Elk Loads for Beartooth 265 gr. WFNGC in .44 Magnum?

[brassell31]

I was given a couple boxes of Beartooth 265 gr. WFNGC .432 diam. bullets several years ago that were leftover from an estate sale. I have been experimenting with them lately to use for an elk hunting load for a late,late (Dec. thru Jan.) season cow elk hunt on private land. Normally I use a .300 mag rifle and call it grocery shopping, but I got a moose last year and have plenty of meat in the freezer. So, to make it a little more challenging, I decided to use my scoped .44 mag Redhawk (7-1/2" barrel) and turn it into more of a hunt. Maximum range is going to be 100 yds. or closer. I've loaded up to 24.0 gr. of 296 so far to get about 1216 fps. Does anyone know how fast I could push this bullet and with what load? Similar to a jacketed bullet of the same weight? I have lots of 296 and H110 powder. I used a plug gauge on the cylinder mouth, all cylinders measured .231". The groups I have been shooting off the bench are typically around 6" at 100 yds. with these bullets.

[versa-06]

I like a good challenge too. But I want my 44 mag. to rest on my shoulder. Just Me! I hope you conquer your quest & then tell us all about it. Go for it!

[00buck]

Big heavy slow boolits kill em deader.
I don’t know how fast you can push those boolits… and I think they will work just fine where you’re at now.
That’s a hand cannon!

[BigboreShooter]

00Buck,
I’m a little surprised at that low of velocity, with 24grs W296.I would of expected velocity well north of 1300fps . With cast bullets I’ve had my best luck with Alliant 2400. Your load will do the job, but I would want something close to 1400fps. Just my two cents.
BigboreShooter

[Brett Ross]

I have a Blackhawk in 45 colt I have been wanting to take a white tail with, here in Iowa, for years. My hinderance is not Boolit load or cylinder throats (doug guy fixed that) but the nut pulling the trigger.
Tony

[siamese4570]

That should be plenty fast. I was playing with the Lee 310-44 boolit at 1100 fps. I was shooting thru water filled milk jugs and couldn't stop it with 12 jugs. That's 6' of penetration
Granted elk aren't made of milk jugs but I'd bet it would shoot thru an elk from about any angle.
Siamese4570

[brassell31]

That little velocity with that much powder has me a bit concerned, too. Most of the load data I can find for similar weight bullets, both cast and jacketed, exceed 1300 fps with that much W296. I'm not a stranger to shooting cast bullets, been casting for 40 years now. It's just that shooting a gas check bullet in my .44 with a hot load is something I've never done before, I mostly shoot jacketed bullets when working with higher velocities in that caliber.
I will be carrying a .44 Mag Ruger Carbine for backup if needed, it reaches out to 200 yds.

[sixshot]

That big bullet at 1200+ is going to be just fine. At 100 yds or less I'd just be worried about hitting another elk behind the one you're shooting at because that bullet is going to exit from any angle. I just passed up a shot the other night on a cow because of that very reason, there were other elk standing behind her. And this was with a FA 41 magnum & a 250 WFN, I never recover a bullet.

Dick

[TurnipEaterDown]

If that Beartooth 265gr WFNGC is an LBT design, yes, it will exceed 1200 reliably out of a Ruger 7.5" 44 Mag.
With the 44 Rem Mag / 260 WFNGC LBT (50/50 lube) I had very good loads of WC820 @ 20.5 gr (1270 fps, 2.5" groups 50 yd), W296 @ 24 gr (did not Chrono, sub 2" at 50 yds).
I did not have luck w/ 2400 paired with the 260 WFNGC LBT, groups exceeded 5" at 50 yd from 18-20 gr.
Friend shot some deer w/ this 44 Rem Mag 260 LBT / WC820 load some 20 years ago, and it did OK, though not as good as a 240 XTP.

[Larry Gibson]

I also am somewhat surprised at that low velocity. I use 23 gr of H110 under a 270 gr 423640HP which runs 1349 fps out of my Ruger FTBH with 6 1/2" barrel.

That being said, if you are happy with your load that 265 gr WFNGC bullet 1200+ fps will do fine on elk out to 100 yards. The trick is you must put that bullet in the right place.

[lar45]

Your Redhawk is a very strong gun and will easily handle heavy loads. I used to load a Super Redhawk with 330s @ 1500+ fps with compressed charge of 296. I am not suggesting that you go this hot, I probably should not have.
If I were in your position, I would load for accuracy first. I might start where you are at and go up slowly to 100% load density and look at the targets for your answer.

[megasupermagnum]

Something doesn't sound right. I don't shoot it much since I don't like the recoil, but my Redhawk is really accurate with a 350gr FNFP and 21.5 gr H110. That is about 1200 fps from my 5.5" barrel.

My favorite load is a 265gr Keith bullet and 13gr Bluedot for about 1225 fps. That would be my choice for elk, but it turns out South Dakota is really stupid yet, requiring 1700 ftlb at the muzzle. Get this though, my 54 caliber muzzleloader scout pistol shooting a 230gr ball is perfectly legal.

[rockrat]

Are you using a magnum primer with your load?

[brassell31]

CCI 350 magnum primer. Powder is good, checked it with a proven load, chronographed right on the money.

[quilbilly]

In my 50 cal. muzzleloader I used a 265 gr. 429 SWC boolit in a sabot for elk for more than a decade. The MV is about 1550 fps. I decided early on that my maximum range for an elk with that boolit was where the terminal velocity declined to 1050 to 1100 fps. That boolit was (is) absolutely devastating on elk. In one case it lifted a 600# elk completely off the ground with hooves rotating skyward before smoke obscured the view. The boolit obviously hit a large bone in the shoulder and the elk was DRT. Once you get below 1100 fps, ballistically the boolit doesn't slow down very quickly so you are probably good to just over 100 yards if you can shoot accurately.

[Three44s]

I would not worry about that reading of 1216 FPS for the time being.

If it were me and I wanted any more out of my gun I would perhaps whittle the group size just a smidge. With my 7.5” Redhawk it seemed that while 296 seemed a bit cleaner, H110 was a little more accurate. It was not very scientific however because I was firing on a gopher mound at about 180 yds from the hood of a pickup, launching the Lee 310 gr. GC at it.

Three44s

[megasupermagnum]

I would not worry about that reading of 1216 FPS for the time being.

If it were me and I wanted any more out of my gun I would perhaps whittle the group size just a smidge. With my 7.5” Redhawk it seemed that while 296 seemed a bit cleaner, H110 was a little more accurate. It was not very scientific however because I was firing on a gopher mound at about 180 yds from the hood of a pickup, launching the Lee 310 gr. GC at it.

Three44s

H110 and W296 are the same powder, same plant, same assembly line, same bottle. The label is the only difference. Other than a couple years in the 60's, it's always been that way.

24gr H110/W296, a 265gr bullet, and a 7.5" revolver, velocity should be up around 1400 fps.

[BigboreShooter]

1400fps is what I would expect with a cast bullet.
BigBoreShooter

[brassell31]

Well, I boosted the powder charge to 25 grains and averaged just under 1300 fps. I think I'll call that good. A Speer Gold Dot 270 gr. with 24 grains shoots at 1400 fps in the same gun. Go figure.

[megasupermagnum]

If it shoots good, don't worry about it.