44mag Ammo For Deer Hunting

[partyboy6686]

Well I am going to use a 44mag rifle for deer hunting this year. What is going to be the best ammo that will penetrate and knock the deer down? I google searched and found a interesting thread at AR15.com (link below to thread). To help you out the gun I have is a Marlin 1894 with a 20in barrel.

.44 Mag rifle ammo for deer ? - AR15.COM

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Easy one. Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Handgun :: Choose by Caliber :: 44 Mag :: 44 Mag 225 gr FTX® LEVERevolution®

 

[rotortech]

+1 What he said above ^

 

[warthog]

Are you going to load this ammo yourself? If so you might look for a nice, big, soft lead bullet with a nice big meplat so it makes a big hole on the way out. Doesn't need to be a hollow [point, just needs to be moving fast enough and have a nice flat meplat so the head mushrooms nicely.

FWIW, those Hornady rounds are what I keep in my Alaskan for SD rounds and I do carry it to boot.

 

[snapping turtle]

Winchester White Box 240 grain JSP. The CCI mini Mag of the 44 caliber mag. Marlins and WWB were made for each other. 11 shots on deer, 10 deer in freezer The other one I misjudged the distance of the deer from me and undershot. 243 steps to where he was from where I was when I walked it off. I can't fault the ammo for that.

Anthing over 265 grains is not going to stabilze well in a 1 in 38 twist barrel. The FTX Hornady loads are nice on paper balistics but do not group as well as the WWB in my 44 mag. The groups size at 100 is twice the size of the WWB and 4 inches higher.

My first years with the WWB here in Indiana were bang drop DRT. The last few years perfect heart shots and the deer still ran 50-60 yards before piling up. Hormones rut ect? This year even a doe ran 60 to the creek and dropped dead with my handloads. It was heavy heavy fog and I shot her at 10 yards broadside after she kicked a while later I heard her drop in the creek. After 12 yards i could not see her anymore.

I have never had a shot not be a passthru and a couple were 100+ yard shots. Dad shot his this year at 75 and DRT. Weird but effective. They just seem to be running dead a little farther for me than I would like. Dad was using WWB also.

 

[hammer24]

I've had 3 different .44 rifles and none of them really cared for the FTXs. I've had much better luck with the 240 XTPs. I've heard great results from the WWB 240s as well. I have absolutely no complaints on the XTPs performance on deer either. Took a doe at 128 yds with my 77/44 last season, pass through and deer only ran 30 yds. and piled up. My son's H&R .44 rifle loves the 200 gr. Nosler jhps.
Each rifle likes something different, so try a few different loads to see what yours likes. Just about any .44 round will do the job on deer sized game given reasonable shot distance and putting the projectile where it belongs.

 

[fastwally]

Best grouping with the 225gr FTX, also had real good luck with the 240gr XTP.

 

[Sniper 79]

I would load up some nice Keith style cast lead.

 

[Silver-z28]

I'm going to be loading the 200gr xtps for my wife's encore the fps is up there witch should help since she usually don't shoot over 100 yards

 

[Broom_jm]

Each rifle likes something different, so try a few different loads to see what yours likes. Just about any .44 round will do the job on deer sized game given reasonable shot distance and putting the projectile where it belongs.

Ignore everything else you read, except the above. There isn't a bullet made for 44 Magnum that won't kill a deer, if you put it where it belongs.

 

[hps]

I would load up some nice Keith style cast lead.

YEP!!

 

[ws6guy]

The leverevolutions don't shoot that great in my 1894. Out to 50 yards they seem to hold a decent grouping but at 100yrds they won't group well at all. On the other hand the hornady XTP's group much better.

I will say that pretty much anything bullet will take down a deer BUT the best bullet I've ever seen on deer are Winchester platinum tips. Some of my family has been using them for years with shotgun and 44mag and very very few deer run more than 50 yards. Every bullet we dig out of the deer when we process them look like the ones in the this youtube video. I would use them but I have an abundance of XTP's to use up.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0eBoK5ivLg

 

[Water63]

Your rifle will tell you what to use. One of mine loves 225 FXT bullets the other one hates them but loves 240 XTP's so just shoot a few any 44 load will take the fight out of a deer pretty quick if the shot is placed well.

 

[tomindy]

I have a marlin limited with a 16" barrel in 44 Magnum. I have taken deer for the past three years with it. At the range the lever revolution grouped best and I shot the first two deer with it. I took these deer less than 50 yards from a river and both deer made it across the river. Both times I had to get the canoe.
The first deer I ever took in Missouri over 30 years ago I took with a 308 Winchester. When I field dressed that 9 Point, (my largest so far, he's on the wall over the fireplace) the heart just fell out disconnected. He ran 80 yards before dropping. I had often heard that a heart shot deer will run until the blood runs out and it has seemed to be true for me with good shots with 12 gauge, 50 cal ML with a 45 cal 300 gr hornady xtp in front of 120gr double f.
Over on the Graybeard Outdoors forum Veral Smith of Lead Bullet Technology I read about his displacement velocity "theory."
This displacement velocity "DV" works with cast bullets and you can go to the forum to search for the equation. The wound diameter seems to be very important in how fast the deer will go down. With a 1" to 1 1/4" wound diameter game up till elk and moose will "fold in their tracks." Over a 1 3/8" wound diameter and kill speed drops off rapidly which means games run off. Yes I know how to remove structure, I removed a shoulder and hip with my 50 cal ML and the above load, the deer dropped.

Last year I sighted in some handloaded 44special I loaded in October 1992 in the marlin which was a 245gr hard cast SWC in front of 16 gr of 2400 with WW large pistol primers. This was a pretty good moving 44 special load but never near 44 magnum power. Like I said before, the hornady LR grouped better but I shot the last two deer at this location at less than 27 yards so accuracy wasn't everything. I didn't want to cross that deep river with short boots again.
This year the deer went 10-15 yard using what I thought was powder puff ammo out of a rifle. The bullet exited the deer and while field dressing I found out it hit dead center through the heart. 308 at 80 yards, 44 special at 15 yards I'm still learning.
tomindy

 

[Lammchop93]

Easy one. Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Handgun :: Choose by Caliber :: 44 Mag :: 44 Mag 225 gr FTX® LEVERevolution®

This. I use a single shot .44. I shot a good sized doe this past season with one. Popped both lungs and exited the deer. Deer made it about 40 yards and bled to death. Pretty nice blood trail too.

 

[flnt38]

my nephew has been using the 240 grn xtp's. they leave some very impessive holes. only one of the 4 he got this year took more than one shot.

 

[Sling10mm]

I agree with the statements above about seeing what your rifle likes, but having said that, my Marlin 1894 (with 16" barrel) likes Winchester white box 240 gr JSP's. Three of my four deer were taken with these, two being one shot kills.

 

[Cowboy45]

I have a Ruger Deer Field and I have had really good groups on paper out to 100 yards with the 240gr XTP.. And have put a lot of deer in the bed of the truck as well.. I reload all my own now.. But out of the box they work good to.. I have honestly never shot a deer with my 44 past 60 yards.. Never needed to.. But I always got pass through every time..