.44 Mag for elk?

[shoot-n-lead]

sixshot...here is a link that he mentions it...but he says 1200fps here. I know the other article that I read said 1100fps.

http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/4...%20Special.pdf

[TCLouis]

250 grain, 1200 fps . . .

That was All Keith asked for in the 44 "Magnum" as I remember the stories from back then . . . and since.

I would never NEVER suggest such a thing, but modern steels, and such, may be able to harness such loads.

[SeabeeMan]

I can't comment on the loads for 44 Mag, but I would have no doubt that it is up to the task. As with all "is ______ good enough to harvest ________" threads, a badly placed shot with a .50 BMG is going to lead to an animal being wounded.

[leadman]

I shot a cow elk at 75 yards with a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 mag with the Lee 310gr boolit. This was loaded with 24grs of WC680 and the velocity was just about 1,100 fps here in Phoenix. It could have been slower since it was about 20 degrees Farenheit and we were at about 9,000 feet. The bullet went thru the lungs and missed the heart by about an inch. The elk ran about 75 yards and died.

Had not intended to use this but my friend and I were driving to another area first thing in the morning to hunt and forgot to take the rifles out of the camper shell. We spotted the elk headed to the road and I jumped out and intercepted them.

The load was my plinking load and had the Ruger loaded with them and in the tent with me the night before. Very accurate load and a slower recoil feeling.

[kobeinu]

I am certain a cast boolit in .44 weighing 240gn+ would take an elk no problem if hit appropriately. I am not a pistol hunter but in a lever it has to be sufficient. Hopefully we hear more from folks with experience.

[bobob]

I have killed several elk with the .44 Special, Keith 250 grain boolit, Lyman's 429421, at 1,200 fps all shot in my 1950 Target or .44 mags either Ruger or Smith and Wesson. All were killed with one shot in the chest at distances under 100 yards.

I have found no need for the .44 mag cases, although I shoot them.

I began with the .44 Special, 1950 Target Model. I've used the same load and never looked back.

[Sambar375WCF]

you blkes know what, I got to shoot a 44mag side by side with my .375 win, man, them 44mags are ***** cats!

it wasa rossi, 92, my 375bb had way more to say and it was only half stoked.


for elk, I spose in close 100m on bulls, 150m cows.
S3W

[bobob]

Nice rifle, Sambar375WCF.

I shoot Lyman's 375449, 270 grain boolit with gas check, sized and lubed. The velocity is 2,100 fps. There is no question, it beats the .44 mag. I shoot it in my .375 H&H mag. pre-64 Winchester, but this is a thread about the .44 mag for elk.

If one keeps one's shots in the chest and the range is under 100 yards, the .44 mag will do.

Doc Burgess

[onegunred]

bobob, you do mean 44 Mag HANDGUN for ELK, correct ? Our neighbor from down south is on a 44 mag rifle.

[bobob]

Onegunred, the first sentence of this post on this thread mentioned:

"I know that .44 pistoleros regularly take elk but, I would like to hear of some real life events while utilizing cast boolits. The reason being that I'm considering using my carbine. . ."

Many others on this thread talked about the .44 mag in HANDGUNS for hunting elk.

I simply wanted to show, as I did in my post at 5 above and 2 above, that the .44 Special, 250 grain lead boolit, 1,200 fps, in the hands of a good shot will kill an elk quickly where the shot is taken at distances under 100 yards.

I'm sure that this .44 Special load if fired in a carbine or rifle would be a good combination. If shot in a .44 mag case with the lead 250 grain, sized and lubed boolit at 1,200 fps or better, as Elmer loaded them, would also be a good choice.

[onegunred]

bobob, I am sure that you can do it. 250 gr at 1200 fps is a good load. Sorry I miss read your original post.

[DW475]

JDL, I'm using that exact bullet out of my Ruger Super Blackhawk with 10.5" barrel with exceptional results on paper to 75 yards and get complete pass through on the little Sitka Blacktails up here. I wouldn't hesitate on using that same bullet for Elk.

[JDL]

Thanks for all the replies for 9 years! An interesting thing happened shortly after my OP. My oldest grandson killed his first deer, a buck, with said carbine so I gave it to him and never did take it for elk.

[starmac]

Well geesh, you have had 9 years to take your grandson elk hunting and report back on how well it performed. Yup, you been slacking long enough. lol

[Cornbread]

I met a guy in the gym at the town closest to where I live and a 44mag lever action is all he used to use for elk, deer, and bear here in Montana. I don't know if he still does but at the time I talked with him a few years back when he first moved to town he had taken quite a bit of big game with that rifle. I'm not a 44mag person myself, I prefer 454 Casull but after seeing the results on his smart phone of all the kills he had with that 44mag I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use one. Not sure what his loads were but whatever they were they were definitely doing the job well.

[Doggonekid]

Hand gunning a elk is a great experience. What you shoot it with is secondary to where you shoot it. If hunting with a hand gun make good clean shots. Shooting a large animal in the butt and hope you find it later is not the way I like to hunt. Know your limits, and stay inside them.

[DanWalker]

I took a win 94 trapper carbine to Africa in 2012. It was chambered in 45 colt. EVERYTHING I shot with it died in very short order, including a large Gemsbok that only made it 50 yards after being hit. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...?135266-Africa!!

[44 flattop]

I've taken about two dozen elk or a few more with .44's. In revolvers, one 10" T/C and four different Marlin Cowboy's.

A good cast bullet, like those mentioned, all do a good job. As my father in law told me years ago, nothing can breathe blood and any cast bullet with a wide meplat at 1200+fps will penetrated and many times will exit. My first bull was taken with a 4" S&W at 90 yards and the velocity was 1190fps with a Remington 240gr JSP. Each one since then was with cast from 225grs to 330 using velocities between 1200 and 1750.

I should mention, these are all big coastal Roosevelt bull elk. Some of them real whoppers, too!