.44 mag hunting loads

This article is a bit dated as the author is advising wheel weight lead, 2% tin. However, the gas checked Lyman Devastator was used in a Blackhawk field trial, success on a mule deer. So, if you’re thinking to cast and roll your own, Devastator HP may be what works.

Dangerous rabbit hole there. I love Frixell's stuff.

I found a coffee can full of Lyman 429421HP boolits in an old shed about five years ago.

I went to the MP mold because it is the essentially the same boolit with the crimp groove moved back to optimize the longer Ruger cylinder.544F7E3F-B7B2-476F-A496-5626A8DD9422.jpeg
 
I’ve never messed around with casting bullets at all, but those cast hollow points are seriously cool. I bet they make a hell of a wound channel out of a .44 as well.
It’s seriously cheap to get a mold and basic necessities (my first run was just a Lee mold, camp stove, pot and spoon from Goodwill, big piece of cardboard). I’ve used Hornady balls and also reclaimed lead from the range, all shoot fine. @44hunter45 has the wisdom for reference; he’s a reloading encyclopedia.
 
It’s seriously cheap to get a mold and basic necessities (my first run was just a Lee mold, camp stove, pot and spoon from Goodwill, big piece of cardboard). I’ve used Hornady balls and also reclaimed lead from the range, all shoot fine. @44hunter45 has the wisdom for reference; he’s a reloading encyclopedia.
Ha!

I honored you think so. Mostly I’m not afraid to experiment and learned from my mistakes.
 
Here are a couple of mine. I will have to look for my brother’s.

The bear in the top photo was shot with my friend’s revolver and a PMC Starfire. I don’t recall which HP I used on the bear in the bottom photo but I got it in the old stomping grounds of none other than @44hunter45.

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@MTLabrador, I got my first handgun bucks and bulls with a 4” 629. Regrettably, I sold that revolver. I never shot 300 gr bullets in it but I bet it would kick with them. I bought another pre-lock 4” last year but didn’t get anything with it last fall.
Due to some extra funds from horse trading and a ton of overtime, and my old 4” Colt .357 being out of commission, I found myself looking around at some shorter barrel double action revolvers to pack around the mountains and came home with a 4” S&W 629. I always regretting getting rid of the one that I used to have.

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Due to some extra funds from horse trading and a ton of overtime, and my old 4” Colt .357 being out of commission, I found myself looking around at some shorter barrel double action revolvers to pack around the mountains and came home with a 4” S&W 629. I always regretting getting rid of the one that I used to have.

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Nice revolver!
 
Killed a 6x6 elk and 9 deer with 210 gr. Hollow pts. Dirty Harry. Sw model 29.
The best elk (only elk) I could get with my 3” was a 5 pt. I got a 6 pt with a 6” but it was smaller than the 5 pt with the 3”.

In hindsight, when the elk came in, I wish I would have thought to say, “You’ve gotta ask yourself a question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”

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Another option I recently heard about is cutting edge bullets. They are a 100% copper bullet that sheds 4 petals and the main part continues to penetrate. It sounds lot like hammer bullets. I have not tried them yet but the reviews seem positive.

cuttingedgebullets.com
 
Another option I recently heard about is cutting edge bullets. They are a 100% copper bullet that sheds 4 petals and the main part continues to penetrate. It sounds lot like hammer bullets. I have not tried them yet but the reviews seem positive.

cuttingedgebullets.com
I wonder how fast you could get those 150 gr bullets going?
 
I wonder how fast you could get those 150 gr bullets going?
Should be pretty darn fast. I think the 200 grain would be a better choice due to the extra weight if you hit some bone. I'm thinking elk here otherwise either should perform great on deer.
 
Should be pretty darn fast. I think the 200 grain would be a better choice due to the extra weight if you hit some bone. I'm thinking elk here otherwise either should perform great on deer.
I agree with you. I didn’t see the 200s. Just saw the 240 solids and 150s, and stopped.
 
I’ve got a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44mag as well. Never really got into the bullet research side of it. Shot a deer with a 300grainer one time. Following as it would be fun to get it out again and I haven’t shot it in probably 7 or 8 years..
 
240 XTP and the book max load of H110 is the winning combo. I spent the afternoon shooting steel from 25-100 with the .44 and doing some speed drills with my carry gun, it was a ton of fun.

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I use that same Diamond D Guide's Choice chest rig for both my Redhawk and Blackhawk.

I spent some time last week shooting speed drills on clay birds setup at random distances. Had a blast. I have a hoarded crap ton of 300 XTP loads I'd rather shoot than pull down.
 
I shot a S&W 44 mag once. Once was enough for me! Hate the recoil of heavier handguns. Shoot can't even stand the recoil of a 357 mag with jacketed bullets. But, had a Colt Trooper 357 and no problem shooting 38 spec 150gr cast from it!
 
The best elk (only elk) I could get with my 3” was a 5 pt. I got a 6 pt with a 6” but it was smaller than the 5 pt with the 3”.

In hindsight, when the elk came in, I wish I would have thought to say, “You’ve gotta ask yourself a question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”

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Back when Army/Navy surplus was all a guy needed for camouflage.
 
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