Need some help

[Tallison1911]

Hello, new to the website and casting. I've got a Ruger Super Redhawk in 44 mag with a 7 1/2" barrel. I'm shooting classic 245 gr. Kieth style bullets at about 1307 f.p.s. with a brinell hardness of about 14 made from air cooled range scrap. I have no doubt in my mind they will be sufficient for deer, my question is how about black bear, hogs, and maybe elk. Any help would be appreciated and thanks.

[Nobade]

Under 100 yards, properly placed, no problem.

[725]

+1 @ Nobade. Welcome to the site.

[Tallison1911]

Thank you, I'm happy to be here hoping to learn a lot. I've got several handguns that I have bullet molds for. With the cost of ammunition I'm hoping to only buy what I have to for reloading.

[Barry54]

Welcome to the forum!
Where are you located?

44 mag 240 and heavier pass through feral hogs when I found test subjects.

Beware of the 30/30 rule on this site. Stay out of the swapping and selling section until then. Avoid the temptation!

[Tallison1911]

Northern Illinois, I must have missed the 30/30 rule. Only been on the sight less than a day.

[quilbilly]

Under 100 yards, properly placed, no problem.

Ditto

[Dom]

As a normal routine , I carry a Ruger Redhawk , 44mag, 51/2"bBL., Whenever I am out on the property working. We live on large acreage. Always loaded with a 300grgr + bullet. We have real bear threats here. If you ever see a mature black, or even a half grown griz face to face you will want a bazooka. Be very aware , when it comes to bears, penetration is critical. You may have to place a shot from an acute angle, which cam mean penetrating ,dense, heavy bone. One thing to make a rib cage shot from a distance, but quite a bit more difficult to make an angled shot with only a matter of 4 to 5 seconds. A charging bear is a very determined mass of fearsome muscle & bone. Heavy bullets mean more mass , which means , deeper more reliable penetration. Stopping a mature bear in it's tracks . is indeed, close to a miracle. The 44 mag is on me, & the shot gun with slugs sets on the ATV close by. I would carry a larger revolver like a .454, but cant handle the recoil & place shots as accurately as with the 44mag. Don't go half way. Use all the power you can handle accurately....

[35 Rem]

Northern Illinois, I must have missed the 30/30 rule. Only been on the sight less than a day.

It means you have to have been a forum member for 30 days and have 30 posts before you can participate in the Swapping and Selling portion of the forum. It keeps scammers from easily taking advantage of members.

[Tallison1911]

Thank you,

[LenH]

Welcome aboard, keep in mind FIT IS KING all else secondary. Sounds like you are loading for full house loads.

My brother's FIL was an appliance repair man his 30/30 rule was 30 days or 30 feet which ever came first,when he fixed something for me.
The end of his driveway was nearly 30 feet.

[Bazoo]

Howdy and welcome to the forum.

[405grain]

Welcome to the forum. Though a 44 magnum would be fine for deer, pigs, and black bears, I would think that it would take a skilled hunter and marksman to choose it for elk. Yes, it can be done - but there are better choices. Many people think that the 44 magnum is more than adequate for such large game, but would consider hunting the same animal with a 30-30 Winchester to be under-gunned in spite of the 30-30 having more energy at 100 yards than a 44 mag has at the muzzle. A good hunter needs to be respectful of the game they're stalking, and do all that they can to humanely dispatch their quarry. To take an elk with a 44 mag revolver you'd have to be a very confident marksman.

[Tallison1911]

I completely agree, with you about marksmanship, which is why I practice extensively and wouldn't dream of taking a shot at an animal that I knew without a doubt I could make. I was just wondering if the combination that I was using was practical for the species mentioned.

[TurnipEaterDown]

Welcome to the forum. Though a 44 magnum would be fine for deer, pigs, and black bears, I would think that it would take a skilled hunter and marksman to choose it for elk. Yes, it can be done - but there are better choices. Many people think that the 44 magnum is more than adequate for such large game, but would consider hunting the same animal with a 30-30 Winchester to be under-gunned in spite of the 30-30 having more energy at 100 yards than a 44 mag has at the muzzle. A good hunter needs to be respectful of the game they're stalking, and do all that they can to humanely dispatch their quarry. To take an elk with a 44 mag revolver you'd have to be a very confident marksman.

Only problem I see w/ 44 on Elk is trajectory at range, and bullet selection (forget the jacketed HP).

Energy is a very poor estimator of terminal effect on game animals, as has been written about on many occasions by many experts, and why there are other predictive formulas (that also have their own issues).

While everyone understands the effect of hole through vital organ(s) is the goal for "clean" (whatever that is) kills, many people really misunderstand velocity as a component of the "whole deal" - great for range estimation error reduction, but the flip side is that more striking velocity (in excess of that required) reduces penetration. It is rather complex with bullet materials, form (hp or not, etc.), jacket thickness, etc. etc.

I had the opportunity to kill 2 Bison under nearly identical conditions - 50 cal pistol (450 gr, 20+ BHN FN, 1450 fps muzzle) and 35 cal rifle (310 gr Woodleigh bonded, 2225 fps), 20 yds give or take both instances. The pistol did a Far better job at disrupting "important stuff" and visual effect. At about 1/2 the energy of the 35 rifle bullet (which I have on the shelf) the 50 cal pistol bullet sailed through and somewhere out into the prarrie beyond. The hole in the animal was bigger as well when I used the 50.

The handgun is very range limited in the usual revolver/pistol form. Switching to a longer barrel single shot makes up some of the deficiency.
Me, Deer - 100 yds w/ 44 revolver, maybe 140 w/ Contender.

Larry Kelly shot elephant w/ the 44, and while I consider the method to border on stunt shooting (wait for charge, center brain front at very short yardage, step out of the way as the carcass skidded to a halt), it did prove the point that the terminal effect doesn't lack at appropriate distances. Pretty big head hanging in MagnaPort International lobby.

JD Jones hunted a lot of stuff, and one of his catchy marketing quips on one of the bigger cartridges for the Contender (think it was the 475 JDJ, which was no flat shooter) was '...large animals fall down quickly'. From what I have seen, it's indeed true, and satisfying to watch.

[Tallison1911]

Really appreciate the help, hopefully others will also benefit from this post as well.

[Jim22]

I think 100 yards with a handgun is pretty iffy. The problem is that handguns are difficult to shoot accrately compared to a rifle. I have killed game up to and including caribou with a handgun - a 12" Contender in .375 super mag.. I was not impressed. Had to finish her off with a .44 mag. This was at less that 40 yards from a creedmore position. Your mileage may vary.

Jim

[slim1836]

I'm confused and have to confess I have not read the rules in quite some time concerning the 30/30 rule. I could be wrong (many, many, times in the past), however, I thought one could buy on S&S with less that 30 meaningful posts but not sell. Someone set me straight.

Slim

[Bass Ackward]

I don’t know. I believe you need to be careful and err on the side of safety. If you do decide to take the shot, hide behind a large rock in case it bounces off.

[sureYnot]

The rule says required to sell.