Thoughts on 44 Magnum

[lobo9er]

I wanted to hear the thoughts on 44 magnum as a side arm, from people who have and continue to hunt Africa. For entertainment only. Or in a rifle. I carry one in the woods often both in a rifle and sidearm, but the woods here I don't have big bears let alone things like Cape buffalo and lions. I don't know any of the legalities of handguns and what's allowed to be carried, if any. Id guess it would depends where you are just like in the states. Id be interested to hear about that as well.

 

[JimP]

Unless you have made arrangements with your outfitter for a hunt with a pistol just leave it at home.

I hunt with a number of different pistols and calibers here in the US, but if I'm hunting with a rifle the pistol stays home. The only exception is if I am archery or using a muzzle loader. Then I'll pack a pistol if it's legal.

If you are in Africa where dangerous game are common your PH will more than likely will be packing his rifle for any problems that might come up.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I like the 44 magnum for a back up - just in case situations while hunting. I'm prone to have interesting things happen. Both good and bad. But those stories are for around the campfire after the day's hunt.

Alobg with my 375H&H as my main weapon I took my 44 mag loaded with Lehigh 300 grain solid bullets primarily as back up to Zimbabwe on a buff and hippo hunt, and with 240 grain flat soft points for possibly hunting PG in RSA.

I highly recommend you contact and use Henry Rifle Premits to get the latest information on temporary importing and hunting with a handgun in Africa.

As @Jim P mentioned you want to discuss your hunting with a handgun with your PH.

 

[BryceM]

When I was a kid, people would bowhunt the edges of the Yellowstone ecosystem without even thinking about it. Now, almost everyone carries at least a pistol. Grizzly (and wolf) encounters are pretty common these days. You can argue the efficacy of a pistol against a 700 lb determined bear, but at least it gives you a fighting chance.

I can't hit anything with a pistol when everything is perfectly calm. If I was facing a charge situation and fully buzzed on adrenaline, I'd probably only be effective with in inside of 5 yards.

Or, as my buddies say...... always save one bullet.

As for Africa, I'd just forget it, unless you had a genuine interest in hunting specifically with one. Too much trouble, and the PH will keep you safe.

 

[HankBuck]

When I was a kid, people would bowhunt the edges of the Yellowstone ecosystem without even thinking about it. Now, almost everyone carries at least a pistol. Grizzly (and wolf) encounters are pretty common these days. You can argue the efficacy of a pistol against a 700 lb determined bear, but at least it gives you a fighting chance.

I can't hit anything with a pistol when everything is perfectly calm. If I was facing a charge situation and fully buzzed on adrenaline, I'd probably only be effective with in inside of 5 yards.

Or, as my buddies say...... always save one bullet.

As for Africa, I'd just forget it, unless you had a genuine interest in hunting specifically with one. Too much trouble, and the PH will keep you safe.

@BryceM - I agree, and I am a fan of the .44 mag as a sidearm, I can shoot it reasonably well and even one handed out to 50 feet I can hit a 9” steel plate consistently from a “slow” holster draw….but I’m certainly NOT a competitive handgun shooter and handle a 9mm better. But I never considered taking my .44mag to Africa and would Not do so - I’m plenty comfortable using my Rifle and having my PH “back me up” if needed. Even hunting in the US for Bear or Grizzly, carrying my .44 sidearm was as much an “excuse” just to wear it as it was for my safety. Perhaps the only time I was really happy to have it was when my friend shot a Black bear in Maine at dusk and an hour later 3 of us (Guide, Me, friend) followed a very good blood trail (in the dark) to recover it….he was certain it was already dead and had heard the “death moan” but I still thought carrying that .44 was a smart thing to do. We recovered it (dead) within 75 yrds and there was No excitement - other then it was a great 356 lb. Boar and a memorable hunt.

 

[Manwe]

Never noticed much difference between the 41 and 44 recoil wise.
44mag has lower power loads available.
44 Special for practice.
Snake Shot.
Many more components if you hand load.
Fearsome high power loads.
Easier to find.
I've had several 41's but the 44 is more versitile for me.

 

[HankBuck]

Never noticed much difference between the 41 and 44 recoil wise.
44mag has lower power loads available.
44 Special for practice.
Snake Shot.
Many more components if you hand load.
Fearsome high power loads.
Easier to find.
I've had several 41's but the 44 is more versitile for me.

@Manwe - I found the same thing, my .41 has stout recoil only slightly below my .44mag using standard 240 gr magnum loads. Since both calibers shoot from the same N frame on a S&W the weight helps tame some of the .41 mag recoil.
But — depending on which .44 load I use, some full power from Buffalo Bore really kick much harder then the .41. Your right too that there is much more variety in .44 mag ammo and it’s easier to find .44 mag ammo. I like them both but if only had one - .44 all the way.

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

I have had and shot several .44 Mags from Smith and Wesson, Ruger and a Desert Eagle. I have never been overly impressed with the round. For a lot of boom and recoil I have never gained performance greater than I have achieved with other rounds.

I have come up with great performance with .41 Magnums with better accuracy and penetration than any .44. Honestly, I have had my best performance, critter wise, with .45 Colt loaded to around 950 FPS and that has been pretty consistent for years.

That said, my daily carry is a .44 Special revolver that is light and accurate. I even carry this while hunting, not because I feel the need for back up (if my .416 Rigby or .270 Weatherby can't stop anything in my Carolina swamp no handgun on earth will either), but I feel naked without it.

 

[RETD16]

For DG in Africa, a 44 Magnum seems like bringing a BB gun. I mean if I wanted to carry a sidearm, I’d bring something truly big like a 454 Casull!?!? I think a 44 Magnum is minimal even for brownies in AK. Recoil with a 44 Magnum is moderate, and not really an issue. A Casull is a different beast though…

 

[HankBuck]

I have had and shot several .44 Mags from Smith and Wesson, Ruger and a Desert Eagle. I have never been overly impressed with the round. For a lot of boom and recoil I have never gained performance greater than I have achieved with other rounds.

I have come up with great performance with .41 Magnums with better accuracy and penetration than any .44. Honestly, I have had my best performance, critter wise, with .45 Colt loaded to around 950 FPS and that has been pretty consistent for years.

That said, my daily carry is a .44 Special revolver that is light and accurate. I even carry this while hunting, not because I feel the need for back up (if my .416 Rigby or .270 Weatherby can't stop anything in my Carolina swamp no handgun on earth will either), but I feel naked without it.

@Hillbilly Marine - you pose a difficult argument because ballistics and decades of results contradict your opinion. .41 mag is a fine round and more powerful then a .357—-and the .44 mag tops the .41…when loaded to full power and with good bullets as in Buffalo Bore and others. But everyones personal experiance shapes their opinion and I respect yours.

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

@Hillbilly Marine - you pose a difficult argument because ballistics and decades of results contradict your opinion. .41 mag is a fine round and more powerful then a .357—-and the .44 mag tops the .41…when loaded to full power and with good bullets as in Buffalo Bore and others. But everyones personal experiance shapes their opinion and I respect yours.

I am definitely the odd man out on this one for sure. I never went through an extensive load development that would bring the .44 Magnum to the tip of performance because I found recipes for the .41 that was so accurate and, given the same velocity, out penetrated my .44 Magnums and shot groups half as small. Also, I am using these for whitetail in heavy brush so the range was rarely 50 yards so there is little practical difference and I will take accuracy all day.

I prefer the .45 Colt over all other handgun rounds for almost all uses. Powerful enough to get most any job done without tremendous recoil. I have loads that will rattle teeth and bones and loads that shoot wax but I have rarely found any need to hotrod to get what I need.

Like the arguments about the .270 Winchester and the .280 Remington I really don't think the difference is noticeable to the critter.

 

[lobo9er]

great replies. My 44 mag experience is on white tail. All the deer I've shot with the cartridge has been with 270 gr. CCI handgun hunter, I bought a few boxes 10 or so years ago for hunting and Im now down to my last partial box. Shot out of a Ruger 44 carbine or Ruger SRH. IMHO theres other effective options but nothing does it any better than a 44 inside 100 yds on white tail. I have a SW69 I carry in the woods and CCW role occasionally either with 44 mag or spl. I feel I'm competent with it for defense if needed, but haven't and hope to not find out.
I have never been nor do I have any realistic expectations to hunt Africa, I obviously would love to. So I thought it'd be cool to hear from those who have what they thought about it. Appreciate the replies.

 

[EfRed]

Buffalo Bore claims three feet of penetration through tissue and bone with their Heavy .44 Mag load, a 305 gr LBT LFN gas check bullet at 1325 fps from a handgun, 1700+ from a LA carbine. That should reach the brain/upper CNS of any animal, maybe excluding elephant. Someone who can shoot that load accurately and coolly and is well acquainted with the anatomy of the animal should be well served by that load. The second shot will not follow quickly for most of us, as recoil is stout.

A 525 gr hardcast load for the 500 Linebaugh is available from Buffalo Bore, at 1100 fps. Without special tacky gloves, this load is beyond my strength in the Ruger Bisley that John made for me, as I can't keep the revolver from rotating in my grip to strike the web of the thumb with the hammer, violently. It's painful to shoot and it rips flesh. This load provides a 21% increase in mass/cross section over the 305 gr 44 Magnum round, so should show somewhat better penetration. Bigger stronger men than me might not have any difficulty shooting this load. The more standard 440 gr load can be handled, and the 900 fps 440 gr "practice" loads will kill anything the Americas have to offer.

With a little practice, I think I can have good first shot accuracy with that 525 gr 500 linebaugh load. If I anticipated hunting in Africa and needed a sidearm, I'd consider the 500 Linebaugh over the 44 Mag, or, maybe better, the 475 Linebaugh. The 454 Casull packs a punch, but the bullet weights are less than the Linebaughs, greater than the 44 Mag.

A 4 or 5 inch barrel 500 S&W would be ideal, but its heavy to carry. I've handled but never shot one; it feels surprising good in the hand. Penetration with a given hardcast handgun bullet is proportional to velocity up to a threshhold velocity, above which more velocity does nothing or may give reduced penetration (due to bullet deformation). The threshhold is 1300 fps to 1400 fps, If I remember correctly. So its not immediately clear that the 500 S&W offers more for up close work than the 500 Linebaugh.

I think your 44 Mag would prove a comfort even in Africa. You're not likely to encounter a raging bull elephant in most places if you stay out of deep brush, unless you're looking for it. The 44 would handle lion to black mamba if you can shoot it quickly, might work on hippo or buffalo. Not the weapon of choice, no handgun ever is, but a whole lot better than a handful of nothing!

 

[DIRTYHARRYBALLISTICS]

To me, when encountering dangerous game, a backup needs to be complete and utter overkill. This is entirely just my personal viewpoint, so take it with a grain of salt. A .44 magnum has been prooven against almost every animal out there. However, in my opinion it is just too light to be my safety backup if a buffalo, hippo, or elephant is charging. I happen to be 6'4" and 220lbs. So my backup is going to be my most powerful revolver. The question will be, can a .44 magnum stop any of those 3? The answer, hard maybe. With a buffalo, i'd call it 50%. With a hippo, more than likely your numbers drop to a 20% tops, and with elephant, i'd call it less than 10%. Ive had a .460 Magnum XVR for 15 years now, and it delivers near double the performance of a hot .44 magnum load. Your effective maximum performance from factory ammo with the .44 magnum being a 340gr hard cast delivering 1533ft/lbs of energy (Buffalo Bore +P+ LFN). The .460 Magnum maximum performance from the factory being a 360 gr hard cast delivering 2860ft/lbs of energy. (Buffalo Bore LFN). I handload 360gr hard cast for mine slightly hotter, running 1975fps instead of 1900 resulting in 3,112ft/lbs of energy. (I do see a bit of primer flow in this load, so i only kept em for dangerous game carry which i never used em for and was extremely meticulous in measuring to the 100th of a grain.) Now i have a .500 Bushwhacker that i have 400gr copper solids backed by 85gr of CFE BLK that are going 2526fps for 5,669ft/lbs of energy, that have been prooven to pass through over 100" of ballistic gel. This new revolver will absolutely deliver plenty of performance for any charging animal, if, and thats a really big IF, i can land the shots on target. Right now, i'm still practicing with it, and certainly need to elevate my marksmanship with it. So as of current, i've kept my 360gr handloads on the shelf waiting for either a trip to Africa, or to be shot for entertainment here at home. I know this has been a long read, sorry about the novel.

 

[EfRed]

To me, when encountering dangerous game, a backup needs to be complete and utter overkill. This is entirely just my personal viewpoint, so take it with a grain of salt. A .44 magnum has been prooven against almost every animal out there. However, in my opinion it is just too light to be my safety backup if a buffalo, hippo, or elephant is charging. I happen to be 6'4" and 220lbs. So my backup is going to be my most powerful revolver. The question will be, can a .44 magnum stop any of those 3? The answer, hard maybe. With a buffalo, i'd call it 50%. With a hippo, more than likely your numbers drop to a 20% tops, and with elephant, i'd call it less than 10%. Ive had a .460 Magnum XVR for 15 years now, and it delivers near double the performance of a hot .44 magnum load. Your effective maximum performance from factory ammo with the .44 magnum being a 340gr hard cast delivering 1533ft/lbs of energy (Buffalo Bore +P+ LFN). The .460 Magnum maximum performance from the factory being a 360 gr hard cast delivering 2860ft/lbs of energy. (Buffalo Bore LFN). I handload 360gr hard cast for mine slightly hotter, running 1975fps instead of 1900 resulting in 3,112ft/lbs of energy. (I do see a bit of primer flow in this load, so i only kept em for dangerous game carry which i never used em for and was extremely meticulous in measuring to the 100th of a grain.) Now i have a .500 Bushwhacker that i have 400gr copper solids backed by 85gr of CFE BLK that are going 2526fps for 5,669ft/lbs of energy, that have been prooven to pass through over 100" of ballistic gel. This new revolver will absolutely deliver plenty of performance for any charging animal, if, and thats a really big IF, i can land the shots on target. Right now, i'm still practicing with it, and certainly need to elevate my marksmanship with it. So as of current, i've kept my 360gr handloads on the shelf waiting for either a trip to Africa, or to be shot for entertainment here at home. I know this has been a long read, sorry about the novel.

A laudable point of view. Hadn't heard of the Bushwhacker before. It sounds like a handful and monometal is necessity. It is indeed a big bore rifle equivalent! Too much for me, though. Have fun with it!

 

[JimP]

To me, when encountering dangerous game, a backup needs to be complete and utter overkill. This is entirely just my personal viewpoint, so take it with a grain of salt. A .44 magnum has been prooven against almost every animal out there. However, in my opinion it is just too light to be my safety backup if a buffalo, hippo, or elephant is charging. I happen to be 6'4" and 220lbs. So my backup is going to be my most powerful revolver. The question will be, can a .44 magnum stop any of those 3? The answer, hard maybe. With a buffalo, i'd call it 50%. With a hippo, more than likely your numbers drop to a 20% tops, and with elephant, i'd call it less than 10%. Ive had a .460 Magnum XVR for 15 years now, and it delivers near double the performance of a hot .44 magnum load. Your effective maximum performance from factory ammo with the .44 magnum being a 340gr hard cast delivering 1533ft/lbs of energy (Buffalo Bore +P+ LFN). The .460 Magnum maximum performance from the factory being a 360 gr hard cast delivering 2860ft/lbs of energy. (Buffalo Bore LFN). I handload 360gr hard cast for mine slightly hotter, running 1975fps instead of 1900 resulting in 3,112ft/lbs of energy. (I do see a bit of primer flow in this load, so i only kept em for dangerous game carry which i never used em for and was extremely meticulous in measuring to the 100th of a grain.) Now i have a .500 Bushwhacker that i have 400gr copper solids backed by 85gr of CFE BLK that are going 2526fps for 5,669ft/lbs of energy, that have been prooven to pass through over 100" of ballistic gel. This new revolver will absolutely deliver plenty of performance for any charging animal, if, and thats a really big IF, i can land the shots on target. Right now, i'm still practicing with it, and certainly need to elevate my marksmanship with it. So as of current, i've kept my 360gr handloads on the shelf waiting for either a trip to Africa, or to be shot for entertainment here at home. I know this has been a long read, sorry about the novel.

If you do go hunting any of the above animals and if you take a 44 magnum, 454 Casull, or even a 500 S&W you will not be alone. You PH will be packing a rifle with enough punch to drop what you plan on shooting with that pistol.

I would never consider a pistol a backup firearm on a DG hunt.