Best factory low recoil Target, Deer, and Bear hunting .44 Mag / Special loads?

[Aim1]

So, I purchased a Smith & Wesson 629 Mountain gun for deer hunting and backup carry when bowhunting for bears. I know that some rifle and shotguns have rounds that are manufactured to be low recoil, I am not sure they do the same for pistol rounds, so I'm asking. I realize that the bear stopping load most likely won't come in a low recoil option but you never know if there is something close.

I'm not looking to shoot a ton but I am looking for 3 things:


*** For Target loads, .44 Special is also fine. ***


1.) Best low recoil Target round?

2.) Best low recoil Deer Hunting round?

3.) Best bear stopping round?



**** I don't handload so only looking for store bought factory options. ***

 

[Olon]

I don't know if it would be considered "low recoil" but Fiocchi Pistol Dynamics 240gr. SP rounds certainly aren't barn-burners. I've little doubt they would put a nice hole in a deer. For bear stopping I'm sure a lot of people are gonna tell you Underwood ammo.

If low recoil is really important I'd look for factory 44 special.

 

[Aim1]

I don't know if it would be considered "low recoil" but Fiocchi Pistol Dynamics 240gr. SP rounds certainly aren't barn-burners. I've little doubt they would put a nice hole in a deer. For bear stopping I'm sure a lot of people are gonna tell you Underwood ammo.

If low recoil is really important I'd look for factory 44 special.

Thanks.

Anyone else?

 

[sabbfan]

CCI Blazer aluminum cased was accurate in my 44 mag SRH before I started reloading for it, and it didn’t seem like it was overly powerful stuff.

 

[LoneGoose]

Lighter bullet weights generally produce less recoil. Also, look for the word "target" on the box.

 

[Riomouse911]

You’re gonna be limited in the special-low recoil area, so here goes.

In all honesty I would stick to any of the “cowboy” loads in Mag or Spl for lightweight target fodder. It’s loaded at a comfortable level In both calibers.

The gist of your post tells me you’re not going to shoot a lot of magnum loads. With that being said, just about any of the 240-260 JHP .44 Magnum loads from any of the ammo makers will do double duty on bears and deer.
No reason to shoot a mid-range load for deer, the gun you have will handle factory 240-260 just fine and the recoil from one or two shots at a deer won’t be anything you’ll really feel in the heat of the moment.

Stay safe.

 

[Master Blaster]

Add to your parameters that they hit the target in the same spot, because if you practice with low recoil rounds, then hunt with high powered rounds you may find that the sights need radically different settings.

 

[MaxP]

If your goal is stop bears, I would go with the Buffalo Bore DG load that slings a 265 grain flat-nosed copper solid at about 1,400 fps. It's warm for a Model 29, but a limited diet is okay and if you are betting your life on it, I wouldn't half-step.

Buffalo Bore also has a low-recoil load in .44 Mag that slings a 240 grain JHP at something north of 1,300 fps and as the description suggests, they don't kick all that hard. Should work well on deer. I keep my Model 29 Lew Horton (3-inch barrel) with BB's 270 grain JHP loads. It'll hold up fine as long as you don't feed it that too regularly.