Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 44spl vs 44mag for deer hunting

I have a Ruger super Blackhawk that I’ll be using for deer hunting this year. I sighted it in this past week using 240 gr. 44spl. It shoots great! I then shot some 210gr. 44mag through it and noticed they shot around 3-4” lower. After the noticeable recoil and fire shooting side to side, why shoot 44mags? I personally don’t need to shock the deer into death . I just want to shoot the deer to death. lol
Your thoughts?

I have a big Ruger 10.5 inch barreled 44 mag loaded with 300gr A-frames at 1300 fps, a little 5.5 inch barreled FA '97 in 44 Special with 255gr Keith bullets at a very accurate 1030 fps, once the little 44 Special punches a hole completely through the deer, there's not anymore i can do, except shoot it again ; ] i think you'll be fine with the 44 Special.

There isn't a deer on the planet that can withstand a correctly placed 44 Special.

I have a recollection of Brian Pierce writing in a magazine article that he's taken a number of deer with a .44 Special revolver shooting a Keith-style SWC.

Extra power placed off target is extra power wasted.

The mag should stretch trajectory some. Personally, I would use 240’s or heavier.

An awful lot of stuff has been shot down with the .44 Special since it was invented back in 1907 and that was before anyone shot modern bullets. And just think about all the even bigger than deer stuff that the .44-40 shot down since 1873. The .44 Magnum didn't happen along until 1955. I did make a video once of shooting a water filled gallon milk jug with a .44 Special and then another one with a .44 Magnum out of my 629 and there was a rather significant difference. Just thinking out loud here, but a suppressed Ruger 77/44 shooting Specials could sure be an urban deer harvesting machine.

I've killed a decent number of them (6 or 8) with a .44 special flattop shooting 255gr WFNs at 1050. Very pleasant to shoot and works very well. Those bullets have always exited regardless of the angle.

A .44 Special with a proper 240-250 grain semi wadcutter going anywhere from 900 to 1100 is going to work just fine. Easy on the gun, easy to shoot well, and will punch right through the deer.

Agreed

Do any of you actually know what "44 special" is? It sure as shlt isn't a 250gr1100fps. What a bunch of old feucktards!

This.

Mild loads let you practice more before the flinch sets in. I've dropped several deer with a 240-grain SWC at 850-900 fps. Ranges were within 50 yards. For longer shots, I'd go with a 240-grain SWC at 1,200 fps but I'd scope the revolver.


Okie John

Well have you ever heard of reloading? And the 44 Special loaded to the same pressures as a 44 magnum in a 44 magnum pistol could easily give a 250 grain bullet 1100 fps.

I reload .44 mag, or should say used to, as I havent for some time.

180-255gr stuff as fast as I could push em.

With arthritis from a couple breaks, i suspect downloading is required now.

Do I back off the .44 mag or crank up the .44 special?

Reason I ask.....got 500 pcs of new Remington .44 special brass. Have plenty of .44 mag

Either would work. I like 10 grains of Unique and a 240-grain cast SWC in 44 Mag cases. I'd probably use 8 grains in 44 Special cases.


Okie John

I like a mild 44 Mag myself. My 44 Special would work well too.
My mild load for the 44 Mag is with 5744 and 245 grain Keith or Thompson it’s easily the most accurate load for any of my revolvers.

I shoot Hornady 200gr. XTP bullets which are designed to expand well across a wide range of velocities. I use these bullets in both .44 Special and .44 Magnum, in the magnum I load H 110/WW 296 max. loads. Never failed yet to drop a well hit whitetail.

deer deserves the best you have. I kill them with a Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum. 270 grain bullet at 1625 fps. A .44 Special isn't that kind of load.

Yep, Hook, i'd load for the heaviest of the two revolvers, should help with recoil.

Yep. I’ve never caught a bullet in a deer I’ve shot using basically the same load.

Although I prefer a 250 gr LBT WFN Hard cast bullet with 10 grains of Unique nowadays.
It seems to work a little better on big ole feral hogs at the Ranch.

No telling how much game Elmer Kieth killed with a .44 Special.