Handgun Hunting Rounds in .44?

[randomguy]

Hey everyone:

So I screwed up and started watching videos about revolvers. I’ve never owned one, so I started sniffing around and decided that if I was going to buy one, I might as well get one that would be suitable for deer hunting under IL’s laws. Before I knew it, I was followed home by a S&W .44 Mag. 629-1, 6” barrel, stainless, with a 30mm Barska red dot on it. Compared to what I’m seeing on Gunbroker, I got it for a very nice, but not crazy price.

Anyway, the seller gave me a couple of half boxes of ammo that he had on hand, both of which are pretty heavy loads. But my question is this. It seems like the most popular bullet is see for the job is a Hornady 240gr XTP, so is probably just look for their cartridgesz. They’re not too terrible expensive after paying for a $3 deer slug.

But for those who handgun hunt, do you practice with those loads, or just buy the cheapest range ammo you can find? And if that’s the case and I adjust the sights, can I count on the XTP’s to shoot to the same point of impact?

Thanks!


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[OkieKubota]

Practice with what you hunt with...ammunition shot accurately prints differently depending on load.

 

[catscratch]

I'm with okie on this one. Can't count on different loads having the same point of contact.

 

[Deadeye]

Really no different than using Remington Core-Loks in 165 gr to practice with, then use Winchester PP in 150 gr to go hunt with. They will not hit the same.

 

[Native Hunter]

^^^^^ What these guys said....

I will also add that just because some load seems "popular" for your type of gun doesn't mean that it will be the best or most accurate in your individual gun. Try different brands of ammo that have the correct attributes for your type of hunting, and then stick with the one that gives you the best accuracy.

 

[dogghr]

I've taken a number of deer with a 44 out to 125 yds, and as said, practice with what you hunt. A pistol is much less forgiving for a lot of reasons so best to be up to what you want to use. I've used from 180 to hand load 300 grain. Heavier grain actually gives better controlled recoil which can be a pistols nemesis for the hunter. I usually use 240 grain anymore cause I was given bunch of them, and I'm cheap. Aiming and dry firing thru the year will do almost as good as range shooting. Good luck, one of the hardest weapons to take deer with in my opinion.

 

[Buckly]

I use the Hornady 240 grain. They work well. First thing I found out about handgun hunting, ditch the red dot and get a 4 power pistol scope. Second was to modify the trigger down to 3 pounds. These things greatly enhanced my accuracy and over all experience. And if your going to shoot the 44 mag a lot for practice a gel glove saves the day.

 

[DocHolladay]

I’ve used 180gr, 240gr, and 320gr hard cast hand loads. The 320 had the least amount of recoil and the 180 had the most. I like a hard cast bullet with a wide flat meplat. I feel that it hits hard and pushes a lot of “material” as it’s traveling. I also think that it produces a shock wave causing massive damage and really pushed though bone when it comes in contact with it. The bullet will flatten slightly(depending on what it hits) causing more hydraulic/hydrostatic shock. But.... as others have said, you will need to shoot several brands of ammo with different bullets to find what your pistol likes. I would also ditch the barska red dot and get a smaller, better quality one or a fixed power scope


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[randomguy]

Thanks for the tips guys. I took it to my local indoor range and put 25 rounds thru it of the only box they had. PMC, 180gr SJHP I think. I only shot out to maybe 40’ or so. My conclusions:
* I need more practice
* I don’t like the Pachmayr grips that are on it
* The trigger in SA is super light
* During hunting, I’ll probably be wearing gloves, which is good
* I was consistently left but not terribly far off
* I need more practice

So I ordered some Hoague rubber grips that should arrive today. Went out sniffing around at some local joints looking for a Black Friday deal on ammo to try and came up totally empty. So maybe I’ll have better luck in cyber Monday.


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[Letmgrow]

If you find a cartridge you are really satisfied with, get back to the store where you bought the ammo and buy a couple spare boxes to keep on hand just for hunting, preferably from the same lot number. While normally minimal there can be variances from lot to lot.
If you want to practice with your gun you can use another cartridge. However if another cartridge prints differently make scope adjustments to compensate. When you make the adjustments record the number of clicks up, down, left or right. After practice move the scope adjustments back to where they were when you started.
Any time I change cartridges in any of my guns I clean the barrel before I shoot the gun. I want to know how a bullet performs and fighting residue from a previous different composition bullet might be a deterrent.

 

[Letmgrow]

Thanks for the tips guys. I took it to my local indoor range and put 25 rounds thru it of the only box they had. PMC, 180gr SJHP I think. I only shot out to maybe 40’ or so. My conclusions:
* I need more practice
* I don’t like the Pachmayr grips that are on it
* The trigger in SA is super light
* During hunting, I’ll probably be wearing gloves, which is good
* I was consistently left but not terribly far off
* I need more practice

So I ordered some Hoague rubber grips that should arrive today. Went out sniffing around at some local joints looking for a Black Friday deal on ammo to try and came up totally empty. So maybe I’ll have better luck in cyber Monday.


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Saying you will probably be wearing gloves makes me wonder if you will have any issues with the trigger which you say is super light.
If your gloves are heavy and your fingers are large you want to be extra cautious placing your finger into the trigger guard and onto the trigger. When hunting with a hand gun I wear a pair of gloves with the index on my trigger hand cut partially back to prevent a possible misfire. I've gotten quite used to my extremities over the years and want to keep them intact.

 

[randomguy]

Yeah I’ve been thinking about that. The trigger does seem very light to me, but remember, this is the first revolver I’ve ever owned, so it very well may be quite average. But compared to a Glock, it feels like a hair trigger to me.

Anyway, I’ve got a pair of gloves that are mechanic style gloves that I would wear for Xbow hunting and I think I already cut the index finger off. So that’s probably what I’ll use.

I got my Hoague grip today and put it on and it feels great. Gonna get some ammo ordered this weekend and punch some more holes soon.


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[Drycreek]

The trigger on an S&W can’t even be compared to a Glock. I own some of both and the single action trigger on my S&Ws are sweet, the Glocks, well, they’re what they should be for a defensive weapon.

I’m gonna go against the grain, because the cost of good hunting ammo ain’t cheap. You need a lot of practice, well do it with the cheapest stuff you can buy. Cabelas sells it by the lot in a dry-box. No need to send premium bullets down range while you are perfecting you sight picture, your grip, etc. When you get where you want to be, choose your hunting ammo carefully, resight your red dot, scope, or whatever with that ammo and go hunting. Good luck !

 

[randomguy]

The trigger on an S&W can’t even be compared to a Glock. I own some of both and the single action trigger on my S&Ws are sweet, the Glocks, well, they’re what they should be for a defensive weapon.

I’m gonna go against the grain, because the cost of good hunting ammo ain’t cheap. You need a lot of practice, well do it with the cheapest stuff you can buy. Cabelas sells it by the lot in a dry-box. No need to send premium bullets down range while you are perfecting you sight picture, your grip, etc. When you get where you want to be, choose your hunting ammo carefully, resight your red dot, scope, or whatever with that ammo and go hunting. Good luck !

I ordered a 50 round box of Magtech cheap stuff last night, and a 25 round box of the Hornady XTP hunting stuff. I figure that once I get to the bottom of the box of the cheap stuff, I can throw a few rounds of the hunting stuff for comparison and see what happens.


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[Drycreek]

I ordered a 50 round box of Magtech cheap stuff last night, and a 25 round box of the Hornady XTP hunting stuff. I figure that once I get to the bottom of the box of the cheap stuff, I can throw a few rounds of the hunting stuff for comparison and see what happens.


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Good plan ! I reload most all of my handgun hunting rounds except 10mm. Too hard to find the cases from a semi-auto If you reload, you can taylor your loads to fit your purpose and even though I’ve been shooting handguns for fifty plus years, a steady diet of heavy .44 mag or .45 Colt loads is not what I like to call fun. With reduced power loads in the .44 or standard loads in the .45 you can practice sight picture, and trigger squeeze without all the muzzle blast and recoil of full power loads. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but where accuracy is concerned, familiarity breeds satisfaction.

 

[randomguy]

On this topic still, I’ve seen some people mention that they think that the amount of felt recoil may actually be lower with a heavier bullet and more pronounced with lighter bullets. Is there any truth to this in anyone’s experience or is this an old wives tale?

I got my two boxes of ammo that I mentioned above but haven’t been able to get back to the range to shoot. Obviously my goal is to minimize recoil (and cost) during practice sessions.....

I also removed the Pachmayr grip from it and put on a nice soft Hoague that feels great. Will probably also be shooting with a glove next session since that’s presumably how I’d be shooting from a blind.


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[Drycreek]

In some instances that might be true, depending on powder charges, but generally speaking the heavier bullet will produce heavier recoil. It’s a matter of physics, and the saying that “ for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction “.

On this topic still, I’ve seen some people mention that they think that the amount of felt recoil may actually be lower with a heavier bullet and more pronounced with lighter bullets. Is there any truth to this in anyone’s experience or is this an old wives tale?

I got my two boxes of ammo that I mentioned above but haven’t been able to get back to the range to shoot. Obviously my goal is to minimize recoil (and cost) during practice sessions.....

I also removed the Pachmayr grip from it and put on a nice soft Hoague that feels great. Will probably also be shooting with a glove next session since that’s presumably how I’d be shooting from a blind.


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[randomguy]

In some instances that might be true, depending on powder charges, but generally speaking the heavier bullet will produce heavier recoil. It’s a matter of physics, and the saying that “ for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction “.

Yeah, I’m is big fan of that Newton guy and that logic always made sense to me.... We’ll see what happens when I finally get to throw some of these down range!


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[KSQ2]

My dad hunted for several years with a .357. More recently he went to a muzzleloader pistol, which he LOVES hunting with. He takes the .357 now just for follow-up shots if needed. So far he hasn’t needed any. I admire anyone who likes a challenge, especially during rifle season. Good luck with the .44!

 

[Mennoniteman]

Hey everyone:

So I screwed up and started watching videos about revolvers. I’ve never owned one, so I started sniffing around and decided that if I was going to buy one, I might as well get one that would be suitable for deer hunting under IL’s laws. Before I knew it, I was followed home by a S&W .44 Mag. 629-1, 6” barrel, stainless, with a 30mm Barska red dot on it. Compared to what I’m seeing on Gunbroker, I got it for a very nice, but not crazy price.

Anyway, the seller gave me a couple of half boxes of ammo that he had on hand, both of which are pretty heavy loads. But my question is this. It seems like the most popular bullet is see for the job is a Hornady 240gr XTP, so is probably just look for their cartridgesz. They’re not too terrible expensive after paying for a $3 deer slug.

But for those who handgun hunt, do you practice with those loads, or just buy the cheapest range ammo you can find? And if that’s the case and I adjust the sights, can I count on the XTP’s to shoot to the same point of impact?

Thanks!


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I was also followed home by this ruger super redhawk hunter 44 magnum

I shoot Winchester 240 gr. Jacketed Soft Point loads in the white box, these are more accurate than I am.