Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading .44 mag reloading

Any of you guys ever run any of the .44 cal 200gr gold dots in a .44 mag. They're made for the 44 special, but I was considering loading a few up to hunt groundhogs with, and maybe deer. I've got plenty of other bullets, but found theses in the back of the reloading cabinet, and wondered if any of you had tried them. I thought maybe they would fragment too bad at 44 mag velocities to use on deer. Thoughts/experiences with them?

I wouldn't use them at magnum velocities unless you want explosive expansion. Slow them down (maybe 1100 fps)and they might work. Personally, for deer I would trade them for something else more suitable.

If you look in the Speer #14 Reloading Manual you will find .44 Magnum loads specifically for that bullet. The factory .44 Magnum 200 grain Gold Dot HP Short Barrel Load clocks 1080 from a 4" barrel.

Being a plated bullet the jacket and core will not separate. It will however turn inside-out at impact velocities over 1100 fps.

A friend bought one of the .44 Special S&W Thunder Ranch Special 4" revolvers. He tried every .44 Special HP round available at the time and none of the bullets would reliable expand in jugs of water. He then bought one of the limited edition 3" ported 629s with fixed sights and I gave him some of the Short Barrel rounds...every one expanded perfectly. The same round in .44 Special is only going in the 800s and will not expand the bullet.

Was so impressed by the bullet/load I actually went out a bought a 629 Mountain Gun just to shoot them out of. I am using the recommended load of 10.0 grains of Winchester 231 in a .44 Magnum case with Federal LP primer.

There was a poster on here a couple of years ago who posted a picture of a Texas whitetail he shot with a Colt SAA New Frontier .44 Special and said he used the Speer 200 Gold Dot HP grain load. I asked him how the deer reacted to the shot and how the penetration was but I never saw him post again...but it worked for him...

I only wish that Speed would bring back the 190 grain Gold Dot bullet for .41 Magnum...

Bob

So basically, if I can find a load to push it at 1100fps from the muzzle, I should be good to go?

Most likely. In my experience, driving them faster will result in too much expansion and very little penetration. If you are going to hunt with them you need sufficient penetration. Personally, I would prefer a tougher bullet for game. The 44 200gr Gold Dot HP is really designed for 44 Special loads and as such has a very large deep cavity in it. It is intended to perform at lower velocity. Driving it hard will make it do weird things. For a lighter 44 mag bullet with hunting on the menu, I would suggest the 210 gr. Speer or the 200 gr. XTP as better options.

Mark in GA

I've got a bunch of 240gr Nosler, both jacketed soft point and hollow point, and 240gr xtp bullets. Just looking for a way to use these up since I have them here.

You could shoot them.

PA; don't try to make sense, Steelhead.

Gallon jugs of water are fun to shoot.
A gong is fun to.

I would not use it on a deer. I've killed two with 240 grain Gold Dot HPs. Both were launched at 1600-1800fps, both hit a deer broadside in the ribs at about 50 yards or a little less, neither exited, and all I could find of either bullet was shrapnel. At a much slower velocity.. they might hold together. Should make an awesome groundhog bullet though!

In the interest of science, I fired a 240 grain Gold Dot SP into one of the frozen deer the next morning. Blew a crater clear through both shoulders. Wouldn't hesitate to try it on a deer.

I have loaded them to somewhere between 44 special and 44 magnum velocities. By my best guess (I don't have a chrono) I was pushing them at about 1300-1400 FPS. I never shot an animal with them, but I did shoot them into a variety of objects from body armor to small pine trees to clay. Penetration is not great, but expansion and "wound channel" are spectacular. I never got any kind of jacket separation. Nor did I weigh recovered bullets, but they did retain a good portion of original weight. Mushrooms are perfect. Since you have other bullets more suited for the task of deer hunting, use them for deer hunting and just load the Gold Dots for vermin or other fun stuff. You'll get a kick out of them.

Right on, that's the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks!