Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Is the 44 mag and the 45 LC ok for elk hunting???

Do you think the 44 mag or the 45 colt would do well on elk? If so, what bullet do you think would do the best?

I would be comfortable with either a .44 mag or a .45 colt loaded to "ruger" power levels. My preference would be a medium to heavy hard cast bullet with a blunt nose though I would not hesitate to use a heavy jacketed bullet either.

A medium weight SWC will often penetrate as well as a heavy more blunt bullet like an LBT design, they just don't do quite as much damage on the way by. My hunting .44 prefers the 300 grain LBT design, but I wouldn't hesitate to shoot an elk with my little carrying .44 with a 250 grain hard cast SWC. That penetrates 20+ inches in meat, too, it just doesn't leave quite as large a diameter hole getting there.

In .45, SWCs say 270 grains and up, or blunter designs 300 grains and up, should be fine.

So far as jacketed bullets, well, now that Nosler has discontinued the handgun partitions, my first choice is a Speer unicore plated flat point, 300 grains in either caliber. In .44 other things I'd happily use are the 265 grain, .444 marlin -designed flat point hornady and 270 grain speer flat point. I'd look at the Sierra flat point in either caliber. I would want to expansion/penetration test any of the 300 grain hollowpoints, I've only used them on deer and it's hard to learn much about expansion or penetration on a deer's head.

Anyways ... I'd love to have a .454 but I sure would not skip elk season if I "only" had a .44 mag or stout .45 colt.

Tom

Elk are tough so you want to use a tough bullet with plenty of weight. If you are going to use jacketed slugs try the 300 XTP Hornady or the 270 gr Speer Gold Dot. I've taken one elk with the Gold dot in one of my 44's. I've taken many elk using 250 gr cast slugs in the 41 magnum, 250 -320 gr cast slugs in the 44 magnums & 260-325 gr cast slugs in the 45, they all worked great, none of the elk traveled more than 30-40 yds.
Know your range limits, stay tight to the front shoulder...or go through it & your 44 or 45 will work great.

Dick

+1, especially with the 270 to 325 gr .45 at ruger power levels. They are awesome game takers.