# Best Ammo for 44 mag deer hunting?



## shot1buck

Hunting with my Ruger 77/44 again this year. Used it last year and got a decent buck. Used a hollow point round which had the deer go a whole 25 yards. But when I walked his path not a drop of blood bullet didn’t Exit just mushroomed and broke apart, lungs and heart hit. Would a solid full metal jacket be a better option for getting an exit wound in case I need to track the deer? Just asking if anyone had any experience!


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## loweman165

I use PPU 300gr semi jacketed lead flat nose. If you can find it now. It appears a flat nose lead projectile is a pretty good choice for bigger game. Some cast thier own but I'm not set up for that. Buffalo Bore sells a line of 44mag big game rounds. Most are all lead flat nose. The 300ger is just what I settled with after looking into it, haven't actually hit a deer with it yet.


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## ironman172

Best is what shoots good in your gun , not pleased with 100yrd till they drop over , bow hits (mechanical broad head) is usually 25yrds and that is down hill double lung pass through

Killed a few with a 300gr. Jacketed soft nose, what they call a deerslayer .... hard to find for several years then last year the place I ordered from started making again so I stocked up for hunting with 250 already had some but when available time to buy..... heck their web site is down now ..... I believe I've seen them on gun broker (deer slayer) always had pass throughs never went more then 100yrds double lung ..... thought of going to hollow point , but don't need bullet fragments in the carcus or meat .....also have some 240gr. Of the same


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## Lil' Rob

I've taken one deer, a nice doe, with my 44...used Hornady LEVERevolution...225 gr FTX.

Not a perfect shot on her...got one lung and the liver...she went about 50 yards...first 1/2 of that was some thicker undergrowth. There wasn't a huge exit hole, but I had decent blood right away and wasn't too hard to follow the blood trail.

I'll be using it again on Monday.


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## shot1buck

So the hollow points should stay in the safe! I have a bunch of different ammo in the safe and plenty of jacketed. The hollow point did leave a mess In The cavity last year so sounds like a you guys know what’s happening. Great advice!


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## loweman165

shot1buck said:


> So the hollow points should stay in the safe! I have a bunch of different ammo in the safe and plenty of jacketed. The hollow point did leave a mess In The cavity last year so sounds like a you guys know what’s happening. Great advice!


Semi jacketed soft points do expand, maybe not to the point of a hollow point. They use them widely in places hollow points are illegal. That flat nose is for unloading the kinetic energy into the animal where as a jacketed just passes through. Thats what I've read anyway.


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## ironman172

Mine always have passed through , why I kinda went with the 300gr..... haven't used the 240gr, so can't comment on those...... double lung center rib ....exit hole about same size as entrance, but never got out the micrometer to check 

I think my first, maybe 25 yrds down hill till piled up ..... shot placement is everything


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## ltroyer

shot1buck said:


> Hunting with my Ruger 77/44 again this year. Used it last year and got a decent buck. Used a hollow point round which had the deer go a whole 25 yards. But when I walked his path not a drop of blood bullet didn’t Exit just mushroomed and broke apart, lungs and heart hit. Would a solid full metal jacket be a better option for getting an exit wound in case I need to track the deer? Just asking if anyone had any experience!


 I agree with a comment below use what shoots great with your gun.i had a 44 handgun I used for deer hunting went and got expensive hollow points and tried multiple brands couldn't hit nothing so I got cheap csi ammo and bam accurate N deadly shot multiple deer with it


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## JOE W

federal 240 grain HYDRA-SHOK


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## Morrowtucky Mike

I have had good results with Hornady LEVERevolutions in my 45lc. Would imagine the results would be comparable in the 44 rem.


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## M.Magis

Honestly, just about anything is better than FMJ.


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## hoplovestofish

I've always had good luck with Hornady 240 Grain JHP's in my lever gun. hop


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## fireline

240 GR HP or SP, I would not recommend FMJ, if you are looking for more pentation use hard cast bullets in Semi Wad Cutter.


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## ezbite

This is the 10mm I shot that doe with, it was found inside the chest cavity, poor performance IMO because the lead came out of the jacket







it is federal premium JHP, I found some solid copper from Underwood that will be used next time, it’s not cheap but I think it’ll penetrate better than a hollow point. Check them out I’m sure they have solid copper for .44’s


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## shot1buck

Lots of good recommendations. I’ll let you all know what I pick. And hopefully I can show proof that it was successful


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## Harry1959

Oops


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## tm1669

Im a little late but I use 240 Grain Hornady XTP's handloaded with success. Out of a 20" barrel its around 1750 fps. 
The factory Hornady XTP loading is almost identical. 
In my 7 1/2 inch blackhawk my load is either the above listed XTP or a 310 grain LFP WFNGC handload thats probably a bit much for whitetails but if Im hunting public land with lots of pressure I like to be able to drop the deer in its tracks with a front shoulder shot and be still able to plow into the vitals.


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## tm1669

Just a follow up. 
I had a 77/44 that shot XTP's extremely well.
Penetration was never an issue.


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## Drm50

I have never shot a deer with a 44 rifle. Shot a sled load with Ruger SBH and 240gr XTPs. Before they came out Hornady JHP. Last few years I have scoped and sighted in several 44 mag rifles. Marlin 1894s, Ruger autos and a couple off the wall models. I did 77/44s and found them to be the most accurate 44mg rifle I’ve shot. I did two for same family with 2x7 Leupold scopes. At 60yds they would cut holes. Back to ammo, every local that brought gun over hand Win White Box 240gr HPs. The reason is probably cheapest and Wally World sells it. No matter the ammo is deadly. They have no trouble killing deer with it. I’m not quite sure if any was JSP. I have a 1894 Marlin, it’s sighted in with 3x at 60yds with 240XTPs over 22.5 gr of H-2400. Haven’t shot a deer with it. I did make a few coyotes very sick with it.


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## tm1669

2 in the freezer this year again with 240 XTP’s. Neither deer took more than 5 steps after being shot and both rounds exited.


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## Flathead76

Solid lead 240 grain bullet with a flat nose.


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## ezbite

shot1buck said:


> So the hollow points should stay in the safe! I have a bunch of different ammo in the safe and plenty of jacketed. The hollow point did leave a mess In The cavity last year so sounds like a you guys know what’s happening. Great advice!


yes, use something solid for better penetration.


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## papaperch

Until I adopted the 357Max as my go to caliber for deer hunting. I went against the grain when I used the 44 Mag for deer.
After shooting the big 300 and 240 grainers I was left unimpressed, Finally decided to try 180 JFN, Jacketed Flat Nose. That was my bullet of choice for the 44 Mag. Flatter trajectory won me over , lighter recoil and the deer was just as dead. As some have mentioned before shot placement is EVERYTHING. Bullet constuction is also very important. That is the lighter skinned bullet tends to blow up on the surface. Great for varmit hunting but poor for deer and other big game.

By the way a 150 grain Remington PSP is my choice for the 357 Max. Same reason flatter trajectory lighter recoil and deer always dropped like a sledge hammer hit them. The gun " experts " of the day criticized this bullet so much in print. That Remington quit producing them. I use the high shoulder blade shot whenever it is presented as an option. It immediately anchors the deer so no worrying about someone else trying to tag your deer.


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## TomC

Saw this listed in lima






ARMSLIST - For Sale: CVA Hunter 44mag + ammo







www.armslist.com


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