Load recommendations for my .44 mag.

[Silentstalker]

I have never loaded for the 44 mag before. It is a Ruger redhawk with a 7.5" barrel. Can anyone give me suggestions for it? I have a pound of Alliant 2400. I want to kill an elk with it one day. I am thinking 240 gr. bullet.

How about suggestions for a cheap plinking "fun" load and a load for elk under 75 yards or so?

 

[Darkhorse]

I use 2400 for mid range and some heavy loads and Unique for the light ones. The 2014 Alliant data gives 21. grains of 2400 as max.
I use WW 296 for my max loads in my Ruger carbine. This is a powder that must not be used for reduced loads. Winchester only gives 2 loads for the 240 gr. and W296, 22gr. starting load and 23 gr. max load. At one time this was THE hot load for the 44 mag.
There are probably better powders out there but I've been loading and shooting the .44 mag. for around 40 years and I'm sort of rooted in the past.

 

[Silentstalker]

Thank you. What bullets would you recommend for mule deer and the occasional elk? I will look into W296. Seems like if its working for you, it just might work for me!

 

[big rifle man]

I've been using 22.8 grains of 296 behind a 240 grain XTP for as long as I can remember. I shoot that load out of my Deerstalker carbine and my old Ruger super Blackhawk. If you can find H110 that will work just as good. 240 grain softnose with the same load worked great for me on larger game.

 

[Silentstalker]

Nice, I have read about that H110 also. I will watch for it.

 

[Darkhorse]

I use a 240 gr. softpoint. I prefer the speer gold dot when I can find them. I would use them for elk due to the performance I've gotten in the past on wild hogs. But many people today are using heavier, hard cast bullets for elk sized game. Little to no expansion but really deep penetration.
All I've shot with my .44's are whitetail deer and wild hogs so I can't really speak as to elk. But surely someone else will chip in.

 

[Vince]

I'm using a cast bullet, 240ish grains pushed by Accurate Number 9 and it does quite well.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[Silentstalker]

Some great input here. Are there any particular cast bullets I should look into over another?

 

[JD338]

I run H110 in my S&W 629 Classic as well as Marlin 1894.
Current load in both is 23.0 grs H110 and a Nosler 240 gr JHP.

For elk, I would go with the Nosler 300 gr JHP. If you can find some,
the 250 gr Partition would be perfect.

JD338

 

[cloverleaf]

ELK! really? Not being critical here. Just in need of an education I guess. Ive seen WT Deer pretty much walk away from a 357. I understand that this is about shot placement. But honestly if I said I was going after Elk w/ my 250 Savage and some 100 Gr PT's some one here would likely take me to task. Maybe rightly so. Does the 44Mag have that kind of energy and muscle? What would your effective range look like? I could look up the numbers myself but what fun would that be? CL

 

[FOTIS]

Troy,


#'s sometimes lie. People have taken Cape buffalo with their 44 mags.
Same thing with the 45-70 with 525 grain bullets doing 1300 fps. The energy #'s ain't there but they do kill nicely.

https://beartoothbullets.com/open_sight ... ght.htm/21


20 gr H110 or win 296 (same powder) with the 300 gr XTP. One load for everything.

 

[cloverleaf]

Troy,


#'s sometimes lie. People have taken Cape buffalo with their 44 mags.
Same thing with the 45-70 with 540 grain bullets doing 1300 fps. The energy #'s ain't there but they do kill nicely.


20 gr H110 or win 296 (same powder) with the 300 gr XTP. One load for everything.

Point taken- a 12 ga slug must be about that weight and velocity. I wouldn't want to hunt elk with that necessarily, but it could be done. I think I'd have more faith in the 44. CL

 

[FOTIS]

If under 75 yards (for me) that slug would hammer an elk.

 

[Silentstalker]

Just so my intentions are clear, I am looking to hunt for a cow or spike elk in the future as I get more familiar with this gun and my shot distance would be no more than 50 yards. Most likely over a well used trail or waterhole.

I will most likely start with antelope, deer, and or javelina.

I have killed plenty of elk and have the utmost respect for them. I plan to shoot a lot and keep my distance to where I can keep all my shots inside a paper plate or even smaller. I believe that a big hole through a broadside elk will kill it everytime.

I appreciate the help and insight.

 

[big rifle man]

cloverleaf, bullet mass (weight) has a lot to do with efficient performance on game. The old buffalo rifles never pushed bullets too fast but try standing in front of a 500 grain bullet and you'll get the message. (just joking on the front portion). Seriously, bullet mass is the key.

 

[cloverleaf]

Of course, lots of variables involved in discussions about "killing power". Thanks for indulging my question, Not to high jack a thread, Ive shot a .44 some. They are awesome. Best of luck, enjoy. CL

 

[Silentstalker]

No worries, I appreciate the conversation! Thanks!

 

[RiverRider]

As an alternate, I'd suggest Accurate 4100 for full-power loads. I found outstanding accuracy very easily using 20.0 grains to push a Lyman 429421. I haven't chronographed that load but it should be turning in a little over 1300 fps. It should be a fairly low-pressure proposition, too, because there's almost 1-1/2 grains of headroom according to the Western Powders data.

 

[NWBlacktail]

20 gr H110 or win 296 (same powder) with the 300 gr XTP. One load for everything.

That's my exact load, for a Ruger 7.5" Super Redhawk. One thing about running the 300+ grain bullets, you may need to get a taller front sight. Easy enough with the super redhawk, it's just a push pin quick change system. And front sights are cheap.

Anyway, just something to keep in mind.

 

[Charlie-NY]

If you could locate some (discontinued) Nosler 250gr Partitions you would be well armed. However, it's unlikely that you'll find any so I'd suggest a 265gr WFN hard cast bullet. Flat nose bullets create a significant amount of tissue damage without the need for rifle-like velocity. It's highly likely that you will not recover a 265gr cast bullet from an elk. I'd use a max charge of Win 296 or H110 which are (reportedly) the same powder in different containers. Both work great for maximum velocity in a 44 mag.
I don't like heavier bullets for the reason mentioned above; you'll need to raise the front sight.