Hunting Forum

I have a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 Rem Mag with a 7 1/2 in barrel and a burris scope. Do you think this setup is good for whitetail size game and to what distance? I am using Hornady 240 gr xtp ammo.

Heck the 44 mag should be good for bear, much less deer. Range and accuracy are the concern, and that depends alot on you. How accurate are you at what distance, with that gun.

I agree with ckell on this one .It all depends on how good you are with it ,and your confedense is with it..I would use it and know some that do .they keep their shots under 50 yards .

My son shoots the exact same bullet from his 44 mag handi rifle and took his first buck last year at 100m with great results. In Indiana folks have great results in rifles out to 150m. Ithink 50 is very same if you are accurate with it.

I used the Super Blackhawk for years and kept my shots under 50 yards until I got to where I could hit bullseyes consistently at 75 yards. The last deer I shot with it was a doe at about 80 yar{1}**** her right where I was aiming. Now I'm using a G2 Contender 44 mag rifle. Haven't shot 1 with it yet though.This is my 1st season using it.

Love the .44mag I use a red hawk and a marlin

Thanks for the replies. I have shot it out to 100 yards but out to 50 yards is more comfortable. Held about a 3 in group from a good rest. I will be using this combo in the second gun season here in OH the 15th and 16th.

I have used a Marlin lever action and a Ruger Redhawk in .44. I felt good with the rifle to 100 - 125 yards and the pistol from 40 -60 yards as my personal maximum ranges.

The best of luck on your hunt!

The longest shot on a deer I have made is 125 yards out of my .44 mag Ruger Super Blackhawk custom ( Kodiak Magnum ) from Gary Reeder. It was a doe and I did not have a range finder at hand and when my friend ranged the distance it was 125 yards. Had I known that was the yardage I most likely would not have shot. The doe ran about 35 yards. I was using Hornady 300gr XTP ammo and shooting out of a 7 1/2" barrel off a set of Stony Point Pole Cat adjustable shooting sticks. Shooting out of a 16" barrel rifle I would have no problems shooting 150-175 yards whatsoever. I have been looking for a good condition Ruger old model .44 mag rifle.

Just killed a big doe at 69 yards last week with a 8" Dan Wesson with a 2x Leupold Scope (lazer ranged after the shot)

Sierra 240 JHC, no issues.

Within reason of course, the range is more a factor of your capabilities than the cartridge

I've killed 3 deer with my Taurus M-44 with 8 3/8'sin. compensated barrel topped with a Tasco 2X scope.

The .44 mag is certainaly capable and has killed all North American game animals. The key is bullet placement. Limit your shot distance the the range that you can keep 6 shots inside an 8" circle (paper plate) from whatever position you are shooting from.

I have two Ruger Super Blackhawks with 7 1/2" barrels and the standard iron sights. Offhand, I am comfortable with it out to 50 yds. I don't specifically hunt with them, but I usually carry one with me in the woods. The only big game animal that I have killed with one was a black bear. I shot it with a 250 gr home cast semi-wadcutter gas check bullet on a DIY spot and stalk hunt.

I used to work with a guy that killed his elk every year with his .44 mag.

Posted By Big Dawg on 04 Dec 2012 07:13 AM
The longest shot on a deer I have made is 125 yards out of my .44 mag Ruger Super Blackhawk custom ( Kodiak Magnum ) from Gary Reeder. It was a doe and I did not have a range finder at hand and when my friend ranged the distance it was 125 yards. Had I known that was the yardage I most likely would not have shot. The doe ran about 35 yards. I was using Hornady 300gr XTP ammo and shooting out of a 7 1/2" barrel off a set of Stony Point Pole Cat adjustable shooting sticks. Shooting out of a 16" barrel rifle I would have no problems shooting 150-175 yards whatsoever. I have been looking for a good condition Ruger old model .44 mag rifle.

Hey BigDawg:  How did that XTP bullet perform on the deer.  The reason I'm asking is.  I shot a bunnie a few years back with my 9mm with 115 grain XTP's in it.  The only thing I could find of the rabbit was the spine  head, and back legs after it shoved the bunnie about 5 feet from where it was.     Everything else was gone.

I have a Ruge SRH 9.5"barrelwith a 2x20 Nikon on it. I handload 320 Grs LBT for it and it has taken 1 nice buck only at about 15-20 yds. Just one of those guns that when in my hands I don't seecritters to shoot, but I've had it set up for years to hit at 100 yds. I have tested it on tie and soaked phone books and get a good 8'"-10" penetration at 100 yds. What is remarkable is that I can hit at 300 yds with it reliably enough that I would try it wit a good rest and standing broadside shot. I had a place I was shooting at yrs ago that has a sawn tree trunk angled facing me that was right abt 300 yds away. It was about 1' diameter and On a whim I started lobbing rounds at it. Within a few shots I'd learned to hold over it about a foot and it would pound that trunk time after time. What's more is the LBT slugs were burying themselves in the wood a good inch deep. That would certainly pop through the flank and near long of a deer. It was fun touching that thing off "Blam!"...wait for it..."thwap!"

Hell yes that a good choice....... start out around 35 to 50 yds and work your way out.
Personal choice is a .44mag T/C with a 10 inch barrel. Im good out to about 75 yds where I hunt. Also prefer Hornaday XTP bullets.

mines the ruger redhawk with a 7.5 inch barrel and leupold 2x scope I to use XTP,s

I think the farthest I've ever shot a deer with a handgun, was maybe 20 yards. I've killed several with a Ruger Security Six .357, at 10 to 20 feet. These days, I'd take a shot at 50 yards with my Ruger Redhawk.44 mag, if the opportunity presented itself; but I'm usually carrying my Springfield XD .45, and I'd probably take that same 50 yard shot with it.

I own and have hunted deer with my Ruger Redhawk with the 7-1/2 inch barrel shooting Winchester 240 grain ammo. The first DOE I shot was almost on top of me. I would guess she was five yards at most. I was in a ground blind. I shot her in the head and she never moved. A small buck I shot at 35 yards and placed the bullet right behind the front shoulder. The deer ran about 40 yards, but the blood trail was perfect.

This is a great walking around stalking weapon. I have a chest holster and so the handgun sits basically right on the front of my chest. Easy to move through thickets, and fast to get to. Like you, I have shot it out to 100 yards with reasonable accuracy off a BENCH REST but tree leaning, prefer 50 yards or less for my shots. The caliber does a real good job on penetration and expansion. I used to have a picture around here with the hide off that buck I shot with it. The exit hole was shocking to say the least. In all seriousness, it looked like I'd shove a baseball bat through it. Maybe pulling the hide off opened the wound more, but its no wonder it bled out so well.

I have an Interarms Dragoon, Single Action Revolver with 7.5 in. barrel and open sights and a Marlin 336 .44 Mag rifle with receiver mounted Williams peep sight, just because I didn't want scopes on these two guns. As others have noted, this is adequate for practically any size game animal in North America. The keys are your effective range and bullet placement.