Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading .44 mag (carbine rifle) and copper bullets

Got a M94ae Trapper with 16" bbl and 1:38. I'm in CA and I'd like to hunt a little with this thing so I need a copper bullet. The twist is way too slow for any Barnes. I found Lehigh Defense and they have an all copper 125 gr bullet that they recommend with a slow twist. Anyone happen to use this bullet? I've got some H110 in the cabinet but it appears that might not be ideal for a bullet this light. Can I make it work? Having a hard time getting my hands on anything else. Thoughts?

Do believe those models had a 1/26 not a 1/38

This is a New Haven M94 from the late 90’s I believe. I called Winchester this morning, gave them the serial number, and got 1:38. I wish it were a 1:26. I tried the cleaning rod trick but with a 16” bbl it’s pretty hard to measure a partial turn.

Have you actually tried the Barnes 200gr? Might work out good for you.

Have you tried the Barnes in your gun?

I've been shooting Barnes 225gr XPB HP in an old Ruger carbine. One of the early models that is tube fed. It is a 1:38 twist (I just checked) and it shoots those big gaping hollow points just fine.

Original trigger on that Ruger was the heaviest pull I've ever owned on any gun. Probably 12-14 lbs. Sent it to a smith in Colorado to slick the trigger seer and bring it down to a usable pull weight. It is still not a target rifle but I have killed a couple of bears inside of a hundred yards. It is a big hammer in a snappy shooting, compact rifle. Those Barnes are lethal.

I haven't shot them in a 44 Mag, but I got pretty good accuracy from the Barnes 200XPB in an old 1-38 twist 444 Marlin that didn't care for the 225 grainers at all.

My tube fed Ruger shoots 240's with enough H110 to exceed 1800 fps into nice tight 50 and 100 yard groups . Try the 200 plus bullets before you decide they wont work . Aren't the Lehigh bullets designed primarily for self Defense ? Might or might not make a good hunting bullet . Try the 225 XPB Hal4son mentioned .

I’ve tried the 225xpb and they tumble. Barnes says they don’t make a bullet that will stabilize in a 1:38 and their bullets are made for revolvers with faster twist. I talked to CS at Lehigh (who was very responsive and helpful) and the guy was adamant about the 125 being just fine for hunting.

Lehigh are primarily marketed toward defense purposes, but the bullets work well on game. The 95gr XD is nasty out of a 327 Fed carbine at short range. I'm pushing them around 1730fps through the chrono over a healthy charge of 2400, and been pretty happy with the results.

I'm here to eat some CROW. I pulled that old Bushnell Scopechief II off the Ruger Carbine and put a small Leupold in it's place. Went down to dial in the new scope. Those Barnes 225 gr XPB HP are NOT going through the target straight. There is evidence of a little bit of keyholing. In my marginal defense, it is very slight.

However, it will put Hornady 240 gr XTP into the end of a coke can at 100 yards and the holes are round.

SDHNTR you were right and I was dead wrong on those Barnes from a slow twist barrel.




















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Barnes load data in the .444 for both 200 xpb and 225 xpb was shot in a 1:38 barrel:

https://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/444MarlinWeb.pdf

44 Remington Mag data was shot with a 1:20 twist with a stipulation on the 225 that a 1:20 twist is required. The 200 carries no such stipulation:

https://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/44-Rem-Mag.pdf

I can verify 200gr xpb function in an Optima V2 muzzleloader with a 1:28 barrel using 60gr weighed BH209. According to BH load data that’s probably 1600 to 1700 fps. Round holes in targets and 1 buck by my wife. It’s a wicked bullet. I shot it at around 2100 fps on a buck and will go to a less dramatic projectile next year.
Good luck.

Edit: .44 mag data is with 8” barrel. No carbine or rifle data online that I see.

The XTP 240 is what I normally shoot in the Ruger but I live in lead and copper friendly states .