Current Project, 44 magnum!

[Guy Miner]

Needed to stock up on some more 44 magnum ammo. Only had a couple of boxes left. Rather than producing more of my normal/modest loads of Unique and a 250 gr cast bullet, I decided to use up some old components and make some full power jacketed bullet loads:

Check out the $11 price tag on the old W296 powder! :grin: I've had that can of powder a long time.

Am using some of the 600 Speer jacketed bullets I bought a while back from an old friend who isn't loading the 44 anymore. These are 240 grain soft points. I wish all the bullets I got from him were the same, but they're a mix of 200 & 240 gr bullets, hollow point and soft. All of them old Speer bullets.

They'll be getting used in my 5" 629:

I do enjoy the 44 mag. Have been loading and shooting that cartridge for over 30 years!

Guy

 

[1Shot]

Either of those bullets are good ones. With all that exposed lead the 240 SP did have a reputation back in the day as a good deer size game bullet. Back in the day I found that the 185/200 gr HPs mainly Sierra worked better on the 80 to 150 lb deer I was shooting for me. Had both the super black hawk and red hawk Rugers at one time during my 44 mag faze. Been a while though. Moved on to mainly single shot Contender in different calibers for my handgun hunting. For my heavy cal. revolver a 45LC Ruger black hawk 5 1/2" fills the bill with heavy hand loads.

 

[PJGunner]

Not sure of the year but it was 1974 or maybe 1975 that Nevada finally allowed people to hunt deer with handguns. I'd been terrorizing the local jack rabbit population since I got my Ruger Super Blackhawk 7.5" barreled .44 Mag.. I'd been working with Elmer's load, 22.0 gr. #2400 and the Lyman #429241 bullet from the start.

On opening day of that first handgun deer hunt I shot a nice fat doe through the shoulder with a 240 gr. Remington factory load. The bullet punched through the shoulder with the jacket stuck in the shoulder blade and the lead core passed on out just behind the opposite shoulder. The doe dropped on the spot. The next year I loaded up with "Elmer's load" and shot another doe almost exactly the same way as the previous one. She too dropped on the spot with the bullet exiting the off shoulder. Bullet metal was air cooled wheel weights. Since then I haven't used a jacketed bullet in my .44 Magnums for any purpose.

About the only change is I dropped Elmer's load of 22.0 gr. down to 20.0 gr. as I think there is a bit of a difference between H2400 and A2400, contrary to what Alliant says. I have used W296 but don't like the excessive muzzle blast which seems sharper than what I get with 2400. Also, the very bright flash when harassing jack rabbits at dusk is something I do not care for.
Paul B.

 

[lhsako]

I have a 6'' 629. The load I finally settled for was a 215 kieth style w/ gas check in front of AA#9.
jacketed bullets failed to penetrate wild boar back when we hunted them in the smokies and Cumberland mountains. works great on deer as well. velocity was near 1,500 as I recall.
Once I had a rather large and truculent razor back charge me in the oak timber. I double actioned
the entire cylinder into him to keep him from gaining ground on me. he was taking those hits to the end! what a tough and wonderful creature.............

 

[rodell]

I use a 255 grain, hard cast, Keith style loaded to the max in a 329PD to carry in bear country. I sure don't use it for plinking - it's a handful and I am not recoil shy. The light weight of the 329 is sure handy when you carry it all day.

I have 629's in every barrel length they made - and I prefer the 6" over everything for the mix of accuracy and carry when I hunt with the .44.

 

[wildman]

That sure is a pretty 629 Guy ,the 5 inch barrel is perfect in my humble opinion..I have a model 29 just like it other than color ..Geo.

 

[Anonymous]

I just did some evening practice with my 329....200gr XTPs over a full load of H110.

Talked about muzzle flash!

 

[JD338]

I have two 629's, one is a Classic with a 6 3/8" barrel that I use for deer hunting and the other one is my woods gun, it has a 3" barrel.
I usually run the Nosler 240 gr JHP with H110.
I've also used the 240 gr hard cast hollow points from Rim Rock Bullets. This is the "Deer Gernade" bullet that is offered by Buffalo Bore.
https://rimrockbullets.com/xcart/g-ch-4 ... r-100.html

JD338

 

[lhsako]

I have two 629's, one is a Classic with a 6 3/8" barrel that I use for deer hunting and the other one is my woods gun, it has a 3" barrel.
I usually run the Nosler 240 gr JHP with H110.
I've also used the 240 gr hard cast hollow points from Rim Rock Bullets. This is the "Deer Gernade" bullet that is offered by Buffalo Bore.
https://rimrockbullets.com/xcart/g-ch-4 ... r-100.html

JD338

>>> whats the terminal performance on deer?

 

[Guy Miner]

I have a 6'' 629. The load I finally settled for was a 215 kieth style w/ gas check in front of AA#9.
jacketed bullets failed to penetrate wild boar back when we hunted them in the smokies and Cumberland mountains. works great on deer as well. velocity was near 1,500 as I recall.
Once I had a rather large and truculent razor back charge me in the oak timber. I double actioned
the entire cylinder into him to keep him from gaining ground on me. he was taking those hits to the end! what a tough and wonderful creature.............

Nice tribute to the animal. Big ol' warrior hog!

Ya, hunted hogs with a friend who used a 10.5" Ruger Super Blackhawk. Very accurate revolver. However... He handloaded the 210 gr Sierra JHC to serious velocity... We stalked together to within 30 yards, maybe a bit closer, to several feeding hogs. One was a good sized boar. Bill rested the revolver on a branch, eared back the hammer, and let 'er rip!

I saw the impact high on the hog's shoulder! Dust & mud flew from the black animal! Then, the big pig turned and thrashed one of the smaller hogs near him, suspecting him of inflicting the injury. After that the pig went back to feeding on acorns...

Bill looked at the pig, looked at his long-barreled Ruger, and looked at me, with kind of a funny look on his face. Sagely I said "You better shoot him again." And so he did.

This time the boar was having none of it and took off in a wild flight through the brush! We were young and quick, and tore off after it. Eventually we entered a clearing, with the boar on the other side, looking at us. Gulp!

Bill aimed and let loose another thundering blast! However, he hadn't aimed real well, and the bullet sorta skidded alongside the pig's face, taking a chunk out of the ear. The pig literally reared up on his hind legs, shaking his head and whole front end from side to side. I still remember the blood flying off him!

Then he came down on all four, headed right at us!

I had my "mighty" 357 Magnum out (my only handgun back then) and Bill said "don't shoot, I want him!" Then boom! This turned the pig. I don't recall where it hit. Finally with the pig broadside and running away Bill shoots again. The bullet manages to sneak in through the ribcage, into the vitals and the pig pitched forward, dead. Whew!

I'd kinda been looking for a tree I could climb.

Only that last bullet from Bill's revolver had actually made it through the mud, hide, gristle, into the heart/lung area. The 210 gr Sierra JHC's had flattened out and stopped.

With the boar field dressed and hanging we enjoyed lunch, then went back out to see about finding a pig for me. I'd never hunted them before. I went to the truck, put my 357 away, got out my Ruger 77 300 Win mag rifle! Hah!

One shot, a 180 gr Nosler Partition through his heart, and the pig was down.

Yes! I liked that a lot better. This was about 1986. Now, at that point I started reading every doggone 44 mag handloading & hunting article I could find. Got myself a 7.5" Super Blackhawk and started my 30+ year affair with the 44 mag. What a great cartridge. Tried the Ruger Single Action revolvers twice, found that they don't get along well with my hand, not when loaded stout.

Learned that the Smith & Wesson 29 & 629 treated my hands much better. Am on my third, and bought it some time ago. I love the feel & look of the 5" barreled 629. It's only taken a couple of does for me, each time with FACTORY (I know, sorry) 240 gr Federal American Eagle jacketed hollow point bullets. Performance at about 1250 fps was excellent.

I've messed with 44 bullets from 180 - 300 grains and for me, the 44 seems to work best with roughly a 250 gr hard cast bullet.

Three of us went bear hunting in 2016. One fellow, on his first bear hunt, shot a bear with 150 gr ammo from his 30-06 and it took off into the brush. My experienced hunting buddy and I followed it into the brush, he had his 44 mag Ruger Redhawk in hand. I know it was loaded stout, I think he said the hard cast bullets were 310 grains. He clobbered that bear at about 4 yards! One and done.

Ya, I have a lot of respect for the 44 mag. Terrific revolver cartridge!

Guy

 

[1100 Remington Man]

WHAT are you doing, I just got over that feeling, I really don't need a .44 after all.

Nice Picture Guy.

 

[Guy Miner]

WHAT are you doing, I just got over that feeling, I really don't need a .44 after all.

Nice Picture Guy.

That photo is from over 30 years ago, and I recently figured out that I'm still using the same hat! :grin:

Ya, of course you NEED a 44 magnum... :mrgreen:

 

[SJB358]

Great sorry Guy!

Agreed on the 240-250 grain bullets. They work well.

Now, I’m running 420’s in my 480 Ruger.. love those big revolvers. Handy too

 

[Darkhorse]

In 1979 I bought a 7.5" Super Blackhawk, still have it and it's still very accurate. I used to shoot only full house handloads with 240 grain Jacketed soft points. Now all I hunt with are a dwindling supply of Speer gold dot soft points, but I seldom shoot max. loads in the pistol anymore as my hands can't take it like they used to. I like 2400 for hunting but use Unique for general practice loads.
We once had 3 Ruger .44 autos. Now there's just one in the gun safe and it was my wife's. Bought it in 1980. The first deer I shot with Hornady 220 grain hollow points, it killed the deer but exited like buckshot. So on advice from a friend I tried 240 grain softpoints and started getting huge mushrooms instead of shrapnel. I load the carbines with the max. load of W296 and the 240 grain gold dot soft points.

 

[lhsako]

I have a 6'' 629. The load I finally settled for was a 215 kieth style w/ gas check in front of AA#9.
jacketed bullets failed to penetrate wild boar back when we hunted them in the smokies and Cumberland mountains. works great on deer as well. velocity was near 1,500 as I recall.
Once I had a rather large and truculent razor back charge me in the oak timber. I double actioned
the entire cylinder into him to keep him from gaining ground on me. he was taking those hits to the end! what a tough and wonderful creature.............

Nice tribute to the animal. Big ol' warrior hog!

Ya, hunted hogs with a friend who used a 10.5" Ruger Super Blackhawk. Very accurate revolver. However... He handloaded the 210 gr Sierra JHC to serious velocity... We stalked together to within 30 yards, maybe a bit closer, to several feeding hogs. One was a good sized boar. Bill rested the revolver on a branch, eared back the hammer, and let 'er rip!

I saw the impact high on the hog's shoulder! Dust & mud flew from the black animal! Then, the big pig turned and thrashed one of the smaller hogs near him, suspecting him of inflicting the injury. After that the pig went back to feeding on acorns...

Bill looked at the pig, looked at his long-barreled Ruger, and looked at me, with kind of a funny look on his face. Sagely I said "You better shoot him again." And so he did.

This time the boar was having none of it and took off in a wild flight through the brush! We were young and quick, and tore off after it. Eventually we entered a clearing, with the boar on the other side, looking at us. Gulp!

Bill aimed and let loose another thundering blast! However, he hadn't aimed real well, and the bullet sorta skidded alongside the pig's face, taking a chunk out of the ear. The pig literally reared up on his hind legs, shaking his head and whole front end from side to side. I still remember the blood flying off him!

Then he came down on all four, headed right at us!

I had my "mighty" 357 Magnum out (my only handgun back then) and Bill said "don't shoot, I want him!" Then boom! This turned the pig. I don't recall where it hit. Finally with the pig broadside and running away Bill shoots again. The bullet manages to sneak in through the ribcage, into the vitals and the pig pitched forward, dead. Whew!

I'd kinda been looking for a tree I could climb.

Only that last bullet from Bill's revolver had actually made it through the mud, hide, gristle, into the heart/lung area. The 210 gr Sierra JHC's had flattened out and stopped.

With the boar field dressed and hanging we enjoyed lunch, then went back out to see about finding a pig for me. I'd never hunted them before. I went to the truck, put my 357 away, got out my Ruger 77 300 Win mag rifle! Hah!

One shot, a 180 gr Nosler Partition through his heart, and the pig was down.

Yes! I liked that a lot better. This was about 1986. Now, at that point I started reading every doggone 44 mag handloading & hunting article I could find. Got myself a 7.5" Super Blackhawk and started my 30+ year affair with the 44 mag. What a great cartridge. Tried the Ruger Single Action revolvers twice, found that they don't get along well with my hand, not when loaded stout.

Learned that the Smith & Wesson 29 & 629 treated my hands much better. Am on my third, and bought it some time ago. I love the feel & look of the 5" barreled 629. It's only taken a couple of does for me, each time with FACTORY (I know, sorry) 240 gr Federal American Eagle jacketed hollow point bullets. Performance at about 1250 fps was excellent.

I've messed with 44 bullets from 180 - 300 grains and for me, the 44 seems to work best with roughly a 250 gr hard cast bullet.

Three of us went bear hunting in 2016. One fellow, on his first bear hunt, shot a bear with 150 gr ammo from his 30-06 and it took off into the brush. My experienced hunting buddy and I followed it into the brush, he had his 44 mag Ruger Redhawk in hand. I know it was loaded stout, I think he said the hard cast bullets were 310 grains. He clobbered that bear at about 4 yards! One and done.

Ya, I have a lot of respect for the 44 mag. Terrific revolver cartridge!

Guy

Great memories ! The shoulder plate on the older boar appear to be interwoven, dense cartridge .
interwoven with Teflon.....lol. I found that my buddies black hawk easily produced better velocities but the 629 handled much more adroitly. In my paws at least.