Barnes .44 Mag - 200 or 220 gr?

[JohndeFresno]

OK, so a large segment of California Levergunners must now walk in lockstep with the lead ban, if they want to hunt in their surroundings.

For the .44 Mag Levergun, which of the two Barnes Triple-X offerings appears to be the best general round for deer, hog, general hunting - the 200 or the 220 grainer?

Some Barnes rounds in a heavier weight have a stabilization problem with some rifles, per the Barnes Manual; but there is no mention in their book as to which round is recommended for general use with the .44 Magnum caliber.

And which of the two rounds would work best in a strong .44 Mag pistol (like the Super Redhawk, Super Blackhawk, or other strong, modern revolvers)?

I'm hoping that I can buy one bullet weight to reload both pistol and carbine - the bullets are quite expensive and I'd like to buy just one box for sighting in and hunting!

[Marc]

I bought a box of the Barnes 200 grain 44's that are intended for the 44 Special. Per the Barnes rep they expand down to 850 FPS where the 44 Mag bullets expand down to 1050 FPS. So not exactly the same bullet you are looking at but very close. I wanted to use them in my 1873 Winchester 44 WCF with 36" twist. They do not stabilize in the 36" twist at 1130 FPS. The bullet holes showed clear signs of bullet tipping at 50 yards. It looks like most revolvers have a faster twist around 20" or so. If your levergun has the 38" twist it may not stabilize the 200 grain bullet. You can drive them a lot faster in the rifle so it may work but then again it may not.

I have heard that some of the Winchester 44's have a faster twist-around 24". If you have a Winchester you ought to measure the twist. If it is the faster twist probably either bullet will work. If it is the 38" twist I would get the 200's to try. I don't know which bullet is better for deer and hogs but I think the 200 would work. The Barnes bullets may shed the petals but the base does not come apart.

Another thing is the Barnes bullets measure between .428" and .429". My 73 has a .430" groove diameter and shallow rifling so that probably didn't help the stability.

[JohndeFresno]

Thanks, Marc. Good info.