Ok. This sounds like a really simplistic question but with all candor, what is your favorite bullet for whitetailed deer using the 44 magnum? I have shot a lot of game with a handgun but in all honesty I never shot a whitetailed deer with one. Next week, November 9th is opening day of NH gun season. I shall find myself hunting with the handgun, most likely a TC Contender Super 16 in 44 magnum attached to the frame. So what is your favorite bullet for deer in that particular caliber? Thanks.

Well my vote is for the nosler partition.I've used them and had good success.Wouldn't be afraid to throw a 280WFN cast in it either,or a speer 270gr gold dot.

Nosler Partition all the way!

I am not sure how the federal castcore 300gr. will be on game , but they are the most accurate factory ammo that I have tried and just waiting on deer season....

The Nosler is certainly a great bullet but they are very hard to find because Nosler has discontinued them. The Remington 240 JHP is also a great bullet as some of the Winchesters. Really, you should pick the one that shoots the best in your gun in that 240 gr. weight range.

+1

+2

Doc

I've only used 180 h.p. on deer,but am going to try a Lee 300 f.p. this year.I would go with something a little heavier than 180 so you can bust through the shoulders if need be.I shot a young doe once at 40 yards and aimed at her on the point of shoulder as she stopped quartering towards me.She dropped flopping around on the ground(I should have put another round in her,but I thought she was down for the count)anyway she got up and ran off,so I assume the round never made it into the chest cavity and this was a young deer,dress around 100-110#.Anyway I would go with a heavier slug be it a heavy cast f.p. or 240-300 jacketed h.p.

240 gr. PMC Starfire is perfect for WT deer

X2 on the Remington 240 gr HPCL. The Rodney Daingerfield of 44 bullets. Under appreciated. Under utilized. Under priced. My #1 choice 44 Magnum deer bullet for over 40 years in both rifle and pistol.

I have gotten to where I lean more to the cast bullets as time goes on.

I am in the same boat, I dont use anything else anymore.

For shooting hogs, I use a RCBS 44-240-swc gc design. Casts at 252 gr out of my melted wheel weights. I have taken the only deer that I've shot in the last 10 years with this load.

My loading drops hogs in their tracks 90% of the time, sometimes they run just a little ways.

I run them over a healthy dose of win 296 and a WLP primer.

I thank you all for your replies. I should clarify that I have shot deer with a handgun but never with the 44 magnum caliber. I asked this question due to the fact that the area I will hunt in limits you to straight walled handgun cases.

IF you Dont Reload, In a Factory Round 240 JHP
The 300's Kick to Hard for ME

shot quite a few deer years ago, with a speer 200gr hp backed by 2400 powder

I shot a small doe with my ML (sorry, OT) on Saturday. I used Hornady 250 gr. .452's with Black MMP sabot at a MV of about 1900 fps. I have also used the 240 gr. .430 XTP's at the same speed.

Well, from about 40-50 yds, the bullet entered behind her shoulder through a rib, demolished her heart, and from what I can tell, cracked a rib on the off side and bounce up and out behind her shoulder depositing itself in a tree behind her. I am fairly certain that the bullet expanded at least some, because the hole in the heart was larger than my thumb and the exit hole was larger than the entrance.

With a very obvious blood trail, she bounded down a hill about 30 yds. and lay down.

At least here in VA, the smallish deer have very flimsy frames and you can cut through the ribs with a pocket knife. I'm sure an older deer in other parts of the country would provide a more durable target. All in all, I was very happy with the bullet performance. After all...I was home by 11:00 am and had her in the freezer by 4:30 after going out for a victory 5 Guys burger and fries.

X2

A HARDCAST 240GR. WILL DO AN EXCELLENT JOB. NEVER LOST A DEER YET. I LIKE LASERCAST 240SWC AT 1250FPS.

Another vote for Hard Cast swc-gc. Except I use a 255 gr Keith style at only around 1050-1100 fps.

I like the Hornady 240 XTP for deer.

I'm going to NH for deer and in my Ruger I'm useing Hornady 240gr XTP and in my S&W I'm useing Winchester 240gr JSP. I have already taken a small buck in Texas years ago with the winchester 240gr JSP.The bullet went threw with the exit hole twice the size and the buck fell right there.

240 laser cast good and hard.

I'd go with a good quality JFP or something along the lines of the XTP.

You can never go wrong with a .44mag XTP for deer. I prefer the 300gr, just to be on the safe side and to be able to use the same load also for bigger game (up to and including red stag and axis) but I'm sure a well-placed 240gr will do as well.

200 Hornady XTP -- although i use my own cast bullets including cast HPs

I shot a few deer with the 240 XTP and was not happy. None went through and backtracking showed no blood trails. I would use the 300 gr.
Hard cast at .44 velocities will work perfect, two holes and a huge blood trail. They don't go far, 30 to 40 yards. Some go right down. You just need a decent meplat from the WLN to WFN.
I would not use any bullet from 180 to 240 again and prefer a heavier cast.
Here are my 240 gr bullets recovered from deer.

Pretty --Yes! Now what a hard cast can do.

As Gary said in a previous post, first find a bullet thats accurate in your gun, whether its cast or jacketed because neither will do the job if its not put in the right place.With that said, I can say that the Speer 300gr JFP from my 44 Redhawk is 3" accurate to 100yds along with Garretts 330gr hard cast ammo
that gives me the same groups. Either bullet will do the job on any size whitetail and the extra weight when compared to the standard 240gr bullet will give you the penetration needed for those less then perfect shots. Good luck...

I love remingtons 240grn JSP. reload them in my mag and also use them with sabots in my muzzleloader. great expansion and retention. also very accurate.

I have had very good luck with Horaday 300gr XTP. Complete pass thought and good blood trail on both whitetails I shot last year. I have not tried the 240gr yet,but very happy with the 300gr. I'm pushing them with a healthy dose of H110

Have you ever chronographed your load?

No I have not but I would like to. I don't have a chronograph avalable. I took the load data from a realoading magazine that did a article on loading heavy bullets for the 44mag.

My favorite walking around load is a 250gr Keith hardcast(non gc) at around 1050fps out of a 4" 629. 21.5gr of IMR4227 I think.?? Maybe 22.
I can't remember right now.
That sounds so anemic, but it's healthy enough for anything I'll ever encounter!
I've proven it'll shoot from brisket-throughda-butt on a southern doe.

ANY .44 Magnum bullet will kill a whitetail deer. I usually use the 240 Sierra JHC for accuracy reasons, driven by 23-24 gr. 296.
As others have said, pick what shoots well in your gun.

X2!!!!!!!!!!!

anything cast
tom.opening day for me,I will be using a 300 gr cup point h.p cast out of w/q 50/50 and dropped from my Mountain Man Dan mold

Have taken two deer with my TC 10" in 44Mag. Used 200grn Barnes XPB w/ 19 grns of 2400, crimped on the cannelure. 1st deer was at 72 yrds, passed through onside shoulder, on and off side ribs, and lodged in the off side shoulder. Expansion was just as shown in Barnes adds. Second deer was at 121 yrds, Texas heart shot, with the bullet passing from base of tail, traveling up to land in front brisket area, tearing up everything in it's path. Great terminal performance. I use Barnes whenever I have a recipe for the particular caliber I'm shooting.

Still looking for a recipe for Barnes in 338 #2 JDJ. Anyone have one worked up?

No one mentioned this- 265 gr. Swift HP. Has a massive Hp,very accurate, great terminal effects. Did a 182 7/8 whitetail last year. One shot. In fact all deer I've taken with it have been one shot.