*note to mods, I've posted in "General" because I ask this question of long-gun, handgun, hunters and ammunition folks equally*
My question, the short version:
Should I expect to see improved in-flight/terminal ballistics whitetail hunting by using 225gr Hornady LeveRevolution .44remmag in my Ruger SuperBlackhawk, 10.5" barrel vs. traditional flat soft-nosed loads?
My question, the long version:
This past deer season, I harvested a young buck with my Marlin 336 levergun, .30-'30win, using LeveRevolution for the first time. Punching paper, I was already impressed by how flat it shot and at how far it did so. When I harvested the buck, the entrance wound was .30cal, as expected, but the exit wound was truly impressive. The buck hit the ground like a bag of wet hammers, DRT in his tracks. When I went to purchase a box of .44remmag for my SBH, the obviously expert stockboy who showed me where they were shelved insisted to me that unless I was going to be firing them from a rifle, I'd see no benefit using them.
I'm of the opinion (read: "theory") that the SBH with the 10.5" pipe on it is plenty long enough to demonstrate the benefits of this modern load.
I intend to hunt with the wheelgun this season regardless. Just about any off-the-shelf .44m load is plenty potent for whitetail if you do your part and know your limits. So is the cost of buying the Hornady worth being able to confidently take a shot at 60-70yds instead of 40-50? Worth the cost of practicing with them? With this particular weapon?
Thanks for any and all input.
My question, the short version:
Should I expect to see improved in-flight/terminal ballistics whitetail hunting by using 225gr Hornady LeveRevolution .44remmag in my Ruger SuperBlackhawk, 10.5" barrel vs. traditional flat soft-nosed loads?
My question, the long version:
This past deer season, I harvested a young buck with my Marlin 336 levergun, .30-'30win, using LeveRevolution for the first time. Punching paper, I was already impressed by how flat it shot and at how far it did so. When I harvested the buck, the entrance wound was .30cal, as expected, but the exit wound was truly impressive. The buck hit the ground like a bag of wet hammers, DRT in his tracks. When I went to purchase a box of .44remmag for my SBH, the obviously expert stockboy who showed me where they were shelved insisted to me that unless I was going to be firing them from a rifle, I'd see no benefit using them.
I'm of the opinion (read: "theory") that the SBH with the 10.5" pipe on it is plenty long enough to demonstrate the benefits of this modern load.
I intend to hunt with the wheelgun this season regardless. Just about any off-the-shelf .44m load is plenty potent for whitetail if you do your part and know your limits. So is the cost of buying the Hornady worth being able to confidently take a shot at 60-70yds instead of 40-50? Worth the cost of practicing with them? With this particular weapon?
Thanks for any and all input.
