I've been reading alot lately on handgunning, and hunting in general. I decided last year to handgun hunt only, for a bit of a challenge, and it's alot easier and more fun to me than dragging a rifle around. My dad had a super blackhawk for 30 yrs, and I don't handload, so i chose the Ruger SBHH in 44, topped it with an Elite 3200 2-6x32, and practiced as much as I could. I can regularly get 3" groups at 100 yds from different shooting positions. I thought i was good to go for any big game, anywhere in the lower 48. I took a doe last season and was in awe of the devastating tissue damage from a 300gr xtp. However, the more i read, i wonder if a 44 is enough? I'd like to get out west, and eventually try my hand at mule deer, and possibly elk. Im confident in my abilities out to 150yds from field positions, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's enough gun for game bigger than whitetails. I read the 44mag kills thread, but it sure seems like the majority of folks have the newest biggest fastest super magnums. My gun budget is pretty slim, and I chose the 44 because I could afford to practice and practice and then practice some more. I cant do that with a 460, 454, 500 etc etc. Can some folks who currently hunt with a 44 give me some kind words about the round concerning bigger game than whitetail deer at 150yds or so?

The 44 mag will most certainly take Elk sized game perfectly.

The following video shows what can be accomplished with the 44 mag shooting a good bullet in the hands of someone that can shoot it well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKTeEmNUkjw

Good video. And as I read the info on it, i see he was using hornady ammo. Makes me feel a little better. Ive just begun to wonder about the 44 not being enough for bigger critters at further range.

Boot, One option for elk with a 44 would be the 300gr Swift A-Frame bullet which I also believe that Federal uses in their loaded ammo. Another choice would be an accurate hard cast bullet in the 300 to 320gr weight class. Garrett cartridges makes and sells their excellent 330gr Hammerhead cast gas check load that runs near 1400fps and gives 3" groups at 100yds from my Ruger Redhawk. Good luck.....

I ain't never kilt a damn thing with a .44 Magnum, but I can put the argument of a .44 being underpowered into some context.

Phil Sharp and Dan Wesson killed the biggest critters this continent had to offer - on purpose - with the lowly .357 Magnum after it was introduced 70+ years ago. They did it repeatedly, with what many consider inferior ammunition, and they apparently did it without exposing themselves to extraordinary risks or sacrificing reasonable hunting ethics.

The only conclusion I can come to is that they were better hunters and better men. But, that's just my personal opinion.

It matters more where you hit them than what you hit them with. Put a heavy .429"er through the boiler room or high shoulder and start skinning.

I understand the draw and need for bigger calibers than the .44 mag in handgun applications, however, I think what has been said above is wise.
Were you hunting in Brown bear country, sure, beef it up to a .454 or .475.
Think about it though...guys kill all of these animals with traditional archery equipment every year. If a stick and string can drop it...a .44 Cast will drop it better.

Heres a decent article for you.
http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt44mag.htm
There isn't alot the 44 can't do well. There are bigger more powerful cartridges that may or may not be better. Just keep shooting and hunt with it. When you decide that the animals you are hunting aren't dead enough after a well placed shot then worry about something bigger. I would want something bigger for brown bear but anyone shooting a handgun larger than a 44 mag aren't doing so because they need to but because they can. Nothing wrong with that either.

The .44 Magnum has been used to kill pretty much everything that walks. Now I don't suggest that a 44 is enough gun for cape buffalo but it's been done and it's certainly enough, with the right bullet, for bears, elk, moose, etc.

Remember back when the 44 mag was the biggest bad ass handgun round out there, ammo and reloading components have never been better than now. Put the bullet where it's supposed to go and have fun.

If I can get to where I can hold 3" groups at 100 yds from all positions then I won't worry about anything this continent has to offer. That kind of shooting with a bullet like the XTP should do you well.

You will be well served by the 44. I have larger guns, faster guns etc but my favorite is between the 44 and the 454. They are both incredibly accurate and just kill very well. The 44 is also easy on the shooter. Just picked up another 44 myself this week. You can't have too many

One of my favorite cast bullets in the 44 rugers is the 300 grain swc gas checked
Bullet from RCBS. You can buy it from dry creek bullets sometimes or Montana bullet works. That bullet shoots VERY well. Better than any other I've ever tried. I always have some on hand

Boot,

Welcome. The prior advice is accurate and born of experience. The 44 Mag will do everything most people ask of it, if the use the right bullet AND put the necessary time in it. It sounds as though you are doing both. No the 44 is not glamorous (anymore); but, like the Energizer bunny, keeps going and going and goin.......

Doc

I like the 44mag and the 300Gr XTP for big stuff -If your gun will allow you can seat them out you can stoke em up pretty good.. I am not sure there is anything in NA that you could not thump with that round-- I stoned a big ole pig with one. They hold together great.

Well said!

The only MYTH about the round is people talking about it that haven't done it.

Thanks for all the input gentlemen. I thought I'd made the right choice in the beginning, but had started to wonder after reading so many gun rags and posts about how xxx is bigger, better, faster, stronger, than the old outdated 44mag. I've got arthritis in my elbows, and dont handload, so I'm at the mercy of ammo mfr's for bullet/load selection. The 44 has ALOT of factory loaded options, and I can shoot a box a week without any discomfort. I have fired my friends handguns in 454, 500s&w ,and I completely understand why they have.guns in like new condition! Again, thanks for all the relplies gentlemen, I reckon I will stick with my 44, and take it this spring for some hog and coyote hunting. That'll be good practice for next deer season, and give me a chance to shoot some more. Thanks again for the knowledge, and advice. God bless.

Most of what's been written above is good, but your statement "... game larger than whitetail deer at 150 yards..." is pushing the distance just a bit for most revolver rounds.

.41 magfan, it was Col. Douglas B. Wesson, of S&W, not Dan Wesson, the founder of the company with that name.

The late Larry Kelly killed at least one elephant that I know of with a 44. Is that big enough for you?

The only myth is the actual caliber, but can you imagine the street cred of ".429 Magnum?" It was wise ".44" was chosen....LOL!

Back in the mid 80's when I lived in Alaska I loaded the SSK 327 grain truncated flat point hard cast for a couple of my friends and they had no trouble taking Moose with the 44 mag

That is funny right there, and so true in so many cases ;-)

I confess to loving larger guns like the .475 and .500 JRH but none larger.
My fall back is the .44 loaded ONLY to accuracy, never as fast as it will do.
Just don't stretch it beyond the distance it really works. My limit is 100 yards for deer and for larger animals I would like closer.
I just can't find a better gun then the .44 with mild recoil, accuracy and killing power. It is easy to control unlike the large guns that recoil so hard you must master them.

The 44 is enough gun. Period. There isnt a more versitle chambering out there IMO. Its a mouse to moose gun. It does have limitations but they are more the limitations of the shooter than the round itself. If you want to know what the 44 is capable of read some Elmer Keith. The 44 mag was his idea and he was the driving force that got Remington and Smith & Wesson to bring the round and firearm to life. Some of the things he did with his 44 are still amazing.

I feel that way about the .45 Colt.....

That said, I have nothing against the .44 and still use them every now and again.

Since you don`t handload another option would be Buffalo Bore`s 340gr LFN ammo that has a listed MV of 1425fps. I can say with experience that this is a very powerful load for the .44mag. When I went to Alaska and carried my open sight FA`s 44 as backup, the only reason this gun was loaded with Grizzly`s Puch bullet ammo was that the Punch was SLIGHTLY more accurate at 50yds but not by much....

The 44 mag is enough gun for elk, especially with the 300 gr XTP bullet. I used that combination a few years ago in Australia to take 5 water buffalo and 1 large wild hog, I posted some of the pictures on the bragging board. My only concern would be going past 100 yards. While the load is plenty accurate for 100 plus yard shooting, it starts to lose power quickly. Get you some quality 300 gr ammo and go practice and you will be well armed for elk.

The 44 maggie is the standard by which all other calibers are measured, and for good reason, remember the old phrase, for every action there is an equal & opposite reaction (maybe Albert himself) if you go up in horsepower you are adding recoil. The 44 is in a class by itself when it comes to power, accuracy & recoil that can be handled by most any serious sixgunner. Deer, elk & bears (black) are easily taken with correct bullets & hits, but go beyond your recoil threshold & guess what happens, you go home kicking horse turds. You over powered yourself (not the gun) & failed.
Remember, you are using a sixgun, 150 yds is getting beyond what they are capeable of doing, they will kill out there but you are walking a very fine line. The long range stuff should be reserved for the single shot handguns or rifles.
Hunting with a sixgun puts the hunt back in hunting, keep the ranges close, the crosshairs steady & put steady, even pressure on that trigger & its backstraps for supper! There are no shortcuts. You very well could hunt the whole season for one shot, don't overpower yourself & muff a shot that you could have made with a more friendly load/caliber. Long live the 44 maggie!

Dick

Boot you've gotten tons of great advice. Buffalo bore,Grizzly,and Double Tap load some heavy hitting ammo for bigger game. And never fear about the 44 it has some big bonuses imo. One you can buy ammo anywhere. Every state I go in I go to tons of stores to see what can be bought off the shelf. Almost every store in every state I've been that sells ammo has 44mag in one flavor or another. It's affordable so even on a limited budget you can shoot a lot. Shooting a lot makes you more proficient. Being more proficient results in more meat in the freezer. Good luck and good shooting.

I agree.

No offense, tracker77, but I get very very tired of hearing from the less experienced about how Mr. Elmer Keith is the master know-it-all for handgun hunting... I, too, own and have read his books; over and over again. Because they are entertaining, but certainly not because he is the final word. Mr. Keith is a very "robust and interesting spinner of yarns as a writer." And yes he is partly responsible for a lot of positive (as well as negative) input regarding hunting with handguns and developing the .44 mag. But like this quote from Mr. Gary back in Dec. 2011 says:

"Federal also makes the 300 gr cast core that has a wide meplat. But did you know that when Keith wrote "SIXGUNS" he had killed less than a dozen big game animals with a handgun?

I take that back the number was 19 - my memory failed me. But hardly vast experience... I dare say the majority of members here have many more kills with a handgun than Keith ever did."

I could not agree more.

Thank you Elmer, for doing what you did that was positive at the time; but also, maybe more important; Thank You Mr. Gary, for setting the record straight.

The .44 magnum is a good pistol cartridge; and will do a lot of it very well, some of it good, and some of it marginal. But is it the end-all?

NO

Don't think Elmer was the final word either in sixgunning, he's dead, so that leaves the final word for someone else to carry on. Elmer was the originator of many things, the 44 is just one of them, he was the "first" 4 minute mile, the "first" man on the moon, the "first" real sixgun experimenter, when you are leading the pack you are going to make mistakes, you are going to fail.........thats how you succeed!
How many here have 19 revolver kills to their credit, show of hands please! Remember, if you are hunting mule deer or elk you are allowed one per year, takes a while to get it done guys. Was Elmer ahead of his time, ya, but only by about 50 years. He was always being challenged for his early sixgun work, others couldn't do it so they said he couldn't. He told me once that he was always being called out because he told it the way that it was, some can't deal with that. Oh, I forgot, the 44 maggie is great!

Dick

I agree he was ahead of his time in a few ways; but back then you could shoot a whale of a lot more deer and elk than one per year, and that's if it was done legally; many more if not, obviously... Shooting eagles was part of Elmer's life too and I find that a bit disgusting, but that is just me. And the story he tells of shooting the running caribou at XXX yards is amazing to say the least...I won't say what it is at the most 'cuz I wasn't there...

I am not cutting him down as Dick may think; rather just trying to point out that some of us are not all caught up and totally enamoured just because; rather more trying to separate fact from blind admiration.

For Big Game, I only have 6 antelope and 3 bull elk and 2 mule deer to my credit with sixguns. I know there are many others here that have many more.

I do not the stories of him being the first man on the moon and the first 4 minute mile; do you care to share?

Thats funny. I think he was comparing men who were first at something. Not saying he walked on the moon first. LOL! But, what I find funny is, I started hunting with revolvers 31 years ago and have killed way more then 19 animals with them. I really never kept count. But I hunted for almost 25 years before I ever knew who Elmer Keith was. I just gravitated to it on my own when I killed my first animal with a handgun, and a black powder handgun to boot. After that first kill, it was down hill from there. I think there are a lot of folks who are as or more accomplished then Mr. Keith was with handguns, but I guess he did pave the way in sorts for us to enjoy our sport and way of life. Cause lets face it this really is a way of life.

Gregg, you certainly are trying to tear him down, referring to "maybe" taking more than the limit, etc. Also saying you get very tired of people who "think" Elmer Keith was the final know it all in handgun hunting. Back in those days its was very important to get a deer & elk in the fall, or your family might go hungry. It was usually several miles to the nearest Walmart! Shooting eagles back in those early days was not illegal & he told many times of the Golden eagles (not Bald eagles) knocking Big Horn sheep lambs off the cliffs & killing them, is that disgusting?
My reference to a 4 minute mile, or the first on the moon in case you missed it is, he was a real pioneer in the sixgunning world, he was far ahead of his time, he helped design sixgunguns, holsters, rifle scabbards, bullet moulds, several different rifle cartridges, the list goes on & on. He worked in the Ogden Arsenal during the war & was highly regarded by the military officers there for his working knowledge on all guns.
You may or may not know of Ross Seyfried, he's only a former world champion handgunner from Colorado. He stated that the best all around shooter he had ever seen was Elmer Keith, thats with a sixgun, a rifle and a shotgun, pretty high praise for a "story teller"
Many in the shooting industry still thank him & give credit where credit is due, yet some would rather down play his accomplishments. Would you like to stand in front of Elmer Keith & tell him some of the things he did were disgusting, I'd pay to watch!
The post was about the 44 magnum, it probably should have stayed there rather than attack someone who did so much for our sport at a time when many new ideas were being tried, not just by Elmer but also Phil Sharpe, Harry Pope, Guy Loverin, Lysle Kilbourn, Jim Harvey, Whelen, Harry Ballard, Gebby, Iver Henricksen, George Hoenig, O'Neill & Hopkins of OKH fame, etc.
Many of the finest PH's in Africa praised Elmers' early work with big single & double rifles, he shot many times at Camp Perry with many of the finest riflemen in the world. He wasn't an educated man & that reflected in his writing style but he had a fantastic memory for detail & told it like it was, some people were offended by that.
This is a discusson forum & most times a lot can be learned from them, many times some will have a different view point, nothing wrong with that but making personal attacks on someone & hinting that they weren't telling the truth or maybe weren't always legal is doing a diservice to those who like & enjoy this forum.
I think I can do a 4 minute mile..........in my truck.

Dick

I've been hunting with handguns for 5 years now, and I don't know who ANY of those people are that have been mentioned! Honestly, I don't really care who they are either. I just like shootin handguns, huntin with handguns, and puttin stuff in the freezer by way of handguns. I like shooting handguns more than just about anything else I've ever done! And I agree with the statement above that handgun hunting is a way of life. Its just like my falconry stuff -- It becomes a part of you. But I don't give a rats backside who was first, or who was best at either one. Just cause someone was first by no means gives them the right to claim, or be called, the best. Look at Obama for example!!!

(Sorry, couldn't resist that one!!!)

I believe we are all entitled to our opinion. We all have a favorite football team, favorite gun manufacturer, and favorite truck. Doesn't mean we have to tell someone else that their favorite is wrong, or without merrit. I believe Mr. Sixshot was simply saying that it is inspiring to see what Mr. Elmer could do with a gun. I don't think he was stating that it should be taken as gospel, but rather something that is impressive, and, in his opinion, deserves to be looked into.

I know Golden Eagles will knock animals off of cliffs to kill them. They will also pick up a jack rabbit on a dead run, carry it to well over 100 feet up in the air, and then drop it in order to kill it. Disgusting? No, its a way of survival. That lamb will now feed that eagle so much that it literally won't have to eat for a week or more! If I had to live off the wild, and knew something would feed me for a week, I'd be pushing it over a cliff too!

What I believe Mr. Gregg was getting at, is that shooting an eagle for no reason is disgusting. I agree whole heartedly with that. And not just eagles. Shooting anything just to shoot it is disgusting to me, and not just a little bit. In fact I think most guys on this forum would agree to that. We are sportsmen here, not headcount junkies trying to outdo each other. If you aren't going to eat it, don't shoot it. Well, unless it is a coyote, or something that is damaging property. But you know what I mean here.

We are all part of a great sport. We all have different opinions. I myself got bent out of shape not to many months ago, and I left the forum for a while, which was one of the stupidest things I've done in quite some time. But when a person realizes that a few things are worth getting mad over, and most things are not, life becomes a whole lot easier.

Now let's see, where were we.... Oh Yeah!!! The 44 mag....

I don't have one, but I hear they are great!! Anyone else got a thought on that .44???

The 44 Mag is an horrible 'gateway drug' like cartridge :). You first get hooked on the idea when you watch Dirty Harry, then you read articles and forum posts talking about how great the cartridge is. Before you know it, you've got a couple of 44s and you discover that the recoil isn't all that bad. Next thing you know, you're shooting Buffalo Bore +P+ rounds and you discover that 475 linebaugh power in your Ruger SBH is totally tolerable. The rational part of your brain says "This thing should be capable of taking anything in North America and most anything in Africa with these hot loaded 340 grain WFNs, I don't need anything more powerfull!" But then the addict part of your brain has you trolling the gunshows and Gunbroker until your credit card falls out of your wallet and a 475 Linebaugh or bigger accidentally falls in your lap.

Stay away from the 44 Magnum, or be prepared to get sucked into the big bore life!

By the way, I usually use either 300gr A-Frames at max book load or those Buffalo Bore when I hit the woods. Also, component bullets are cheap, I got some Nosler 240 gr sportsmans bullets in a 250 round pack a few years ago on a big sale, great plinking bullet. Also, have some lasercast 310gr wfns to play with in a hunting load. Maybe it's just that I can't shoot to the full potential of my hand loads, but I swear I've never seen a 'bad shooting load'. Both my Taurus Tracker and my SBH shoot pretty good at 50 yards, but I'm no where good enough to consider shots past 100.

No I was not, Dick. That is the way YOU perceive it, and it sure sounds like you got stirred up!

And in case YOU MISSED IT, Dick, my post stated "Thank you Elmer, for doing what you did"...

Now I refuse to get drawn into a pissing match with you Dick, so this is my last post regarding arguing with you.

Wow. I don't Guess I can really add much here. Mr Elmer wasnt the end all of handguns and hunting with them but he was a great proponent and carried the torch for many years. His early work helped get all of us where we are today. You may think you are better than he was but you should still give credit where it's due. As far as the eagle thing goes, it was a different time. He could do like most people and just not tell what he did. I'm sure some of you have done things that you wouldn't write about but if you did, would take a beating over it. Easy to sit back and tear someone apart 50 years later.

Hell, they used to corral jackrabbits here in KS and send in kids with clubs and beat them to death. Can you imagine the press that would get these days? This is why I don't frequent this site all that often. There are some that put themselves on a pedestal and think they are THE quintessential handgun hunter but I have never met anyone that thought that of Mr Elmer. I bet it gets lonely on that pedestal. As far as last posts, this is my last one here at this site. Thanks for all the years Gary, just tired of the self proclaimed experts. Having been a target of those experts in the past, I know just how wrong they are most times

Get the 44. They are great

You’re probably right Gregg, enough has been said, but like Dick, I also took your post as a swipe at Elmer and his accomplishments. When I got around to reading them, Dick had already taken you to task in a way that I couldn’t improve on, so there was no reason for me or anyone else to jump in.

Stick around GlennS – there’s a lot of knowledgeable people and modern day firearm/reloading experimenters around here that come up with some good info every now and again. If I would have kept my 1970 Hemi Challenger I could probably better Dick’s time in the mile.