[the444shooter]

OK, so I'm waiting for my order of 330gr LFNGCs to arrive,(which is no problem in itself, I'm happy to wait for quality) but I'm going camping soon, and need a load for bear.  I can only find .44cal ammo suitable for .44 mag handgun velocities and quite frankly, I'm getting fed up.  I was considering the 300gr Hornady XTP, but it's only good up to 1900fps, I want to utilize that extra inch of casing in my .444!!!!!!!  Any of you'z guys know of a good *gasp* jacketed bullet that I could use on bear if need be?  Preferably 300gr+. I'm at my wit's end...if all else fails, I'm gonna have to borrow my friend's 45-70.  Ooohhhh when will the day come when we can choose quality ammunition for our triple4's? <!--emo&--><img src="http://beartoothbullets.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''><!--endemo-->

 

[MikeG]

Sierra and Speer both make a 300 grain flat-point .44 bullet.  While I have not used these bullets, I've shot each companie's 300 grain .45 bullets.  Here are my observations - the construction of the .44 bullets is probably similar.

The Speer bullet has their "Uni-Core" technology where the jacket is plated onto the core.  Not supposed to separate.  The 12th edition of their loading manual shows data for the 444 up to 2200 fps or so.  One thing that I noticed is that the core (on the .45's) is very soft.  You can scratch it very easily with a fingernail.  But they show the load data, so I'd assume that it's OK up to those velocities.

The Sierra bullet has a very hard core.  You can't scratch it (the .45 bullet) with a fingernail.  As I recall they make these with a 6% antimony core.  It is a standard cup-type bullet.  The nose is very wide and flat, similar to a WFN profile.  The 3rd edition of the Sierra Handgun manual mentions the bullet as suitable for velocities up to 1900 fps.  The 3rd edition Rifle manual doesn't show this bullet in the .444 load data section, just up to their 250 gr. .44 bullet.

Based on the hardness of the core you'd think that the Sierra bullet would be the right choice, but since the manual doesn't list if for the 444, not sure what to make of that.  Maybe someone with a 4th edition can check to see if it's listed?

Hope this helps.

 

[Contender]

You may also want to check out the Hornady 265 gr bullet. This bullet is specifically designed for the 444 and use on larger game. You should be able to get some very good velocity out of it also being it's lighter weight but heavier construction for more penetration.

One has to be cautious choosing the 300 grain bullets as some are designed to expand at 44 mag velocities and others will work well in the Marlin without blowing up.

I would consider some wet pack testing.


FWIW,

Regards,

 

[don44]

I agree, the 265 gr. hornady wasmeant for the 444. It is a very tough bullet and penetrates very well in my experience. It can be driven to about 2300 fps. How dead does something have to be?           Don