Need jacketed bullet suggestions for .44 Magnum...

by rob , Monday, September 01, 2014, 09:52 (3677 days ago)

I just don't have the time to cast bullets these days. Hopefully, that will change in the near future but for now I really need to keep life simple and stick with jacketed bullets in my .44's. I've loaded practically all of the mainstream (Speer, Hornady, Sierra, etc.) bullets but other than cast I only have experience with game (in the .44) with the 240 XTP HP and Sierra 240 JHC. The former performed exceptionally well on a good sized buck over 18.5 2400. The latter failed miserably on a large hog shot six times (and dropped violently six times) only to get up each time and travelled probably half a mile through thick brush before we lost it). It was loaded over 24 H110. I'm mighty unimpressed with the Sierra bullet on hogs as I was close enough to see every shot hit exactly where I was aiming and every round should have been instant lights out except for the first shot through the shoulder that dropped him in a creek and turned it red with blood and it should have at least been terminal. So, I really like the XTP's but I wonder how well they will hold up on hogs. The other bullet I really like is the 240 Gold Dot SP. Inthink it would be great on hogs but wonder if it would open up on deer. I haven't tried the hollow point version but it might be a good compromise. Anyhow, I'd be interested in your experiences, especially if you have one bullet that you've used on both with good results. I do understand one animal doesn't always give a full picture of a bullets general performance. I'd really like to settle on something that does well on both deer and pigs because in Texas you are likely to run into both on any given hunt. The Gold Dot/Deep Curl is a bit costly compared to the XTP's but it may well be worth it.