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  #1  
Old 03-20-2013, 06:32 PM
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Who knows the ballistics for this load? I'm surprised that the cavity is smaller than the cavity for the equivalent in .44 Special. Does the 44SP need more 'help'?
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Old 03-20-2013, 07:02 PM
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Originally Posted by brokenprism View Post
Who knows the ballistics for this load? I'm surprised that the cavity is smaller than the cavity for the equivalent in .44 Special. Does the 44SP need more 'help'?
I would assume the .44 Mag is launched at much higher velocities than the Special and that the hollow point is smaller to prevent breakup of the bullet upon impact.

Last edited by kwselke; 03-20-2013 at 07:47 PM.
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Old 03-20-2013, 07:42 PM
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Breakup, OK. I looked up the stats, and it's 1150 compared to 969 or something. They list the .44 mag as hunting ammo but I keep reading that people use it for carry. I'm always looking for something in the just over 1000 range, and Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel seems to fit that bill. Their standard Gold Dot 44M opens like an umbrella, but it's also 1300 fps or something. Too much for me.
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:12 PM
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The reason why I started using .44 Mag was for feral hog hunting. I like a 240 grain JHP with a muzzle velocity of between 1,250 - 1,350 FPS for that purpose. I practice with what I hunt with. Years ago I bought a box of 50 Silvertips which I believe were 220 grain bullets. Never shot a hog with one, but I did not feel comfortable hunting hogs with them. I have Silvertips for my .38 and .357 home defense guns, but if I pull out one of the .44 Mags, the bad guy is going to get a hog load. I've seen them work on wild hogs, I have confidence they will work on wild people.
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Old 03-20-2013, 08:37 PM
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The smaller hollowpoint slows expansion compared to the larger hollowpoint. This allows the faster bullet to penetrate a little better, and be less prone to blow up.
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Old 03-20-2013, 10:57 PM
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The smaller hollowpoint slows expansion compared to the larger hollowpoint. This allows the faster bullet to penetrate a little better, and be less prone to blow up.
Got it. The CCI Velocitor .22 must be a hell of a bullet then. : )
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Old 03-21-2013, 04:44 PM
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The last time I looked it up, the .44 mag Silvertip was a 210 gr. load at 1250 fps. That's my routine carry load for my 629 Mountain Gun, unless I'm deer hunting or carrying it out west (then I bump up to a 240 gr at maybe 1400 fps). To me it's a nice all around load for a .44 mag. I have even used a handloaded equivolent shooting action pistol matches at my local club. Double taps are a bit slow , but I don't shoot to win the matches, just improve myself.
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Old 03-21-2013, 10:22 PM
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OK, thanks Sven. That's encouraging. I forgot the role that a lighter bullet places in recoil and energy transferred. A 210 gr bullet will feel lighter than a 240 at the same velocity, right? I'm stoked with Silvertip right now, but have some Gold Dot 'Short Barrel' on the way. It's listed at 1075 or something, 200 gr bullet. This sounds very manageable. Haven't fired a shot yet, but I will.
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