.44 special and Unique

[Robster]

I was wondering if anyone has any good starting point. .44 Special and Unique using the Hornady 265 GR FP Interlock bullet. I cant seem to find anything on the net The bullet is a Jacketed flat point. Hoping to use it as a hunting round for whitetail.

Thanks for any info you may have.

Rob

[webber]

Why would you use that bullet? Constructed for the 444 marlin you will get no expansion at the velocities you will produce with Unique.
If I wanted no expansion i would go with a hard cast bullet with a fairly large flat point.
If I did want expansion I would go with a 180 gr or 200 gr bullet designed to expand some at leisurely 44 Special velocities. A Sierra 180 gr is light but still has a pretty decent jacket.
I am just curious as to why you picked that bullet out of all the other bullets that would have made more sense to use.

[oldschool]

I'm not sure I'd use that bullet at all in the .44 Spl, as I'm pretty sure it was designed for rifle velocities (.444 Marlin) and probably won't expand at handgun velocities. You'd be better off with either the 240 gr XTP or a cast lead 240 gr SWC.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't kept up with Hornady's offerings in the last few years.

[Robster]

They were free. I have 500 rounds

I suppose I should post a WTT(want to trade). on a few sites. Try to get something that would be better for the .44 special.

Thanks for the insight, always looking to increase my knowledge.

[dmize]

You should get ahold of Lee Martin.
Hes the proud owner of a .444 Marlin and I believe he has an example of every centerfire handgun in existance so maybe a trade with him?

[AxeHandle]

I'm thinking that the old 265 jacketed 44 bullet that was made for the 444 was a Sierra bullet wasn't it? While my 44 special bullets are generally 240-250 cast SWCs, I'm sure I've got Hornady 265s on the shelf I use in 44 Mags and 445s.

[AxeHandle]

Oops! Found this: Three years after the introduction of the .444 Marlin, Hornady introduced a new heavier 265-grain .430 bullet created specifically for use in this new .44 caliber cartridge.

FWIW IIRC this is not the same bullet Hornady currently sells as a pistol/revolver bullet.

[Lee Martin]

Unique will push that bullet 800 - 900 fps in a 44 Special. Definitely not designed for those speeds, so expansion is unlikely. If all you want to do is plink however, 6.0 - 6.5 grains should work.

I do shoot a lot of 444 Marlin, but prefer a 320 grain hardcast LFN with GC.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com

[Robster]

Thanks for the tip Lee. Since the bullets were free, and won't work for hunting, I will use them for plinking. Using the .44 special for deer and on a mountain lion hunt so I want to do a lot of practice. Might as well use them as I have them anyway and work something else up for the hunting round.

I appreciate all the tips.

[COR]

Which 44 Spl are you shooting it in would be my first question...

Assuming it is a NM FT by Ruger or a 44 Magnum based pistol you could use a slower powder like W296 or H110 also. I agree that there are better choices for deer but that will do the trick if you place it correctly.

I use a lot of Keith style bullets, but I really like the 200gr XTP out of the 44Spl for deer here in Pa. in front of some W296...it expands very well and puts them down quickly if you hit the boilermaker, even on a shoulder shot the get good penetration and while they destroy more meat with that placement, they get the job done.

[dmize]

That is my ONLY complaint with XTP,s.
As long as your in the chest all is good, wander into the shoulders and it gets ugly fast.