TN Lone Wolf

Hornady makes good bullets and ammunition. You probably won't be disappointed with the 240 grain XTPs.

BrushyPines

I agree. I shoot 130 grain SSTs in my .270 win. Some deer have dropped and some have ran 100 yards, either way the job gets done!

Mr. Longbeard

I just recently picked up a Henry 44 mag haven't killed anything with it yet... But as far as accuracy... My reloads are putting 3 in a 1.5" group at 100 yards

BrushyPines

What type of scope you using? 3-9X40?

Mr. Longbeard

I opted for the leupold vxii 1-4x20

BrushyPines

I've got a VX2 on one of my rifles. I love it, however, I'll be using this gun during our primitive weapon season; which is only 3 to 3.5 weeks. Since I wont be using this rifle much, I don't want to buy that expensive of a scope. I'm thinking a 3-9x40 Nikon. I just don't know how much of a drop there is at 200 yards and is there even any point in shooting this rifle that far at game? Would a BDC scope be worth purchasing?

super_hunt54

Brushy, 150 yards is actually pushing the limits of the .44mag to the extremes. 200 yards is really out of the question. If I were you, I'd look into a 2-7x Nikon Prostaff. Around 150 bucks and a great little scope for the money. It has the Nikoplex RET rather than all that BDC jazz. http://www.opticsplanet.com/nikon-pr...x-reticle.html

BrushyPines

Thanks SH! I'll look into that one! I'm already liking it by the price you said it was! Got any idea how much it will drop from 150 yards?

super_hunt54

What is your load? Barrel length? I have a scope on my Redhawk that's zeroed at 50 yards and to nail a deer or hog at 100 I hold about 3". If I remember correctly, the MPBR of the rifle configuration is right at 150 yards. So zero at 100 and from 0-150 yards you should be inside of the vitals with 150 being on the low side of the lungs. At 150, I'd try my best to stay off shoulder though and go for a clean lung shot. As I said earlier, at 150 it's starting to seriously run outta gas. The leverevolution bullet would still be going OKAY but I'd still stay off the shoulder. But from 0-around 130 the little .44mag rifles are some really good deer smackers. From 0-100 the pistols hold their own as well

Nomercy448

I wouldn't say the .44mag is out of steam at 200yrds - the 300grn load I run is trucking harder at 200yrds than a standard .45colt or 357mag at the muzzle!

300grn XTP still just over 1,000fps at 200yrds. It's 13MOA of correction compared to my 100yrd zero, so that's a bit much to deal with, and of course, I have to stay well practiced to keep it under 4MOA at 200yrds, but a 6-8" group will kill deer. Granted, that's firing a scoped revolver from a tripod and pistol rest, which is a little different than shooting a scoped rifle, but the power is there - it's just a matter of keeping it on target.

I'd also point out, the Leverevolution FTX actually has a poor BC compared to its field. The 200grn XTP has a shorter bearing surface, meaning a guy can push it harder without creating pressure issues, and it's a shorter bullet, meaning I can seat it out farther, also creating less pressure, let alone feed it from a longer case <-- less pressure still, AND lighter weight, so greater speed... Oh, and it also has a slightly better BC than the 225 FTX, so the stubby 200 XTP keeps that speed just as well as the pointy FTX. As does the 240 and 300grn XTP. The 180 XTP is the only bullet Hornady makes with a worse BC than the 225 FTX. The FTX is a great bullet, very good expansion, reliable, accurate, and relatively cheap, but it's not actually an improvement in ballistics.

Not many folks should be taking 200yrd shots with 44mags, even in a levergun, but it's really just about trajectory management and precision (or lack thereof), as the bullet will have plenty of punch to kill.