Question for .44 Handgun & Scope

[flyrod4steelhead]

Well I hopfully will be new to the world of handgun hunting. I'm buying my brother-in-law's .44 Handgun with Scope. What would be a good grain for this? What would the farthest that this caliber would be best at? The couple of private properties that hunt, most shot's are no further than 100yds, you'll be lucky if you shoot that far. My brother has told me what I need to do as of purchasing it from him, the test, getting it registered. But, when I do get it from him, I would like to take the Red Dot scope off and put a scope with crosshiar's. What size Scope would be good for this gun?


Any and all sugestion's are welcome. Also some "do's" & "don'ts" would be great.

[Big Game]

I just bought a Taurus .44 mag and love it. I used 240 grain bullets this season with good success. They also make 180 grain but I figured that since I wouldn't shoot over 75 yards anyways that 240 grain was a good choice. I I don't have a scope right now but myself I probably would say 100 yrds is max for a .44. What kind of scope do you have on it right now? I may be interested in buying your red dot if you want to sell it. I will mainly use mine for bear hunting with my dogs and want a red dot due to the fact that often the crosshairs don't show up good on a reticle type scope. My step dad said he has a scope he just bought for his .44 and said it makes his too heavy, maybe it's because he has a 12 inch barrell. Anyways he is going to give me the scope for my gun maybe we could work out a trade or something.

[Mags]

flyrod4steelhead,

If you're going to buy any scope for your .44, invest in a Leupold...you won't be sorry. As far as which power to get, they make I believe a couple fixed power and one variable power scope specifically for handguns. It depends on your use, and which scope gives you the best feel/balance on your specific gun. You can check out Leupold's website for specifications, and someplace like Cabela's for price comparisons. A reticle scope is preferable to a red dot scope for precision shooting, especially at longer ranges. I use a Leupold-Gilmore red dot sight on my .44, but I won't try to shoot game with it at more than 30-35 yds. Actually where I do my deer hunting the shots would be more like 15-25 yds. With a quality reticle scope, a decent rest , and practice, good shots from 50-100 yds. are very realistic. Shots over 100 yds. really demand much more practice and expertise, but are too, quite possible. In my opinion, factory loads for killing deer-sized game cleanly from a .44 handgun would probably be 100-125 yds. Guys that tinker with handloading could probably stretch that out a little further, though.

As far as loads for hunting, my favorite is the Winchester Supreme Partition Gold at 250 gr. I also use PMC Starfires and Hornady XTP's, both which are 240 gr. hollowpoints. All three of these are factory loads and pattern well from my gun, but you're going to have to test fire different loads for yourself to see which work out best.

Oh yeah, one more thing to think about is the best mounting system you can find/afford for your scope. A .44 has a fair amount of recoil so it just doesn't make sense not to use a quality scope and mounting system to get the most out of your gun in the long run. Good Luck and have fun! :)

[Ron L]

I've got a 2X Simmons on my Dan Wesson 357 and this magnification seems to work great. Strong enough yet not too strong that I can't keep both eyes open and let my dominant eye see clearly through the scope.

I've played with my brother's S&W and a friend's Ruger. As for bullet weight, 240 grain hollow points seem to be the standard, but some folks have had good luck with hard cast bullets up to 300 grains. I've heard of some 240 grain HP's blowing right through both sides of a deer, so they should have sufficient power for at least this purpose. Now if you're looking at some bigger animals, you'll probably want the 300 grain hard cast bullets for penetration.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/3004/769dw_8a-med.jpg

[FixedBlade]

I shoot a Ruger super red hawk in 44 mag. I had a red dot on it for two years before it failed. I could no longer keep a focused dot no matter how small I tried to make the dot. I took it off and replaced it with a Bushnell fixed 2x 33mm pistol scope. The only problem with the new scope is that it doesn't draw in much light. If your hunting in heavy woods it is well into daylight before you can see through the scope. I would suggest getting a scope with the largest front optic you can get. I also shoot 180gr soft point UMC loads and have not had any problems at close range. If your intending to shoot over 50yrds go to the range and shoot that distance year round. You need to be comfortable with your pistol at long range.

[flyrod4steelhead]

Thanks for some replies on this. Well I went down to my brother house last night and bought it. Ok, looking at the gun as I type: It is a Ruger, Super Redhawk .44 Mag with a ADCO Red Dot scope. My brother told me that it is a 9in barrel, if I am correct. Who make's this scope? I have never heared of it!! The scope ring's came with the gun when he bought, not sure about the scope!!. Paid $550 for gun, scope, TC Holster and a Stone Point shooting stick. Not a bad deal huh?? Most places he checked out wanted almost $600 for the gun itself.

I will defintaly be shooting this beast alot before season even think's about rolling around.

Again, thanks all.

[Ron L]

He's close with that price. I checked auctionarms.com and gunbroker.com and just about every one was running between $525-$599 for the gun alone. Add S&H and the FFL fee and you're right there. This should be a very good hunter for you. If you really don't like the red dot sight, sell it and put the $$ towards a scope. On at least one website, Adco red dot sights are running between $105-$177. In all, I'd say you got a good deal. Now get out and shoot the gun and enjoy it. :D