.44 Special; .44 Magnum; .44-40 Winchester
#11
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: texas
Posts: 1,201
a couple of the guys I handgun hunt with and reload for,
having a rather wide variety of cartridges and handguns,
many of those same guys seem to think you need the newest or most powerful pistol available,
thats simply not true,
even back in the early 1960s I was effectively killing deer with a ruger single action 44 mag,
the main difference back then , was I had to be a good deal closer to effectively and consistently place a shot in the vitals accurately (think archery or 40 yards or less)
as I gained skill and experience, my personal effective range increased to about 120 max yards using iron sights to still feel confident with iron sights,
but the hand gun and cartridge had all the power required.
back then the 44 mag ruger cost me about $145 new the S&W 29 cost almost $380 back then,
back when I started a ruger single action 44 mag revolver was ....
about the most common,
yeah some guys could afford the much more expensive and harder to find rather exotic at the time S&W mod 29 and 629
and later in the mid 1980s the DAN WESSON SUPER MAG REVOLVERS
and now theres a much broader selection, in revolvers and cartridges, but I have to point out that even back in the mid 1960s-through the 1980s we were regularly very effectively killing deer with hand loaded 240-300 grain cast gas check bullets in 44 mag revolvers and in fact Ive even used a model 27 8 3/8" 357 mag with 158-175 grain hard cast gas check bullets on many hunts with zero problems
now a 357 may not hit as hard as a 44 mag when both are properly loaded but in the hands of an experienced and accurate shot both work well.
yes you can buy a 454, 460, or 500 mag, but even the 44 mag has more than enough power to get the job done, so I don,t see much advantage in larger more powerful revolvers on deer sized game.
http://www.lasc.us/RossLoadingthe44magnum.htm
https://www.handgunsmag.com/editoria..._081005/138925
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010207991?pid=511417
this bullet mold and h110 powder are a potent combo for hunting with a 44 caliber revolver
having a rather wide variety of cartridges and handguns,
many of those same guys seem to think you need the newest or most powerful pistol available,
thats simply not true,
even back in the early 1960s I was effectively killing deer with a ruger single action 44 mag,
the main difference back then , was I had to be a good deal closer to effectively and consistently place a shot in the vitals accurately (think archery or 40 yards or less)
as I gained skill and experience, my personal effective range increased to about 120 max yards using iron sights to still feel confident with iron sights,
but the hand gun and cartridge had all the power required.
back then the 44 mag ruger cost me about $145 new the S&W 29 cost almost $380 back then,
back when I started a ruger single action 44 mag revolver was ....
about the most common,
yeah some guys could afford the much more expensive and harder to find rather exotic at the time S&W mod 29 and 629
and later in the mid 1980s the DAN WESSON SUPER MAG REVOLVERS
and now theres a much broader selection, in revolvers and cartridges, but I have to point out that even back in the mid 1960s-through the 1980s we were regularly very effectively killing deer with hand loaded 240-300 grain cast gas check bullets in 44 mag revolvers and in fact Ive even used a model 27 8 3/8" 357 mag with 158-175 grain hard cast gas check bullets on many hunts with zero problems
now a 357 may not hit as hard as a 44 mag when both are properly loaded but in the hands of an experienced and accurate shot both work well.
yes you can buy a 454, 460, or 500 mag, but even the 44 mag has more than enough power to get the job done, so I don,t see much advantage in larger more powerful revolvers on deer sized game.
http://www.lasc.us/RossLoadingthe44magnum.htm
https://www.handgunsmag.com/editoria..._081005/138925
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010207991?pid=511417
this bullet mold and h110 powder are a potent combo for hunting with a 44 caliber revolver
Last edited by hardcastonly; 02-12-2020 at 05:42 AM.