So I got to thinking...what's the point of a short barrel .44 mag?

[Hawkeye]

Also, if grizzlies are your worries while backpacking and you are carrying a .44 for self defense, the best ammo to use would be something that can break bones and whatnot. So hollow points are a no. And high velocity will have too much energy and will ricochet off of bones instead of braking them. So a dense, heavy load with lower velocity would be the ideal ammo.

where do I aim to hit the bear in its "whatnot"? And ricochet off the bones? What are you talking about?

 

[BehindBlueI's]

You have experience with charging Grizzlies and killing them with a .44?! That's impressive! There are a lot of articles about using ammo like that as a better way of stopping a large animal in a defensive situation. What situation have you been in and what gun/ammo were you using? I have no experience with having to kill anything before it killed me so I'm very interested in insight from someone who has been put in that position. And I mean that sincerely, not being a jerk at all.

The investigations of hundreds of real world shootings as either lead or assisting detective, plus access to many more case files of shootings. In the realm of pistol bullets, faster and heavier equals less deflection. Too fast will result in fragmentation upon impact with bone (like those gimmicky ultralight DRT type ammos, even on a child's ulna it became so much bird shot upon contact with the bone, completely fragmenting), but that's where hardcast or bonded come in. I've recovered hardcast .44 bullets that have passed completely through a human and dry wall and were pristine, and the wound channel was straight as an arrow, as well as completely through the human pelvis, destroying a testicle, penetrating the pelvis completely, and blowing a second butt hole out the back, again, straight as an arrow. Lighter/slower bullets will deflect more, particularly at severe angles on round bone, such as a rib. Straight on, even the lowly .380 will break a human femur and it is neither fast nor heavy. The few .44 magnum hits I've seen on people out of longer barrels have been very impressive.

Preemptively, yes, people aren't bears. However a femur is a pretty large and hard bone, and a fat guy and a couple sheets of draw wall is a pretty good penetration test. I'm pretty comfortable saying faster = better in the same bullet weight as long as bullet construction can withstand the impact and maintain mass. If it's so fast it fragments upon impact with bone, yes, it needs to be backed down.

 

[patience0830]

And all this time I thought the whole point of a short barreled .44 mag was the huge fireball.

 

[451_Detonics]

And all this time I thought the whole point of a short barreled .44 mag was the huge fireball.

nope...that's the point of my 8 1/2" PTR-91 in .308!

 

[indiucky]

And all this time I thought the whole point of a short barreled .44 mag was the huge fireball.

You are correct sir....And oh what a beautiful fireball they make...I have recorded and then slowed down the audio of the blast and if you listen real close you will actually hear "'Merica" at the end of the blast...It's beautiful.....

 

[Hohn]

And high velocity will have too much energy and will ricochet off of bones instead of braking them. So a dense, heavy load with lower velocity would be the ideal ammo.

Two things:
1) You present no evidence of this claim that high velocity= ricochet off a bone (lol)
2) The idea seems laughable to me.

Ricochet off a bone instead of breaking it? With MORE velocity?

Velocity generally increases, not decreases penetration of non expanding rounds. A 223 will punch holes clean through things that shatter or bounce off a .,22LR.

 

[roscott]

That has not been my experience.

You have experience with charging Grizzlies and killing them with a .44?! That's impressive! There are a lot of articles about using ammo like that as a better way of stopping a large animal in a defensive situation. What situation have you been in and what gun/ammo were you using? I have no experience with having to kill anything before it killed me so I'm very interested in insight from someone who has been put in that position. And I mean that sincerely, not being a jerk at all.

The investigations of hundreds of real world shootings as either lead or assisting detective, plus access to many more case files of shootings. In the realm of pistol bullets, faster and heavier equals less deflection. Too fast will result in fragmentation upon impact with bone (like those gimmicky ultralight DRT type ammos, even on a child's ulna it became so much bird shot upon contact with the bone, completely fragmenting), but that's where hardcast or bonded come in. I've recovered hardcast .44 bullets that have passed completely through a human and dry wall and were pristine, and the wound channel was straight as an arrow, as well as completely through the human pelvis, destroying a testicle, penetrating the pelvis completely, and blowing a second butt hole out the back, again, straight as an arrow. Lighter/slower bullets will deflect more, particularly at severe angles on round bone, such as a rib. Straight on, even the lowly .380 will break a human femur and it is neither fast nor heavy. The few .44 magnum hits I've seen on people out of longer barrels have been very impressive.

I just read the entire thread, and for once, the end was even better than the beginning.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

You are correct sir....And oh what a beautiful fireball they make...I have recorded and then slowed down the audio of the blast and if you listen real close you will actually hear "'Merica" at the end of the blast...It's beautiful.....

I'm bidding on a 4" on gunbroker. Because reasons.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I'm bidding on a 4" on gunbroker. Because reasons.

Never justify a gun purchase. Just do it.

 

[roscott]

Lol. I'm really just trying to learn for the sake of learning. No purchase planned at the moment.

I'm bidding on a 4" on gunbroker. Because reasons.

Ah, the magic of INGO.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Ah, the magic of INGO.

Well, yeah, but I started this thread way back in March. That moment has passed. Plus I'm bidding on a 4", not a snubby. And I bought a .45 Colt since then. So....:P

 

[NKBJ]

I don't have much use for .44's except for percussion revolvers. But if I had a snubby .44 mag I'd load it with gas checked soft cast hollow point full flat fronted wadcutters sized to have the bullet even with the front of the cylinder.

 

[357 Terms]

/user//media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20150919_091216636.jpg.html]

[/URL]

Barnes 225grn XPB going around 1200fps (1350 from my 5.5in Redhawk)

Not a hot load, but very effective, that bullet is 7/8 of an inch wide.

A heavy 300grn bullet can be driven to around the same velocity in a hot load.