be a trend to load lighter faster bullets maybe because of the effectiveness of the 357 125 gr. HP. Then a trend years later for heavier than standard weights. I have killed deer with both a handgun/rifle in 44 mag. The 240 grain bullet fired from my Marlin at about 1600 FPS and hitting the deer at a far enough range the hear the bullet hit the deer with a “whomp” was convincing enough for me that that bullet combo is as deadly as any 30-06, 7 mm mag. or 300 win. Mag.. Those kills were in ND and small Texas deer. 2 friends can agree with the effectiveness in the So. Indiana size deer and a Marlin 44 mag. with 225/240 grain bullets.

Sure, 200 gr. bullets will work well also. I am just now working with my cherished RD 265 gr grain mold and now have the lee 431 sizer for it. Accurate and hard hitting.

[Larry Gibson]

A GC'd bullet will best serve your needs. I found the GC'd 429215 can be driven to 1800+ fps safely out of 20 - 24" barrels with excellent accuracy and deadly effect on deer out to 200 yards.

[freakonaleash]

I have killed deer with an 1860 army C&B revolver with a round ball. deer aren't hard to kill

[Kosh75287]

I'm not sure hydrostatic shock becomes an issue until the projectile exceeds Mach II. Can a cast projectile be launched that fast & still stay together?