I just read a great article and I thought I would pass it along. I am starting to deer and bear hunt with my 629-1 and was doing some bullet research as to how I cam across this stuff, anyway this is good information!!!

Handgun Hunting Cartridges

M29L,

Way back in the last century I used to load them JSP 265 grainers in the .44 Magnum over (a too heavy a load to print here) of 2400.

Shot 'em out of the 8 3/8 " 29s and them long barreled Super Blackhawks.

Man, they were stout. And at reasonable ranges, deadly than the plague on anything we turned them on.

The only down side was they sur-nuff bucked and maked the ponies jump.

Thanks for the post...


Now I've got a 5 shot Blackhawk chamber for a cut back and reamed out .444 Marlin cartridge cases 'round here some'eres.......I need to find that one.

Su Amigo,
Dave

__________________
"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I knew someone would find that information interestin. I need some more advice in the re-loadin department as I am not as experienced with it as yourself. That load you were describin sounds like a blast!!!!

a very interesting read...thanks!

__________________
SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Agree, very informative. Thanks for sharing.

Ive handgun hunted for years, its nice to see articles on it from time to time. Thanx for sharing.

I'd argue with the author about bullet choices.
Jacketed bullets have their place. like in autos where it has to take some abuse between the mag and chamber, and in rifles where not even gas checks can help leading issues in full power loads.
but in a revolver like the 44 magnum ... sorry Chuck. Cast lead will win this fight most of the time.
Where charge and bullet weight are reasonably equal, cast almost always gains about 150 feet per second, which represents a significant rise in energy.
Energy is at a premium in all handgun rounds save the 460 and 500 magnums.

__________________
it just needs more voltage

The article would be more helpful had Jamison talked about cast bullets. Even if you set aside the cost difference, there are tons of reasons why cast beats jacketed for hunting almost every time.

venomballistics nailed my favorite, the surprising increase in velocity that comes from the lower coefficient of friction.

Check out the reloading forums here and you'll get an earful.


Okie John

yes okie ... and that finding was not out of an article but out of chrono numbers ... and to be honest I sand bag my numbers cause I dont think they'd believe the real ones in some cases

__________________
it just needs more voltage

Hardest part of the handgun hunting is getting close enough to properly place that bullet. I hit a whole lot better at distance with a scoped rifle than an open sighted 44 magnum!

the hardest part is probably the best part of handgun hunting since there are two requisite skills to develop in it .. physical self control to place that shot at range and stalking skills ... now THAT's hunting

__________________
it just needs more voltage

I absolutely LOVE handgun hunting for deer, and have mainly hunted this way for the past decade plus.

That being said, my definite favorite .44 Magnum bullet evolved to the 300grain, hardcast flatnose variety, based on real-world results. This load indeed would be great on Elk . . . and puts the deer down with absolute authority.

As always, shot placement is important when shooting all firearms, and I never take a shot I cannot make . . . with rifle, revolver, whatever.

I have a lot of fond memories of hunting with the 300gn. Federal Castcore Premium hunting ammo in .44 Mag., and I too prefer lead over metal jacketed bullets for the same reasons stated above.

I dont generally plug my wretched wares here but this is exactly what I designed my 276 grain TCHP for after Bambi decided to inspect my 87 mustangs radiator....
Vengeance can be a great motivator

__________________
it just needs more voltage

yup ... page two sorta covered this ... however all else was the usual parade of JHP's. and addresses cast hard ball solely for its penetration. Trust me ... theres more ways of putting that extra energy to work
http://www.venomballistics.com/media/work.mov

__________________
it just needs more voltage

Exactly. What I see over my chronograph is shocking.

Here's a question: what if ammo makers started using flat-nose cast slugs instead of JHPs in self-defense loads? They could get 100-150 fps more at lower pressures, which means instant +P ballistics without the higher pressures.

Something to think about...


Okie John

or even HP cast like what I make.
yeah ... that would fly in real world physics but its hard to hype up something lacking convoluted designs and "mean" looking construction while bragging up "exotic" materials like hornadays elastomer tip (read rubber) offerings.
its just a boring chunk of lead to the masses who havnt figured it out yet

__________________
it just needs more voltage

Venomballistics, Can I get more info on the bullet you recommend for whitetails. Ive used Speers GD 210 gn (44 cal) Its traveling 1600 fps out of a 7 1/2 inch bbl. For whitetail sized game its worked great. Ive killed about 30-35 deer with this load from 15-105 yds. All rounds have exited so far with exit wounds around the size of a golf ball. Ive been wanting to try a good cast bullet for some time and sounds like yours may be the one to try.

That post made me laugh, a lot, thanks for it!!!

I've never shot a bear, but have tagged 5 good sized deer with my handload of 13.5 grains Unique under a 225-grain bullet. It kills 'em stone dead, and also passes through 'em all the way. Good round.