Morgan,

I worked at H&R after i retired from a state job. I had never wanted a 444 until I shot some rifles on their indoor range. Also, being from Mississippi and going back there to hunt, I needed a primitive legal gun as has been mentioned. I started with the 45-70, but quickly grew to prefer the 444. Less recoil and better trajectory.

At that time the Hornady FTX had not come out. I wanted to use a heavier bullet than the 240s, so ended up with the Speer 270gr. Gold Dot. With an eye to flatter trajectory, I also used the Hawk 275gr. spitzer. Both have worked very well on deer and pigs. I've taken deer out to 200+- yards. Both bullets have always exited and never had an animal go more than 40 yards with good blood trails. Accuracy has always been 1.5 inches or less with either load. Mostly depending on how well I was shooting that day. Mine is scoped with a Burris Fullfield ll 3-9x40 #4 reticle.

Handloading is simple and straight forward. Remington brass does not need to be trimmed back any more than normal for function. I've included a picture below of both loads and the data is on the boxes. As always, safe loading is your responsibility. I just checked the Hodgdon's website and my loads are below maximum. I"m also including a link to Hawk bullets.

With all that said, the FTX either handloaded or in factory ammo may be the most simple solution.

https://hawkbullets.com/bullet-selection.html

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