Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 240 grain jacketed bullet in .44 mag for hunting?

OK, so here is the deal. I have been testing some .44 mag loads (JHP, JHC, Full jacket, etc,) The full jacketed 240 grain bullet was VERY accurate at 50 yards. I was wondering if anybody has ever deer hunted with a FMJ round in a pistol. I am leary of using it but wondered if it might work?

What say ya'll.

If you can find them the 240 grain soft point is all you need to kill anything in the lower 48 including the baddest bears you ever were to run into.

Save the heavier stuff to prove your manhood or kill T Rex.

I don't know all of the states' game laws but most I've read do not allow FMJ ammo for hunting.

Assuming one does, if the FMJ was a flat point then it would act about the same as a hard cast bullet with a similar size meplat at similar velocity.

OK, let's settle this bit of mis-information in the United States all handgun ammo that is legally sold int his country meets the legal definition of an"expanding bullet". Under the Obama administration the ATF has shut down the production at Barnes and other maker of any "solids" that are made for rifle calibers that also have handgun cartridges in the same calibers

240jsp Winchester white box, one shot at 80ish yards....10 yard dash.



Killed another with the hardcast fat meplat, very dead, but for deer, I choose the jsp. Never used a hp although I carried them many a time and would use it.

They would but most meplats are smaller on jacketed.
There are some good 240 gr that open too fast at .44 mag velocities and limit penetration plus can leave poor blood trails. The 240 XTP never made me happy because I recovered all of them. They did kill fine but little blood on the ground and had I not seen the deer fall, I might have lost them. Other brands work better but I would choose the 300 gr XTP.
You don't need any expansion with the .44 as long as you use a WLN or WFN. I found a heavier boolit from 310 to 330 gr works best.
Or find a 240 with controlled expansion so they poke two holes. You do not want a big bone hit or a quartering shot to stop a bullet.

Please support this statement with personal accounts of where you have used one in the field. Pics would be great if you have them.

Thanks.

I have shot a lot of big game with a revolver including grizzly bears in Alaska and while I believe that a 240 grain bullet can work it is really on the marginal side, especialy if the 240's are a bit soft.

They would also be very marginal on Moose in my experience.

Have you ever used the 240's to take large big game?

Only big game I've taken with my .44 was a black bear with a fairly modest 240 grain swc. Performance was adequate, the bear died.

My contention was not that 240 grian softpoint would be inadequate, but rather the poster I quoted has a habit of posting on topics with which he has no experience.

Nice shooting with that 329!

Exactly but a large Moose or Alaskan brown bear upwards of 1000 pounds in not as easy to penetrate as a 250 or so pound black bear is my point

And based on information that I have learned from people like yourself, and my own testing and experience I carry the 270 Speer when I'm packing my .44 places I might need to shoot something bigger than 250 lbs or so.

havent shot a bear or a moose with my .44mag. but have shot a ton of big pigs with 240 gr.jacketed soft point and it works like a charm. never seen the shoulder plate i couldnt shoot thru. i would have to say a 2" to 3" thick shoulder plate on a 300# boar is a pretty good test.rio7

Which 240 JSP? They are not all created equal IME the Remington version out penetrate the white box Winchester version although I would expect either to work on hogs

Yes, please qualify these statements.

OK, let's settle this bit of mis-information. The Game and Fish Departments of most states could care less that "all handgun ammo that is legally sold int his country meets the legal definition of an"expanding bullet"." The regs in many states clearly state that Full Metal Jacket ammunition is not allowed for hunting.

I tend to not agree with your take on the subject, first do know the legal definition of FMJ and the fact is that FMJ handgun ammo can and often does deform. If the handgun bullets are of the legal definition of expanding, theny why would you assume them to be illegal?

OK, guys back to my original post. Not talking soft points, talking the FMJ or FMC or whatever you call it. Anybody shot deer, hogs or bears with them.

Thanks,

DR

I haven't, but the issue in many cases, is penetration. Since the Full Metal Case bullets would probably penetrate farther than jacketed or hollow point bullets meant to expand, why would they not be appropriate? If you've got hogs around you, that's a great test medium.

Can't offer evidence here.Co clearly states FMJ are prohibited for hunting. No mattter if they expand or not.