Out of curiosity what is the best bullet for use in 44 Mag for Africa?

[Ridge Runner]

On my 2021 trip to Africa I'll be traveling to Zimbabwe and East Cape.

In Zimbabwe it will be a camp hunt, I'll be going after cape buff, L eland, maybe leopard, hippo, or croc, and smaller PG.

My primary weapon will be 375 H&H.
My secondary will be my 44 Rem Mag, with 240 grain flat nose soft points.

What I would like to know is there a preferred or better bullet for the 44 mag in Africa for use on both DG and PG?

I am currently reloading using Winchester 296 and H110 powders, and Hornady, Nosler, and Magnus 240 gr JSP bullets.

 

[Alistair]

Hornady 265gr Interlock perhaps, if you can gt the velocity. It's not a 'premium', but being designed around the 444 Marlin, it is pretty stout for a 44.

I like this bullet in my Marlin 1894. With H110 velocity is excellent.

Al

 

[Ridge Runner]

Hornady 265gr Interlock perhaps, if you can gt the velocity. It's not a 'premium', but being designed around the 444 Marlin, it is pretty stout for a 44.

I like this bullet in my Marlin 1894. With H110 velocity is excellent.

Al

I have reloaded the 265 gr Hornady for CCW and for back up when in black bear country. The ballista are good, but I wasn't certain good enough coming out of a 5 inch barreled, Magnum Research, handgun in DG country of Africa.

 

[BenKK]

How about CEB solids?

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Barnes Buster?

 

[IdaRam]

I used a Sierra 240 JHC to take a zebra a couple years ago. 93 yard lung shot. I load 24.0 gr of WW296. I wouldn’t say this is the optimum bullet, I think there are probably better depending on the desired game, but I was quite happy with the performance on a fairly heavy animal.

 

[JimP]

I have shot a number of cow elk and a couple of bull elk with a Speer 240 grain jacketed soft nose and none of them except for one old cow went much further than 50 yards. They were dead but just didn't know it. I have also taken a number of mule deer with the same load and various other animals.

I can't imagine any African plains game being much tougher except for perhaps a eland.

 

[Hunter4752001]

While the .44 is a bit small for my preference, however that's your choice and I respect that. Its more important to shoot something you're experienced with than something than the latest most powerful wizbang super magnum. You've nominated both PG and DG. That's a wide range of performance requirements. For thick skinned DG a punch type bullet, for thinner skinned game you want something with expansion. Best all purpose projectile may be the Swift A Frame. Solidly constructed, excellent weight retention and penetration with some expansion.
More critically you need enough time to test the loads and how they work in your gun. Accuracy first, velocity a distant second.
ps. If you go with hard cast, keep velocities low to prevent meplat deformation on hard tissue.

 

[YancyW]

If I was going to shoot DG with one, I would use DoubleTap 320gr hardcast. That is what I carry in grizzly county, it is a beast out of a 5.5" Redhawk, practice is certainly necessary.

 

[Ray B]

My main use of the 44 Mag is when I'm driving people around to various stands/drives and don't have a rifle, preferring either a M29 or SBH in a bandolier holster. Since this involved deer I can use a lightly constructed bullet and so use either a 240 gr JSP or more recently I've been using the Oregon Trail cast bullets. but for going to Africa I would probably try out some of the bullets designed for the 444.

 

[Dewald]

In my limited experience hunting with a Ruger SBH the .44 magnum comes to it’s right with heavy for caliber hard cast bullets. I use 320 or 340 gr Casts. Last animal shot was a zebra mare, and it passed clean through on a broadside shot.

 

[Ridge Runner]

In my limited experience hunting with a Ruger SBH the .44 magnum comes to it’s right with heavy for caliber hard cast bullets. I use 320 or 340 gr Casts. Last animal shot was a zebra mare, and it passed clean through on a broadside shot.

Dewald,

At what distance did you shoot your zebra mare?

 

[Ridge Runner]

My main use of the 44 Mag is when I'm driving people around to various stands/drives and don't have a rifle, preferring either a M29 or SBH in a bandolier holster. Since this involved deer I can use a lightly constructed bullet and so use either a 240 gr JSP or more recently I've been using the Oregon Trail cast bullets. but for going to Africa I would probably try out some of the bullets designed for the 444.

Ray B.,

Have you tried/reloaded 44 mag using 444 bullets?

I am curious as to your reload recipe, your results, and what would be considered maximum distance.

 

[Ray B]

Ray B.,

Have you tried/reloaded 44 mag using 444 bullets?

I am curious as to your reload recipe, your results, and what would be considered maximum distance.

No. I loaded some Hornady 265s in the S&W but was concerned that loads heavy enough to meet the game departments minimums for hunting elk would damage the dun, I shelved the idea and went back to using the S&W for just deer. Same thing for the SBH except that its original (whereas the S&W is scoped) and the elk around here don't wait for me to get within 60 yards to use the iron sights. Of course, since that time, the game department has relaxed their handgun limitations so I could use the S&W, but now all my hunting buddies have either died or moved away, so I just carry a rifle.

 

[Dewald]

Dewald,

At what distance did you shoot your zebra mare?

Probably around 50m. They are obviously quite long for caliber, but I try and hunt within 75m, maximum 100m with the handgun.

Attached the loaded cartridge with the bullet next to it and a factory Hornady XTP 240gr for comparison.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Thank you gentlemen for all the info and recommendations. I greatly appreciate it.

BenKK, I'll check out CEB for solids in 44 cal., as I have yet to find any bullet manufacturers that design a handgun (specific) solid bullet.

Dewald, what manufacturer, brand, of hard cast bullets did you use for shooting your zebra mare?

How effective are hard cast vs solid handgun bullets on DG? i.e. leopard, lion, buff, hippo, at 50 yards and less.

 

[Dewald]

Thank you gentlemen for all the info and recommendations. I greatly appreciate it.

Dewald, what manufacturer, brand, of hard cast bullets did you use for shooting your zebra mare?

How effective are hard cast vs solid handgun bullets on DG? i.e. leopard, lion, buff, hippo, at 50 yards and less.

I buy them from a old gentleman in the Northern parts of SA who casts them, and lubes and sizes them. I have neither the time, nor the will to fiddle around with molten lead and the fumes it produce. The weight is a function of the alloys used. For example, given a specific mould - pure lead will give a 340gr cast, vs a harder alloy, with more antimony might be lighter.

I have no experience with DG and handgun hunting, and not sure I would want to try. In theory it should work on the leopard, but I believe the .44 Mag is on the anemic side for buffalo, hippo, lion etc.

 

[ChrisG]

Barnes Buster?

I second this. The barnes busters are hard as nails... I wouldn't even shoot them at metal gongs for fear that they would ricochet back instead of splattering like any standard bullet would do... I would venture to say that you will likely experience zero bullet deformation and straight like penetration if fired from a barrel that can get its velocity up into the range of book values. (I.e., dont fire it from a stubby 2 inch barrel and expect that kind of performance)

 

[edward]

punch bullets.

 

[Scrumbag]

I'm currently trying to work up a load for the .44 mag to hunt deer here in the UK.

To make our ME requirements, we need to hit 1,700 ftlbs and to do that with a .44 mag, you tend to need lighter bullets such as 200 gr Hornady XTP and 210gr Sierra JHC.

Hodgdon helpfully lists 20" bbl lever action loads for the .44 mag and the loadings for those 2 bullets should make the ME requirement even with a little manufacturer bias.

What worries me slightly is I reckon that inside 100yds the bullets might impact going rather faster than designed to. XTP I'm fairly certain of this having seen data, JHC I just suspect it.

Interestingly I notice that Barnes happily quote loading the 200 and 225gr XPB in their .444 Marlin data so might be easier to get a fairly powerful but flatter shooting load out of the .44 mag with those.

I've got some 200 gr Barnes XPB ordered I will try with H110 in the .44 mag when they turn up. I went 200gr as I reckon it will be better for powder volume than the 225. I'm also trying to source some 180gr Peregrine Hog Bullets but given the state of the "global supply chain" that might take even longer.

Please let us know what you decide!

Scrummy