Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 44 Mag load for deer

I'm ready to start one of my off-season reloading projects-- a 44 Mag load for whitetail. I have a 7.5" Ruger Super Blackhawk with factory iron sights. Any suggestions on loads?

19 gr 2400 in back of a Hornady 240 XTP This is hot, work up to it

23 gr H110 behind a Hornady XTP , with a heavy crimp

22.5 gr H110m with the Speer JFP, with a heavy crimp

16 gr 2400 behind straight linotype 240 gr keith bullet.

As always start low and work up, don't trust anyones loads until you have worked up to them

My best handload:
22.0 grains of 2400 behind 240 grain Speer JHP

My best factory load:
W-W 250 grain Partition Gold

I've tagged deer with both; both work extremely well.

It's been my experience that the 44 mag doesn't leave quite as good a blood trail as more traditional firearms, but none of these deer went further than 45-50 yards, so I guess I really didn't a blood trail!!!

One more comment: You're smart starting now!! What everyone says about hunting with a handgun is right - it takes lots of practice. The year I decided to start deer hunting with a .44 Mag I pumped between 250-300 rounds through mine to learn it. Another nice thing about the Ruger is that dry-firing does not hurt it, and that's a great way to get even more familiar with your gun (especially when you set up deer pics as target on the other side of the room).

Good Luck!

23.5 grain H110 under a 240 grain Hornady XTP. Should get thier attention.

NoCAL

hunter 4x4. That 22 gr of 2400 is pretty stout It appears as that is for the old powder. The new 2400 is some hotter. Could you clarify please.

Saddlesore - You're absolutely right, that is for the old 2400 (Which still have a modest supply, and it hasn't lost anything). That's a load I developed and used in the early '90s.

(Boy that sound wierd - '...back in the early '90s...' - that's 10 years ago already!!!!)

That was in the last century.

Thanks for all the good suggestions.

Would anyone care to comment on 2400 vs. H110. I've not tried either. I understand H110 is the powder you pick when you want to make a big annoying boom at the range, but I'm ignorant beyond that.

Yes, it does seem like it was a long time ago. For me it was a whole wife and three kids ago, two jobs, and a career change ago. It was also before I stopped being a suburbanite Yankee, and started my spiritual journey into Briardom. I ditched the Buick Regal and now have the mudded-up Chevy Crew Cab. I'm now a state-subsidized grass farmer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and have my little Briar Rose and our hillbilly feral child beside me. Who could ask for anything more?

Previously I only used 2400,but prefer the H110, It seems ot give me more consistency in velocity through the Chrony vs 2400. Mabe it's the desnser volume in the case, maybe it's jsut the heavier crimp I use. I don't know if there is much difference in accuracy. Haven't noticed any differnce in noise/report, but I wear plugs and mufs when shootint

hunter 4x 4. Heck your a young tyke, I used the same load back in the 60's

Saddlesore -

Thanks for the compliment!! That's one of the nicest things said about me in a long time!!!!

Seriously - if you were loading that in the .44 Mag at anytime in the '60s (pre-Dirty Harry days!) you were clearly one of the early (almost pinoeer?!) deer hunters with the .44 Mag!

How'd you do in those early years? Were you scoped or open sighted? How was handgun hunting percieved then?

Hunter 4x4.I actually didn't do much hunting back then with the 44 mag. I had acquired a few of the older models ( new then) of the 44 blackhawks and messed around with them at the range , etc. I had cast quite a few of the Keith mold type bullets with gas checks and that load 22 gr of 2400 was a popular load back then, I think it was the load that Elmer Keith developed when he was trying to get them to first make the 44 magnum. I carried one deer and elk hunting , but soon found out that packing a 4 lb hadgun around above timber line, when you already was carrying a rifle and pack was 4 lbs that I didn't need.

I rememeber one time, I was about 22-23, back in 66. On my first elk hunt, I was selected to take the horses back down to the ranch after we had packed in. ( Meaning I was bamboozled by the two older hunters in camp). I had to ride a pack saddle dpwn the mountain about 6 miles , which we had just walked up, and then walk back up to camp. I had the 44 mag with me, and met a bear coming coming around a bend. It was going down to feed on the berries and I was going up. Both of us not paying attention. I don't know who was more surprised, but I pulled the 44 out not knowing if the bear was serious about wanting the trail. I was out of breath, and a little nervous to say the least, and about all I could have done was scare the bear the way the sights were wavering all over the place. The bear ambled off to the right, I went to the left, we both past each other and continued our journey. We shot 3 bulls at first light opening day that year, and the next day I was again selected to go back down the mountain and get the horses.After that, I decided I didn't need the extra weight.

I think I shot one deer with it in about 68., but I was raising a family then and poor as a church mouse. Hunting put meat on the table, and when I went out, something had to come back with me to fill the freezer. So handgun hunting was not a viable option for me.

Gee, I didn't know I was getting my advice from a pioneer.
I am honored.

Cripes! Now I gotta really go bag one and make it good, or I'll be letting down the tradition or something.

I sure ain't no pioneer, but have pushed a lot of lead through handgun barrels in 40 yrs+. I even remember when Herters was offering a Powermag revolver in 44 mag that looked like a take off of the Rugers. But I don't know of anyone who actually bought one, and don't know if Herter's ever had them produced.

I just forward what has worked for me in the past. It might not be the best, and as they say , your mileage may vary. But a bunch of you yougsters might research back a little bit and find that what worked then. It still works today and although ther are more variations of bullets and powders, the old standbys just keep chugging along.

Saddlesore -

Geez!!! I thought I was the only one with a Herter handgun!! I picked up a Herter .401 Power Mag in the 10-12 years ago from an estate sale. I worked up a couple of loads (shot pretty good), but never took it hunting 'cuz I couldn't scope it.

A year or two later I picked up a Ruger Redhawk in .44 mag for deer hunting. I tagged my first deer with it in '95 - go look at the "Closest Shot" topic also under teh "Deer Hunting" topic. It's a nice alternative to the more traditional firearms.

One thing I will say about hunting with a handgun - they're great from tree stands, especially the archery type of tree stands. Handguns aren't as bulky (obviously!) as long guns giving the hunter plaenty of freedom for his or her shots. In my case it about doubles my effective (bow) range which is kind of neat after the early bow season and you're watched deer walk just out of range a couple of times!!

Well, I've been slowly plugging away at this 44-Mag-for-Deer project. I'm down to 23 grains of H110 and a Hornady XTP with a light crimp as the most accurate load out my Super Blackhawk. The amount of crimp seems to be the final adjustment-- I tried a heavy crimp and it made the pistol buck and I couldn't get a decent group.

I was out at the range Sunday, running it through the chronograph (about 1331 fps average). I'd just touched the first one off when the Range Safety Officer came running over.

"My God!" he exclaimed. "What did you do? Are you all right?"

"Bob," I laughed. "While I was working this up, somebody warned me I was going to be the talk of the firing line. I guess he was right!"

"I thought you'd blown it up," he said. "I've never seen a muzzle flash like that."

"That seems to be the way H110 does its thing," I said.


Thank you all for the help.

23 grains of 2400, CCI mag primer, 180 gr. Hornady jacketed h.p.

My Super Blackhawk loves this load, well, actually 5 chambers do, #6 won't shoot nuttin' right.

This load has proved an excellent stopper out to 100 yds. and is very pleasant to shoot.