Just wondering what self protection factory ammo you might recommend in 44mag and in 44Special.

44 Special is for home use.... Don't want to ventilate the neighbor's walls... or the neighbors.

Hornady Critical Defense 165GR FTX $18.99 Free Shipping
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Anything that fits into your chambers.

I'm hoarding all the Speer gold dot I can find, especially in .44 Mag


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Why? How many people do you plan on shooting?

Maybe just one person, A LOT.



Seriously, though, some types of ammo can be real tough to get, so it's probably a good idea to get as much as you can when you have the chance. Ask anyone who's tried to find Winchester 145gr Silvertips in .357 Magnum.

That's a pretty ridiculous question. I, along with pretty much everybody in the world doesn't plan on shooting anybody. It's just about near impossible to find gold dot in .44 mag or special anymore. I don't think it has been made in .44 mag in a while.


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I agree with DWalt anything that fits in your chamber in .44 Mag, .44 special, 45 Auto, and 45 Colt, I left out some others, but I only included the ones I have. big bullets make big holes.

Also I concur with Richardman1992, I hoard certain components and ammo that I like ,I know sometimes they get discontinued, or are hard to find at reasonable of sometimes at any price. If I like them ,and I see them I buy them, i don't like to be relying on the whims of the market.

The Speer .44 Mag 200 gr Gold Dot "Short Barrel" is outstanding for two-legged defense. More umph than a typical special, but way less than a full house magnum.

For self defense I like .44 Special with Speer Gold Dot, Hornady Critical Defense or Winchester Silvertips. I'm trying out the Sig HPs, and so far like the accuracy.

For self defense, bear, wolf, sabre-tooth tiger variety, a good hardcast SWC, either special or magnum.

For you handloaders: at a garage sale, I discovered a Hensley & Gibbs wadcutter mold in .430". Perfect: I already load hard-cast Lee DB wadcutters in a defense load for my .38 Special.

Before I could get around to getting a top punch and lube/sizer die, I discovered Penn Bullets casts the same bullet (185 fr.) in 3 different diameters and at $40/500. I sold the mold for twice what I paid for it and got a lifetime supply of wadcutters. I've loaded them at about 900 fps.

Penn's website even touts it as a self-defense bullet. I suspect they're right.

Hydro shock, if they make it in 44? Wicked stuff, as told by an emergency room doctor at Grady Memorial. (that's were they take all the gunshot victims in Atlanta) He said it doesn't break up like most hollow points, but leaves a disastrous, mostly fatal wound channel!

Worry less about the bullets and more about your aim. Never understood people that ask what ammo is best. None if you can't hit your target where it needs to be to stop the threat.

Speer gold dot or all lead hollowpoint. Underwood has options more powerful than factory 44 special but not as strong as magnum

Gold dot is best alternative

Let's assume they can hit the target. Why not have an effective round?

Since you mention Factory Loads, I would suggest you investigate the Glaser Safety Slugs in either 44mag or 44Special. Lots of knock down power, no over penetration and fairly mild to shoot.

Who is to say what an effective round is? I am in law enforcement and have seen 1 person shot in the head and survive with the same ammo from the same gun seconds later kill another that was shot on the side of the chest and hit the heart.

You tell me, was it location or the bullet?

Luck, Trace Adkins, the country singer, took one through the heart by his ex wife and, well, we all know how he turned out. Not so much for her.

They make them still, and I'm down to one box of 20. Used the first box to see poi in my M69. Ill load it when I fill feeders as I know the 75yd hold on a coyote size target. I'd have a 40-60% chance at 100 with it too. Got to keep the sound dogs away from the does as much as possible, and later on, the fawns. Luckily, I doubt I'll need it for anything other than those furry targets

Another couple you might look at are the 44 Special and 44 Mag Cor Bon 165 grain JHP rounds. The 44 Mags show a MV of 1300 ft/sec and the Specials show it at 1050 FPS. The bullets are manufactured for them by Sierra and are a Cor Bon only offering. I bought some of the Sierra bullets from Midway a few years ago (overrun stuff from making some for Cor Bon) and loaded them hot and they are pretty spectacular what they do to a water jug. Never did recover any bullets as they went through the jugs after blowing them up.

Buffalo Bore 44 Special 200 Grain Hard Cast Lead Wadcutter Anti-Personnel, 14E/20

Best.

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I've still got it made.

You didn't use enough jugs.

I have 300 of those same 165HP's. Clocked some just yesterday at 1270 fps out of my 3" 29. High on my list of pending water jug tests.

Seriously, set up 6 gallon milk jugs in a row on a table or saw horse....stoop, squat or whatever to make sure you're aim is straight down the middle and you'll find the bullet in jug 4-6 provided it 1) expands at all and 2) doesn't deflect out the side. With this 165HP I expect to find fragments in a couple of jugs.

While this test doesn't mimic flesh & bone, it's a good litmus test...if it DOESN'T expand here then it won't expand anywhere. This is where Hydrashoks and Silvertips have always let me down. The newer generation (Critical defense, Golden Saber, Gold Dot, etc. are textbook perfect) and any older bullet with an exposed lead hollowpoint....like Remington bulk bullets...work Great. Some XTP's and even Gold Dots are meant for hunting loads at hyper velocity and won't expand well from anything you'd want to carry for defense.



The second bullet is one of my favorites. It's a 200grain hollowpoint cast from pure lead and fired at only 750 fps. It blew up the first jug and stopped in the second. Not much chance of over-penetration if that were a concern.

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Carry.."hope" isn't a strategy

I foolishly thought that 20" of bare synthetic ballistic gelatin would stop a .44 magnum Hydrashok. I carry my M69 when I'm out in the boonies. I use a different platform for home defense - I've got families on three sides around my home:

As previously suggested, Hornady Critical Defense is a great choice if your aim is to stop 2 legged predators.

Wear your hearing protection! I think a .44 Mag may be over kill for home defense.

44 Mag too strong for home defense? I agree. That's why so many of us have "reverted" back to 44 Spl as a much more versatile caliber.

This....at 1080 from a 4" barrel it is the perfect balance of recoil control and effectiveness.

A friend bought a Model 22 TR in .44 Special and tried all available factory ammo...nothing would consistently expand reliably. He ended up finding a 3" 629 PC and tried some of the .44 Magnum Short Barrel Load and those made for .44 Special deep HP bullets expanded every time. Speer even has a section in their #14 Manual for them in .44 Magnum.

When I saw the load I was so impressed I found a 629 Mountain Gun just to shoot them out of...

Bob

In my 629 Mountain Gun I chamber Hornady Critical Defense 180 grain in .44 Special at home, Speer Gold Dot 200 grain .44 Special for when about town. I back them up with Sig Sauer V-Crown and Hornady 300 grain XTP .44 Mag. When up in the mountains and the woods I chamber Buffalo Bore 305 grain hard cast goodness.

I'm curious about the Speer Gold Dot 200 grain .44 mag Short Barrel, but then again... I prefer heavy bullets in the magnum loads.

Have to remember this isn't a "Magnum" load...just a Magnum case. The extra 200 fps over most .44 Special loads from a 4" barrel makes sure the bullet will expand without excessive recoil to slow down followup shots.

Bob

In .44 caliber, the load that is most accurate, shoots to point of aim, and that you can shoot well. In a large bore chambering, a minimal loading is sufficient. Flash & blast are less and so is recovery from recoil.

There are two types of 44 mag Speer Gold Dot available.

The 200 gr short barrel load, and a 210 gr hotter load for longer barrels.

A few weeks ago, Ammunition-to-go had both available and I bought 5 boxes of the 200 gr short barrel type.

This morning I noticed only the 210 gr was left.

Either type is hard to find, so you might want to stock up when you see it.

I have a 2.5" 629 I'll use it in, but don't often carry it.

But, in general, I'm stocking up on ammo while I can as next year California will ban mail order sales.

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I did some looking around for the .44 Mag short barrel, but it shows as discontinued on several sites, so if you find some treat it as unobtanium!

I picked up a set of 6 Glasers for my 629 but will take the word of the Internet posters and YouTube videos as these are just too expensive to plink with. I believe these may also be discontinued by COR-BON.

The rule I go by is that at .44Spl power, you want more weight to ensure penetration, and at .44Mag power, you want a lighter bullet since you're going to have the penetration. I have some of the 165gr Hornady .44Spl but am looking to pick up the heavier Buffalo Bore or Underwood stuff. It seems hypocritical but I think the 165-180gr .44Mag would be ideal for self defense. COR-BON makes a 165gr @ 1300fps load that obviously is well short of full power; I need to stock up on this stuff!

Shoot a cylinder full of that high-performance stuff at dusk or at night, or better yet in a darkened room before you stock up...

...I just checked the Speer website...and it is gone...

Sad...Bob

This outfit still has some in stock.

Now that I found it was discontinued, I ordered a few more boxes.

Guns For Sale - Online Gun Shop With Handguns, Rifles, Shotguns

The old 44 Special Winchester Silvertips were great for SD. I haven't seen any for sale in a very long time. That's why I'm hoarding the one box I have left.

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Dr. B

Testing is the best way to go, specially with the newer ammunition types. I've seen mixed results from reviewers testing the Speer 200 gr Mag Short Barrel. I wonder if it wasn't performing up to Speer standards.
Man, I love what Speer is doing! I hope they expand the G2 ammo line into the .44 chamberings. While they're at it, I would love their Diver Amno in 44 Special too!...whet dreams.

Testing? Defensive ammo can't be tested.

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I've still got it made.

I like to read "tests" performed by independent reviewers before I trust my life to a products claim of it's effectiveness. Actually I enjoy everyone's personal input on performance, etc.

In big bore revolvers generally, I prefer a heavy for caliber all lead SWC at modest velocity. Easy to shoot, good performance, adequate penetration (too little is worse than too much most of the time). The only exception is 45ACP, in which I generally would use 45ACP service JHPs just the same as in the self loader. I did find and buy a decent quantity of the Speer .44 Special Gold Dot in Blazer cases; decent performance and reasonably shootable even in my 296. (Less rank than a hot .38 or 9mm in a J frame.)

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NHI, 10-8.

Buffalo bore makes a lead SWC hollow point load for the 44 magnum:

ANTI-PERSONNEL 44 MAG. Pistol and Handgun Ammo

It's sort of an FBI load on steroids.

I figure if you are going to use a lead SWC bullet it might as well be a hollow point. It might expand, but if it doesn't it still punches a big hole.

The only way to test defensive ammo is to shoot people with it.

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I've still got it made.

That's the ultimate test, isn't it?

My .44Spl M28 conversion is loaded with Federal 200 gr. LSWCHP on the nightstand.

Larry