Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer bullet for youth 44 mag rifle

Just wondering the consensus is on the 44 mag for white tails. With a caveat, the rifle is a ruger number 3 with a reworked stock for my kids. Have 2 daughters who will be youth hunting in Iowa in 2021. We can use slug guns, muzzleloader or strait wall rifles. Like the idea of the single shot for safety as well as sentimental reasons. Most shots be under 30 yards with a max of 50ish. Can I get by with a regular soft cast bullet in a SWC pattern pushed around 1100fps? I’m pretty sure I know the answer but just looking for other input.

Hornady 250 grain xtp. Dead deer

Full3r, your bullet and vel you want will work just fine!

I shot several deer with a 44 mag rifle and 240gr soft cast bullets.

I've even killed a few with a 44 mag handgun and cast bullets at 1300 fps.

44 mag is a good choice.

when you get past 75 yds, better know the drop and distance to target. anything closer, aim, shoot, get the knife ready.

I've had good luck with 240g JSPs going that speed.

I had an H&R trapper, but I gave it to my niece when she shot her first deer with it. Now I've got a CVA Hunter that I'm going to have chopped to 16.5"

I killed a lot of deer with sabot 44mag bullets out of my Knight muzzle loader as well. It never seemed to matter if they were Hornady XTP bullets, or cheap lead soft points.

240gr XTP and H110/W296.

Thanks, Dinny

XTP

I would think 1300 fps would work nicely. I used the 200 gr. XTP at 1400 fps and it was a soft kicker but I never got one to go all the way through most feral hogs. It did a lot of the time go through deer on broadside hits.

Right here.... for kids, a 180 or 200 gr XTP..

for myself, I prefer the 300 gr XTP..

From 1100 fps MV, or to 150 yd at 1750 fps out of my 444 Marlin...

240 grain winchester jacketed soft point white box. We have a ruger 44 carbine and it is the perfect youth rifle. I'm sure they will be the same in the ruger No 3. I still hunt with a ruger 77/44 every once in a while. If you keep the shots within reason it will kill as good as any deer rifle I have used.

I'm glad you asked that question, I have a Ruger Super Redhawk with a 9 1/2 barrel, I shoot the XTP, but I also cast and wondered about shooting cast bullets. (kinda/sorta) Like you, pretty well knew the answer, but-

Why not just use 240 grain JSP or JHP factory loads?

this

I've killed a bunch of whitetail and blacktail deer with that load at those distances using S&W revolvers with 4" and 5" barrels. I use 10 grains of Unique with cheap machine-cast SWCs. Square-based SWCs are more expensive and a bit more accurate if ranges get longer than what you described. In a rifle barrel, that charge might get you another 200 fps, which might cause some leading. I'd start around 7 grains and work up until you start to see leading in the bore or when recoil gets to be too heavy. 231 works pretty well also but I don't remember the charges that I used.

H110 and 296 are great for full-power loads, but they don't burn fully in reduced loads, so I'd avoid them.


Okie John

Biggest reason is I got caught with pants down on factory 44 ammo as I don’t shoot much of it. Have copious amounts of loading supply’s as that is what I shoot in most everything. Have on hand:
240 LSWC
240 XTP
180 XTP
200 Nosler jsp
240 Nosler Jsp
Plus a few others. Want to be bc able to have kids practice and the 1 box of 20 factory rounds I have isn’t going to go to far.

I like the way that the Noslers expand at lower velocities. If I was running your setup for one of my kids, I'd go for the 200gr Nosler at about 1200 mv. Recoil should be fairly mild, and terminal effect at short range would be perfect, with easy exit on broadside shots.

I shoot 200 gr XTPs and Noslers interchangeably over H110 from 3 different Marlins (2 18", 1 16"), 2 Ruger Redhawks (5.5 and 7.5) and a 629 Classic. Between them, they have killed a couple truck loads of deer. No complaints on range or game performance. Can get you the actual load of H110 if ya want.

I have killed many deer with 44 magnums. Most were from revolvers (6 different ones) but some were shot with a Browning M92 carbine. All (so far ) were 1 shot kills.

About any 44 bullet is ok for killing deer. Wide flat nose types do much better then round nose, and soft points that open up do well too, but in some cases will not exit. Only "some cases". Most times you do get exits. Shot through the ribs and lungs deer run and bleed like mad. Low lung hits bleed like a hose. Shot through shoulder bone they usually drop at the shot, of go about 10-15 feet and fall.

I killed 2 deer and 1 antelope with 225 grain Speer HP bullet from my old M92 and all 3 gave me exits. The old 200 grain Speer HPs would stay in a large deer. The 265 grain Hornady was the most accurate in my Browning and exits were a bit larger then a quarter so I have to believe they open up quite well.

I used mostly cast bullets from my revolvers to kill deer but I have killed a few with 265 grain Hornady Soft Points and one with a 240 grain Sierra Hollow Cavity. I also killed one large buck with a 225 grain Speer Semi-Jackets bullet. All the rest were killed with cast bullets and about 1/2 them being SWCs cast from Lyman 429421 (flat base) and Lyman 529244 (gas check) molds, and the other 1/2 from LBT 320 grain WFN-GC. In addition to the deer I have killed a few elk, 2 buffalo and a few bears as well as quite a few cattle and horses with cast bullets from my revolvers. With correct bullets the 44 kills a lot better then it's "paper stats" suggest.

So from an accurate carbine or rifle I would not worry too much.

Any flat nosed or expanding 44 will do you well, but I do like exits because tracking the game down when 44s exit is easy. So I would recommend one that doesn't open up super fast, and I bet your kids will do just fine.
I cast my own now days but if for some reason I was going to go back to a jacketed bullet I would probably do as others above recommended, and go with a Hornady XTP soft point instead of a hollow point. The lighter 200s and 225s will kick a bit less and still kill any deer that ever walked.

You may be tempted to go lighter for a young shooter but shooting anything below 200g shot insanely bad , crazy wild, from my my B92. Suspect you need heavier or stouter for rifle velocities. Anyone else see this?

Staying 225g or better worked fine though.

Glad for the 240 JHP nods. I don't reload for my 44mag and while the 225 tipped Lever Revolutions shot well they repeatedly disappointed on game .

Switched to XTP 240's but haven't tested them on game. Looking forward to it even more now.

200gr XTPs worked well on deer from my 6" M629 and shot very well in the "Puma" M92 I had for some time, but never shot a deer with it. Very little recoil in the M92 with those loads.

I used those same bullets (and earlier, Speer 200gr JHPs) in my 444 Marlin. Accurate and great for removing lungs on the several doe I killed with them. One of my favorite bullets.

My buddy and I use marlin lever guns. 240 xtp factory loads and reloads always worked very well. I’ve used 240 nosler soft points a bunch and he’s used win white box 240 sp too. Hit them right and it’s always one shot and done.

I have mostly used 240 XTP’s on deer and never lost a deer. Most sailed right on through.
Around 2013-14, I couldn’t get any XTP’s and used some Sierra SJHC in 240 grain and although not quite as accurate in my rifle they killed very efficiently. They seemed to hold together a little better than the XTP’s.
In my Knight muzzleloader, I shoot the 44 caliber RCBS 250K wrapped up in a Harvester sabot and they have performed great.
They are just cast from WW’s and will shoot through a deer from one end to another. They leave some great blood trails too.
I would say your SWC’s will be fine.

Lead will work, so too will the j-bullets referenced above. If you go with lead use a flat point of the Keith style, BHN in the 9-12 range depending on how much velocity you want. BHN 9 does quite well in my 77/44 around 1000 fps.

One of my dreams came to life as a 320 grain soft alloy (9BHN).


It do OK...

If the kids might be sensitive to recoil, I'd load a 180 XTP ahead of a moderate load of my favorite powder.

Like many here, I have used the 240 XTP over h-110 very successfully. I use the same load in several revolvers, my (original style) Ruger carbine and my friend uses them in his 77/44. It seems to always result in dead deer without a lot of fanfare.

For a youth load I'd go with the 180gr. XTP, less recoil and yet very effective.

I've discovered that the 200 grain XTP bullet flattens out to about .75 inch upon impact and produces ghastly damage to the chest organs.

Sherwood

This.

I used to run Remington's 240gr. SJHP over 24 grs H110. It made about 1,600 fps from my Ruger carbine. That bullet turned out to be a little soft for rifle velocities at short/heavy cover ranges.

When the price of the Remingtons started climbing and components started getting scarce, I ended up buying what I could get, which turned out to be 500 Nosler .44 caliber 200 gr JHP's. They worked fairly well at the velocities my 7½ Redhawk could push them, holding together OK, but not exiting. If I was thinking about a slightly reduced load for kids, I'd feel pretty good about the Nosler HP.

My wife has used the 240 XTP and H110. It's a little much for her, and too much for the little kids. I started my boys at age 10 with the Hornady 225g FTX and a medium burning powder.

For practice, I loaded a 180g cast lead and a fast powder. I found a load that hit close enough to the hunting load that we could practice on steel targets with them.

I am sorry that I don't remember which powders I used. They were just picked out of the book based on what I had on hand.

I have four sons, three who are big enough to hunt with me. They all have different body shapes, sizes, strength, and recoil tolerance. Most do fine shooting as a group, one needed one on one time with me to enjoy shooting. In other words, every kid is different, and shouldn't be taught or judged the same as other kids, even siblings.

Picked up a few pounds of 2400 powder today. Going to try and find a load with the 200gr Noslers and some 225 gr Keith style bullets.

Had a neighbor that made excellent cast bullets. Kept me supplied for years with his 158gr Keith type SWCs w/gas checks, for my 357 magnum. He also made a similar bullet for 44 mags in 240gr. I never killed a deer with the 44 mag bullets, but a buddy did out of his M94 44 mag. Good performance. Alas, the old boy passed away some years ago, so lost that source for great cast bullets.

Got to liking the performance of the 200gr XTPs in both my M629 and the 444 Marlin I had. Per the comment above, the 444 was a first class deer de-lunger with that bullet.

My 44 mag loads shot very well in the 44 mag lever rifle I once had. 22 grains of 2400, with the 200gr XTP in the 44 mags.The rifle was a "Puma" variation M92 clone. 24" octagon barrel, so it had some heft. Little recoil with that load in the rifle.

I like your choices there. I hope it works out well for you. 2400 does just as well at 18-20k PSI as it does at 35k.

+1

Once we get through the dang snow storms every day I’m off we will try some out at range. I’ll update as we go along. Thanks for all the input.