Max penetration from 44mag?

[GL49]

I was waiting for someone else to say that this might not be the best of ideas you've ever had, it doesn't seem to have happened. Now I'm going to have to rat on myself. Here's the story from 1975.
When I first got my SBH 44 magnum, I had to try this on an engine block. Since my buddy I worked with also had a 44, we worked up a whomp-em stomp-em load using hard cast boolits. Mike had the casting equipment, so we used WW's with some lino added, and nope, I can't tell you the alloy. I know it was what Mike termed as "hard".
We loaded up 50 of these using H-110 and planned to go out to some property I owned, there just happened to be an old engine block by a cabin we were going to try it on. Well, Mike couldn't go on Saturday so I went by myself. Monday morning, when I gave Mike the remaining 49 cartridges, and the remaining testing rights, I explained.
At a range of about......mmmm....., six to eight feet I picked a spot on the block I thought I could shoot through. Raised the .44, pulled the trigger, and wowee!. Since it was a hot summer day and all I had on was a T-shirt, I got the full benefit of the experience. It was as if 30 hornets decided to attack my midsection, all at the same time. Upon raising my shirt to see the bee stings, I found little silvery pieces of what had to be that doggone boolit that had come apart into a jillion pieces.
If you're going to shoot at engine blocks, don't pick a 390 block from a Ford, or at least pick a different spot than I did. Ford blocks are tougher than you might think.
Remember the part in the journals of Lewis and Clark when they were describing grizzly bear experiences and they wrote, "I find that the curiossity of our party is pretty well satisfied with rispect to this anamal..."
I pretty much had my curiosity about 44's and engine blocks...satisfied.
If you need to hear about other stupid things to do with a .44, I'll tell my stories on a need to know basis.

Make sure you're the one that gets to hold the beer.
I'll bet everyone would love to see the videos.

[lar45]

Many years ago in my younger days,,, I found some 330gn hard cast 44 bullets and proceeded to load them with a heavily compressed charge of 296 which delivered just over 1500fps from my Ruger Super Redhawk. That bullet would penetrate 18" of live green pine tree. Now I am not suggesting that you load them that hot, I never should have. If you are looking for maximum penetration, I would go with the heaviest hard cast bullet you can find. I don't have any experience with shooting engine blocks, so no help there.
Have fun and be safe.

[Lakehouse2012]

I was waiting for someone else to say that this might not be the best of ideas you've ever had, it doesn't seem to have happened. Now I'm going to have to rat on myself. Here's the story from 1975.
When I first got my SBH 44 magnum, I had to try this on an engine block. Since my buddy I worked with also had a 44, we worked up a whomp-em stomp-em load using hard cast boolits. Mike had the casting equipment, so we used WW's with some lino added, and nope, I can't tell you the alloy. I know it was what Mike termed as "hard".
We loaded up 50 of these using H-110 and planned to go out to some property I owned, there just happened to be an old engine block by a cabin we were going to try it on. Well, Mike couldn't go on Saturday so I went by myself. Monday morning, when I gave Mike the remaining 49 cartridges, and the remaining testing rights, I explained.
At a range of about......mmmm....., six to eight feet I picked a spot on the block I thought I could shoot through. Raised the .44, pulled the trigger, and wowee!. Since it was a hot summer day and all I had on was a T-shirt, I got the full benefit of the experience. It was as if 30 hornets decided to attack my midsection, all at the same time. Upon raising my shirt to see the bee stings, I found little silvery pieces of what had to be that doggone boolit that had come apart into a jillion pieces.
If you're going to shoot at engine blocks, don't pick a 390 block from a Ford, or at least pick a different spot than I did. Ford blocks are tougher than you might think.
Remember the part in the journals of Lewis and Clark when they were describing grizzly bear experiences and they wrote, "I find that the curiossity of our party is pretty well satisfied with rispect to this anamal..."
I pretty much had my curiosity about 44's and engine blocks...satisfied.
If you need to hear about other stupid things to do with a .44, I'll tell my stories on a need to know basis.

Make sure you're the one that gets to hold the beer.
I'll bet everyone would love to see the videos.

Wow that's a GREAT one! If only there was youtube back in our younger days.... I too have some of those stories to tell...

Regarding safety- I think we were only able to find a cast aluminum block of the Asian variety and plan will be some distance greater than 50 to 100 ft. Everyone will be behind cover.

[GL49]

Wow that's a GREAT one! If only there was youtube back in our younger days.... I too have some of those stories to tell...

Regarding safety- I think we were only able to find a cast aluminum block of the Asian variety and plan will be some distance greater than 50 to 100 ft. Everyone will be behind cover.

I know 45+ years ago at age 25, I got a lot smarter, a lot faster. Mike and I had planned for minimum distance/velocity loss, maximum power, we just hadn't figured in the zero brains part. That came a little later.
Sounds like you've thought it through before carrying out your plan.

[GLynn41]

tried an old Buick a few times bumper, fenders, frame no engine I too got"stung" .357 173 Keith 6" Trooper and 296
.41 mag TC LYMAN 410459 straight lino came out at 202 gr target O2 tank -- it did "hole" the tank no sign left of the bullet.. btw never touch the green tank as it turns white it will hold on to you.....
any way if cast 280 + gr? hardened, look at alloys that are tuff and hard ...add some copper powder to toughen it so I have heard ?-- may be a thread on it ..... ?
jack up vel some what... shoot for thin spots. have fun report back