Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns .44 magnum deer and bear bullet

Another vote for cast bullets.
My little WW 94 Trapper in 44mag hasn't killed any bears, but with a 280 gr LBT WFN Hard. Cast bullet over a max load of WW-296 has killed a truck load of big TX feral hogs. Never had one run away, and never had one fail to exit.

And I've also taken a chit load of hogs with that same 280 gr LBT WFN in my various .44 mag handguns loaded with 10 grains of Unique. Not a fast load by any means, but it has never failed to kill a hog grave yard dead.

I would not choose a 240g XTP, bad experience there for me on deer, just one instance out of a 20" barrel rifle.

A 270gr Speer works

If I had 500 pound bears in the woods with me, I'd be shooting my deer with 300 grain LBT's.

Only a few dozen reports over the last +20yrs. By contrast, I've pushed Gold Dots well beyond their intended velocity and separation is impossible. No doubt many use XTP's with success but I won't bother with them, not while there are better choices.

The lightweight jacketed bullets at maximum velocities are too much of a gamble. Great if they work, horrible if they don't. No light or outdated jacketed bullets for me, please.



"Crushed" but ran 50yds sounds like a bit of a contradiction.

Lynne Thompson did very well with 300 grain XTPs in the 44 mag taking buffalo in Austriala and according to the outfitter the bullets held together very well

Years ago I had fragmentation with 230 XTPs in the 45acp +P ammo but not today even when shot from my 45 Super.

Just about any quality 44 bullet will work on deer, but bears are a different story & 500 lb. bears are way different. There are very few 500 lb. bears taken with anything although some claim to take them. Spring bears have long coats & appear to be much bigger than they really are but they are much like a coyote, once you get them undressed they aren't nearly as big as you would think.
If I had to use a jacketed bullet (I don't) then it would be either the 270 gr. Speer Gold Dot, I've taken elk with it, or the 300 gr. XTP, by Hornady. As mentioned by John, Lynn Thompson used it on many head of big game in Austrailia with great success. My bullet of choice in a 44 is a 250 gr cast or bigger, they will give the penetration needed on big bears & will hold together, thats what you want on big, tough animals.

Dick

I shot a deer face on this weekend with my scoped SBH Bisley Hunter. I usually use a Nosler 240 JSP for hunting but I had a handful of medium power rounds loaded up with a 250gr Keith bullet and used those on a whim. I shot the deer around 25yds, and hit it at the base of the throat. Needless to say it didn't do anything other than hit the ground. I didn't see an exit wound as was surprised to find the bullet laying on the ground next to the animal. Then while skinning I discovered that the bullet had exited the left rear leg and had just enough oomph to tear through and essentially fall to the ground.

Even loaded to only 1200fps the bullet had enough power to penetrate three and a half feet of deer. Still can't figure out why it just sort of popped out the ham and didn't keep flying, but hey I certainly ain't complaining. I would and will use this bullet for deer and pigs and if loaded to full power also recommend it for bears.

Here's a pic of the recovered bullet. Weighs 245gr after exiting. Might even reload it and get another deer with it!.

I had a 240 gr XTP 44 mag bullet out of a Ruger Super Blackhawk (a mid level charge of h110) split apart into many small pieces when it hit a rib on a whitetail buck at 15 yards. The buck immediately dropped and started rolling downhill towards me. I wasn't happy with the way that bullet held together so I am giving the XPB a shot. This was about 4 years ago. Didn't take a picture. I have no proof; just from personal experience. Maybe the 300 grainers hold together better I don't know.

300 XTP 20gr H110

Shot many deer with a 240 XTP, all dropped within sight. I would use the same bullet for bear, but I do have a 300 XTP load worked up.

What is a "mid level charge of h110"?

My guess is that you were driving it too fast.

Driving it "too fast"?

Better check Hornady's ads, because they seem to make it the shiznit up to 2,200 out of rifles......and muzzleloaders....

If I wanted a core and jacket to keep together, I'd be looking at a Speer Gold Dot, probably a 270.

these are top notch jacketed handgun bullets--a plated soft point by Speer.

http://www.speer-bullets.com/ballistics/detail.aspx?id=199


i first learned about these pills in a Ross Seyfried article that i read about 20+ years ago.

i use them in .44 cal and .45 caliber, both are 300 grain pills.

another good jacketed pill in the .44 for heavier critters is the Speer 270 grain deep curl.

"Crushed" but ran 50yds sounds like a bit of a contradiction. [/quote]

Read the sentence carefully. Doesn't say she was crushed...then ran 50 yards.

Her heart and lungs were destroyed, liver split in two somehow, enough oxygen in her blood and brain to bolt, and she switched off and tumbled into a full forward somersault and slid a few more feet.

Wish I'd had a video camera, but this is the denouement still:
[img:left][/img]

Show a pic of deer shot with your favorite load. If folks want to use heavy soft or HC leads, I'd recommend shooting shoulders to clip spines. Witness my .45/70 does actions after being lung bored with a real heavy lead flat nose going fast as the 180 Softpoint outta the SBH.

Federal 180 JHP probably would have dropped her immediately.

If I had somewhere to hunt bear economically I'd prolly use my .358 Frontier with 180 FPs fast as I could push them, but wouldn't hesitate to lung pop one with the SBH.

Yes, those 180gr varmint grenades will work fast if everything goes perfectly. I'm more concerned with what happens when everything does not.

As do I. I think it is too much of a crap shoot. JMHO.

I would ask JJHACK directly, or pull up some of his earlier posts on this. He's killed or been in on the killing of dozens of bears and a LOT with a handgun. He'll point you in the right direction, and from experience.

I've killed a bunch of whitetail with a 240gr XTP out of different flavors of handguns and really like what this bullet does to deer. Never shot a bear with one but I kinda think with the expansion and sometimes explosive results I've had with the XTP I might opt for a 265gr Hornady FP bullet for said critter. I have shot a 300ish pound bear with one of these and was very pleased with the results, this however was out of my 444.