Ultimately though cost is a big factor for me, and there is just no way I'm going to be loading thousands of Hornady XTP rounds for target practice. Lead, plated, or coated are 100% what I'm going to wind up using and my thought is that I might as well start learning how to load these whizz-bang Plated/Coated rounds I can use at my indoor range sooner than later.
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[T]his first order is going to include some premium quality, and premium priced, XTP bullets.
To address the silliness here... The Hornady XTP is NOT a premium bullet. It's one of the cheapest jacketed bullets on the market. Many of us use the XTP as a low cost option for full-load practice rounds.
Here's the problem.... You're wanting "hot" magnum loads, but you're planning to do it with plated, lead, or coated bullets... That doesn't work. Not all "lead" bullets are created equally, and if you want "hot" loads in the 44mag, proper "lead," as in hard cast bullets, will cost more than the Hornady XTP. You cannot push cheap lead or plated bullets as hard as hard cast, gas checked, or jacketed bullets. "Hot" 44magnum loads will be running 1300-1600fps, depending upon your bullet weight, which exceeds any lead or plated bullet maximum. Even with coated bullets, you'll need to run a gas check... You need to read and comprehend what folks are telling you, and what is printed in your manuals. Top end 44mag loads and cheap lead or plated bullets just don't mix. What you're describing is kinda like buying a high performance sports car with a premium gasoline based engine, then saying you're going to run diesel because diesel engines get better mileage...
And frankly, as someone who loads and shoots around 6,000-7,500 XTP's every year, if you're looking at the XTP as an "expensive" bullet, then the 44mag isn't for you. Check out a Swift A-Frame, Leheigh Penetrator, or Belt Mountain Punch bullet.... THOSE are premium quality, premium priced bullets. If you want to make big noise with big recoil, you can't run the cheapest of the cheap bullets hard enough to get there. You CAN run cheap bullets - the XTP's...
I enjoy firing extremely raucous rounds that rattle my teeth and point the barrel of my revolver at the ceiling no matter how hard I hold on. I particularly like when the range "goes cold" until I've finished my cylinder, that's how I can tell I got some really good rounds. Often when I am using the heavy magnum rounds people at my range will hold their fire until I finish my cylinder because the report is so disruptive they flinch on my behalf from three lanes over. I am only 29 years old and I'm sure as I get older I will have different opinions, but I like guns because they are awesome and nothing is more awesome than a stout magnum load.
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The best rounds I ever fired in .44 magnum were some Buffalo Bore rounds that had a disclaimer saying they were going to have to stop selling them if people kept shooting them through "unapproved" (read: Not a Ruger) firearms. I think SAAMI would blow a gasket if they got ahold of those rounds! I was firing those at a range that did allow lead rounds and every shooter on the line wanted a look at what I was firing, and a couple of kids begged me to let them shoot a round (I insisted they shoot my "regular" federal .44 magnum). I've never had strangers or kids get so excited over my guns and IMO heavy .44 is just magic, pure magic.
As foolish as all of these statements sound - because they are such - in my experience, there are a lot of folks out there like you. It's no different than the guy who buys a bright red Ford Mustang with racing stripes and mag wheels, but in a V6 so it costs less and gets good gas mileage. It sure looks cool until it actually gets on the line against some thing with some money spent under the hood or someone who has actually spent time behind the wheel takes a look. I've taken personal joy when someone like you tries to show off at the range with a 44mag, I'll point out the shotgun patterns on their target, and (loudly) offer advice on how to control their revolver so each shot doesn't leave their "barrel pointing towards the ceiling," then I'll pull out my 454C, 475L, 460, or 500 and demonstrate what REAL power AND precision looks like. Even better at an outdoor range where I can bring out something exotic like a 45-70 BFR or 300WSM XP100 - you just THINK your 44mag barks fire... The look on their face when someone literally steals their thunder is priceless. Personally, I DON'T like to be needlessly disruptive on the range, I try to go to the range on off-peak hours, and I'll take along a few options to shoot. If there are too many folks on the range, I don't bring out my magnums or super magnums. Sometimes a guy can't avoid it, and I do end up shooting a big boomer on the range with others around, but what you're describing is a lot like walking into the post office and singing as loudly as you can, just for the attention. As a Millennial myself, I can't relate to flash mobs any more than I can relate to the compulsion to be the loudest gun on the range... But kids do it every day... My grandpa used to tell me when I was a kid - people can tell when you're trying to be cool, and it's not cool...
People like you are everywhere, frankly, that's why we have things like V12 Vipers, loud motorcycle pipes, Ruger Alaskans, and the 500 S&W... It's not all bad, and it's nothing new. There have been people like you in every generation, but unfortunately for all of us, only the stereotypical example of the Millennial generation is particularly "proud" to admit it publicly. I guess I'm in favor of self-awareness, if nothing else...
I'll also comment, SAAMI doesn't give two ****s about Buffalo Bore ammunition. SAAMI is a yardstick, not a governing body. They don't tell anyone how to load their ammunition, they just hold the bar and say, "if you're under the bar, we'll give you a sticker." Submission to SAAMI is 100% voluntary, and compliance is NOT obligated. Buffalo Bore's warning label is to cover their ass and make shooters aware. They have no liability and will not go out of business or stop selling their products as a result of someone shooting their ammo in a non-approved firearms.
