need a more lethal .44 mag deer round

[dusty88]

I've shot about 6 deer with my single-shot 44 using Hornady FTX 225 gr
5 dropped on the spot, 1 ran about 30 yards
The damage to the deer is pretty similar to the 12 ga, honestly.

 

[bstewrat3]

I haven't used them in 44 Mag, but I really like the Cast Performance WFN bullets in my 45 Colts and 480 Ruger. I have never recovered a bullet and there are always two good holes leaving a solid blood trail.

 

[ws6duramax]

I'm a big believer in the xtp's . I used the ftx in my 44 and muzzle loader with mixed results . Usually poor blood trails and minimal damage . Always lethal , but not what I was hoping for .

Switched to xtp's and the difference is huge . Lots of damage and so far great blood trails . Sacrificed a little accuracy in my 44 and improved in muzzle loader . I don't reload though .

I can't see ever using anything different .

 

[buckhunterbb]

Hello,
I have a 20 inch match grade machine .44 mag barrel for my Thompson contender that is a absolute track driver. the problem that I am having is that unless I see the deer fall it make for a Very long day due to a lack of a blood trail. I am shooting a Winchester 240 grain soft lead point. Any recommendations for a more lethal deer round ?
Thanks

445 Supermag, Have your current barrel reamed out to fit this cartridge. You can still shoot 44mag ammo thru barrel if desired. Probably should clean chamber though once firing 44mag before shooting 445Supermag again. Reloading would probably be best for this cartridge.

 

[Stockman]

Agree with the people saying Hornady.. Best terminal performance available imo.

 

[bobjones223]

I'm a big believer in the xtp's . I used the ftx in my 44 and muzzle loader with mixed results . Usually poor blood trails and minimal damage . Always lethal , but not what I was hoping for .

Switched to xtp's and the difference is huge . Lots of damage and so far great blood trails . Sacrificed a little accuracy in my 44 and improved in muzzle loader . I don't reload though .

I can't see ever using anything different .

I have yet to find a gun that shoots the FTX's well and have three buddies that will say the same thing. I your gun likes them more power to you but I could never get them to pattern well.

On a side note the XTP's you guys are using for the 44 are they the standard XTP or the XTP Mag.?

 

[sugarcreekbrass]

My HandiRifle handles the 225 gr FTXs pretty well. I am loading them with 20.5 gr of LilGun and getting 2-2.5" groups at 100 yds. My wife shot two does with them opening day and tore them up. Neither went more than 20 yds. My buddy's boy started shooting the 240 gr XTPs last year and those are devestating as well. I know others who have shot the 180 gr Remington UMC flat points with a lot of luck too.

 

[sugarcreekbrass]

On a side note the XTP's you guys are using for the 44 are they the standard XTP or the XTP Mag.?

I think the XTP Mags are only made for .45 and bigger.

 

[oldpink]

Not .429 diameter bullets, but I've shot three deer using the .452 diameter 225 grain Hornady FTX with my .45 Colt.
The first dropped literally in her tracks when the bullet broke her neck as it exited her lungs.
The second ran 100 yards, leaving buckets of blood in the woods that led to an easy track and recovery, with the lungs blown to shreds.
The third ran 25 yards before abruptly collapsing, her lungs and aorta blown to tatters.
I'd call that acceptable performance, and these bullets extend your effective range about 25%.

 

[ScouT6a]

For deer with a pistol caliber rifle/carbine, I am a firm believer in heavy, hard cast, SWC bullets. In .44-40 and .45 Colt, they have never let me down.

Bonus - I can cast all those big SWCs myself.

 

[dak109]

My Marlin 1894 loves Hornady XTP's. The only thing is size. It loves the .430 diameters. The .429 not as much. Gun is micrgroove.

 

[gemihur]

The 44 is good on deer but sometimes you gotta trail 'em.
The 444 Marlin is a bit much but it offers no quarter.

 

[DadSmith]

I used the 300gr XTP on my 44 magnum when I used to hunt deer with it. I used 19.5gr H110 it avg around 1350fps in my 6.6" barrel. It had a lot of recoil. I shot a buck in the left shoulder it exited the right shoulder. He dropped right there. After opening him up I seen bone shards in his lungs and heart. I then went to the 240gr because I felt the 300gr was just to much for whitetail deer.

 

[snapping turtle]

Been using the 44 mag marlin 1894 since PCR rounds became legal. Winchester white box groups wonderful. XTP’s groups larger but OK as they pass the offhand paper plate test. I reload also but my reloads mimic the Winchester white box factory rounds very closely. My pistol rounds use a completely different bullet and powder. I have about 600 WWB rounds between factory and reloads. A have about 34 hornady lever evolution rounds ( 4 rounds to group and two deer down.) one of the XTP deer was at 10 yards so no tracking required the second was about 75 yards and heart hit ran 75 yards through the woods to a small ditch with little blood trail. Almost missed finding that one but my dog found it half in the water. Same results as the WWB. Me being cheap will most likely just shoot the other 600 rounds in the deer woods unless the devil comes over to the homestead.

I have had the same issues with perfect heart lung shots with WWB . Deer is a running dead man with the chest cavity full of tons of blood when field dressed.
Dad using the same rifle with a 4 inch longer barrel the deer go about 30 feet but he aims further forward than I do because he hunts where if the deer jumps the fence we have to get permission to cross and recover. Of his deer no blood trail was needed as they went down in sight.

I asked dad why my deer were hard to track and his dropped. He said just aim a little bit more forward as those front legs got no meat on them anyway. Since then I have readjusted my aim points. If you hit in the lower 1/2 to 1/3 of the chest right under the heart a ton of blood for trailing. Hit the front chest and some shoulder they drop and might then attempt to get up and flee but the lever is faster than their rise and I have now shot three deer twice but basically dead right on the spot first shot.

I just think that is what the round does. Adjusting shot placement off the perfect textbook hit seemed to do better than powder and bullet type adjustments even with using the max h110 loads and different bullet types or lil gun. Find the load that groups great like the WWB does for mine and adjust where the metal meets the meat.

 

[DMTJAGER]

I have shot 11 deer and one elk with Hornady XTP's and all were short recoveries and VG to EX blood trails. For cup and core HG bullets at velocities below 2300fps/mv you will be hard pressed to beat Hornady products specifically their XTP line of HG bullets.

I have shot over 500 out of my Encore ML and over 300 out of my Savage 10ML-II and have recovered over a dozen from my DIY bullet testing media of wet/drained/wrapped newspaper and 5-6 from deer never had one not look like a textbook perfect mushroom.

Give a .430" 240grn XTP a try and some H110 and you will be well served if you do your part and put it where it belongs.
If penetration is a concern try the 300 grain .430" XTP a try.
I shot a nice 4x4 NM ML bull at 60-65 yards quartering towards me with a .452" 300 grain XTP out of my Encore ML. Chronograph confirmed MV of 2018fps. Went through the front shoulder bone, both lungs which were tore up badly, and broke the last rib on the opposite side as the bullet exited. Bull went MAYBE 60 yards before dropping. Left what I like to call a Stevie Wonder blood tail. All in all went through about two feet of elk before exiting. Pretty dern good performance for a HG bullet if you ask me.

 

[warren5421]

Try using 2400 at 13.0-16.2 gr. 300 gr Oregon Trail Laser Cast RNFP. OAL 1.610. Will most of the time pass through side to side and break bone if in the way. I like a good big solid for hunting. It should be good to 200 yards but in my area 100 yards is a long shot.

 

[jy951]

Buffalo bore or hornady 300 gr xtp.

 

[rala]

I was also in the XTP/ H110 fan club. Ruger Blackhawk (7in barrel) & Marlin. Round is much more effective in the rifle.
I wanted to try the Black Hills Honey Badger load in the Blackhawk. Never saw a shooter when I was out.

 

[warren5421]

My grandson has take several deer, first one at age 12, using his dad's Uberti 66 lever gun shooting 43gr by weight of black powder and a 240 gr Leaser-Cast RNFP. None of them have gone over 60 ft once hit. Everyoe has shot through the deer. Smokeless loading they work at cowboy (SASS) type loads. He now uses a Ruger .44 auto and cowboy loads that's how I know.

 

[BigRed]

Another fan of Hornady XTP 240.

I load it over 22g of Lil Gun powder. It runs right at 1,750 fps in an 18" Marlin 1894.

The difference between this and the WWB I used to use is like night and day.


(Note: Do NOT use this load in a pistol)