.44 Magnum 240 gr. LSWC Opinions Needed

[Kid44]

Anyone have an opinion on a .44 Magnum 240 gr. lead semi wadcutter for whitetail deer? It's a magnum load but not quite full power, probably between full house magnum and a
.44 Special, actually it's pretty mild to shoot compared to full house magnum load. It's a soft cast wadcutter. Effective on deer?? May not be enough for black bear however. Thoughts??

[arjay]

It will work just fine.They aren't any tougher than we are :-)

[05CarbonDRZ]

If you put the slug in a Whitetail's wheel house it won't make it far.

[MichiganScott]

Should go in one side and out the other. You can't ask for anything more.

Seems to me a certain cowboy by the name of Elmer Keith championed a semiwadcutter (although fairly hard cast) for everything, including large carnivores.

[alwslate]

Is it factory ammo? Someone else's handload? Are you sure it's soft
cast and not swaged? You say it's pretty mild, what velocity level is
it supposed to be? I personally would not use it for deer hunting
unless it was well above factory 44 Special. If you're serious about
deer hunting you can surely find a box of factory 44 mag ammo
somewhere to buy if you don't handload.

[Doug M.]

Actually, depending on the range and shooter's skill set, I suspect a 240 grain SWC at any velocity at or above 800 fps would do fine for deer hunting.

[Kid44]

Originally Posted by alwslate

Is it factory ammo? Someone else's handload? Are you sure it's soft
cast and not swaged? You say it's pretty mild, what velocity level is
it supposed to be? I personally would not use it for deer hunting
unless it was well above factory 44 Special. If you're serious about
deer hunting you can surely find a box of factory 44 mag ammo
somewhere to buy if you don't handload.

What exactly is the difference between soft cast and swaged, what is a swaged bullet? I've heard the term for years, just never knew exactly what it means. Yes, the load I mentioned is a factory load, maker is now out of business. I don't have a chronograph but it seems more than .44 Special and less than full house magnum. It is labeled a magnum load, doesn't say but possibly a "cowboy" load, it is a SWC. Manufacturer is
Williams Cartridge Company, Marlborough, CT.

[358156hp]

For hunting, buy something you can trust. Unless you have chronograph data for these loads in your gun, buy a box from a reputable (and known) manufacturer who supplies performance data.

[alwslate]

Swaged bullets are fairly soft lead bullets that are cold formed under
pressure in a die from lead wire or rods. The type of lead bullets sold
by Speer and Hornady. Much softer than most any cast bullet. They will
usually lead bores at velocities above about 800 fps. I suggest you
buy a box of 44 mag JHPs from Win, Rem or Fed for deer hunting.
You owe it to the animal to strive for a clean kill.

[329]

I am just a hollow point guy. Yes it will go right through but with I think you may want a bullet that expands and leaves most of its energy in the body cavity instead of the tree behind the deer. This has always been the case with rifle ammo. Nosler made a boatload with their partition ammo that expands creating a larger wound channel, heapeing a bunch of energy on the target yet holding the bullet in tact. I don't think there are any hollow points that would come apart on a whitetail so I would go for max expansion. I am not concerned about speed on whiteail at the distances I can accuratly shoot a revolver. Even at a slightly reduced speed a hollow point should open up fine and kill the deer.

[sw282]

Remington used to have a ''midrange'' 240gr lswc load. l think the velocity was 900-1000fps. l shot a good bit of it and liked it..


Swc,jhp,jsp,partition seem to make little difference on deer from a 44 to me.. lts PLACEMENT thats king

[Vulcan Bob]

I'm not an expert on this by any means only having harvested four whitetail deer using a .44 Mag, but I prefer a bullet that will totally penetrate the target. A proper SWC will cut a full caliber hole clean through and be very effective. However as already noted proper shot placement is crucial. I've had to pass up many a shot that would have been meat on the table using a rifle, so extra patience is called for using a handgun. Good luck and have fun!

[David Sinko]

I also prefer a hard cast SWC bullet that will fully penetrate the target. You don't need maximum velocity to fully penetrate even big game. The purpose is to break the big bones and put the animal down RIGHT NOW. But a soft swaged bullet will probably deform and not perform well in this way.

And I can cast my own bullets practically for free and not have to depend on somebody supplying me with an expensive trick bullet.

Dave Sinko

[loc n load]

I have been shooting cast (straight wheel weights) in my 44 mag's since the late 70's......I hunt with a S&W 29 with a 8 3/8" bl and a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 7.5" tube.....I have harvested over 20 deer with the 44 mag, my 240 gr cast SWC over 18 gr's of 2400....this is not a "full throttle" load, but I don't need it for deer with the 44 mag.....I keep my shots within 70 yds and take broadside shots.....this load produces thru and thru wound tracks and puts meat in the freezer.....this is also the same load I shot for years in ISHMA in "hunter pistol" going out to 100 yds.....shot the same bullet out to 200 yds with 20 gr's of 2400....it had enough power at 200 yds to knock over 55lb steel rams.