Many moons ago I was quite active with both a 7.5" Redhawk and various .44 Mag carbines.
One day right after a heavy rain we were shooting into a berm that consisted of soil, sand, and horse manure (barn sweepings).
The load was my standard full magnum load of 24 grains of W296 under a 240 Jacketed.
These are the only 44 mag bullets I ever recovered after shooting them.
All the deer I harvested (they can be pretty small around here) had holes all the way though.
This may give you an approximation of the relative performance of the Hornady 240 XTP as shot out of a revolver and a carbine.
IMHO only the larger, tougher animals like elk, large bears, moose, bison, etc. demand the use of the big cast WFN bullets, of which I am a big fan.
Many 444 Marlin hunters have gone to these 300+ grain WFN .432" bullets just under Mach 2 and report great success.
The truth is, any of these bullets will kill a deer (or a hog) if you do your part.
I would carry the most accurate load you trust and don't worry too much about the terminal ballistics.
Then practice a bunch.
Addendum: My current favorite load in the Redhawk is the Cast Performance 260 WFNGC over 18-19 grains of 2400 depending on the brand of brass.
Sorry I do not have any heavy, Western, hunting experience although I grew up out there.
I am now stuck in the northern midwest.
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NEMO
"Everything 44"
Last edited by Nemo288; 02-21-2020 at 07:34 PM.
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