Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 44 cal 300 gr Sierra JSP

Anyone have experience with this bullet? Particularly on bears.
I have not had much experience with 300 gr bullets as the 240's LSWC's have served my 44 Mag requirements for a long time. However, I have a need to set up a 4" S&W 29 for last resort backup for a grandson in AK. This bullet seems promising at around 1,000fps, but would like to hear some real world experience.
He was boating up a creek one day last week and a brownie decided to run along with the boat for a couple hundred yards. Fortunately, it settled on a sockeye or silver for lunch.
What say you?

I don't think the S&W cylinder is long enough for the crimp groove on those bullets, Fishdog52. Not that you couldn't crimp out of the crimp groove, but they are designed for a 1.73" OAL. They are designed to be hell-for-stout, and have a 6% antimony core. I would find a hardcast 300 that shoots for you that has a crimp groove that matches the length of the cylinder of the M29. The Sierra should perform much like a hardcast bullet at 1000fps.

The cylinder on my 629 classic is long enough to chamber those, crimped in the groove.
I’ve never killed anything with that bullet but it is a good tuff penetrator.
Full charge of H110/296.
Those bullets use to cost under $20 a box, now they are over $35. I sent Sierra a pm on FB about the big price jump, They responded back telling me to give them a call so we could talk, never did. I have more then I will ever use.

Beartooth Bullets 300 grain WFN GC. Intended to go 1.6".

I am mistaken then. If it fits, it would be a good option for a penetrator, but I would still go hardcast. But I am a caster, and have a Lyman that casts out at 295 gas checked, and a Lee that casts out at 305 gas checked. Both are very accurate, and both have killed exceptionally well for me. Nothing has stopped either, yet. If I was going up against the biggest bears, I would carry either, in 44 handgun, 44 rifle, or 444 rifle. It is easier to push cast bullets to useful velocities than it is to push jacketed bullets to useful velocities.

I've used them in Smith revolvers; one in particular, a Classic 629 DX loved them.

The meplat is a bit smallish and the core isn't as hard as advertised, or as hard as the alleged core alloy (multiple tests with an LBT BHN tester).

They shoot very well, but for serious work I'm in the heavy caster camp.

Thanks for replies.
I happen to prefer a good hard cast bullet over a copper jacketed, but my experience is limited to 240 gr versions. So... happy to hear about any sources for heavier hard cast sources. Will be looking into the Beartooth's.

About 2002 I became professionally acquainted with Kevin Thomas (late of Barnes Bullets) who was the Chief Ballistician for Sierra Bullets. I had been running the 300 Sierra 44 JSP about as hard as it could be run from S&W revolvers against wetpack and occasional meat animals, never noting significant expansion from it.

So one day, while discussing other matters I mentioned this to Mr. Thomas and inquired, as politely as possible just what in the hell it would take to get expansion from this bullet.

"T33" he answered.

"Beg your pardon?" I asked.

"Russian Tank."

Very very tough bullet. Out of the 44 mag (and it will fit any cylinder fine) it will act like a cast with minimal deformation.

see here

2000 fps
and another at reduced speed



1600 fps



I doubt your 44 (even in carbine format ) can get that fast

For that 29 I'd use Beartooth's 265gr WFN GC .430-.431, 280gr WFN GC at ~1000-1100fps for THAT purpose.

Would prefer a heavier frame for bear defense.

Sarge, your post says plenty about the 300gr Sierra.. Thanks for the info

Why you would want something like that when you could have a 9MM is beyond me. Wise up and get the Magnficent Miracle.
Let the FARCE BE WITH YOU.

Amazing what 400 fps extra does.

Harder than a whores heart, i'd go big wide flat meplat cast myself, happy hunting.

I wouldn't buy them for 4" revolver, personally. Leadhead Bullets makes a nice 270gr WFN that I drive to 1150fps (4") - penetrates very well on back to back Elk femurs.
Missouri Bullets makes a nice coated 300gr WFN that will be my next experiment this spring. Should give me a soft shooting 1000fps load (4").