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I'm interested in hearing how many of you carry a .44 Special.
My Dad has carried a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special for about 15 years now.
His only other gun is a SBH .44 Magnum.
I've shot his gun more than a few times and liked it,
but have been wondering if there is anything better than a 240 Semi-Wadcutter, or a 210 gr. handloaded JHP
for that gun or other .44 Specials these days.
I've also shot Silvertips and the Federal Lead hollow-point loads as well.
Factory level Cowboy loads seemed pretty tame in all of my guns.
Thats said.
My two favorite bullet these days for 9mm, 38+P, 357 SIG and even .357 Magnum are the Gold Dots
and newer on the market, BARNES X bullet.
Both designs have been proven on the street and hunting fields- with the most data going to the Speer
bullet.
The 200 grain SPEER Gold Dot in .44 Special just looks plain wicked.
Deep and wide cavern for the hollow-point and it's also a bonded bullet that holds onto the jacket for the most part
in testing that I've seen with the larger caliber Gold Dots, or bonded Defense JHPs, ect.
Same bullet- but different names.
Advertised velocity for the SPEER load is 875 fps, with energy at 340 ft/lbs
You can also buy the 200 gr. BLAZER Gold Dot load that's identical in both muzzle velocity and energy.
Know for high-performance ammo:
DOUBLE TAP, steps up to the plate with an advertised velocity of 980 fps for the applicable 2.5 inch barrel, but no energy figures,
however - it should be near the Speer specs.
You can see some other .44 Special loads as well.
240 gr. BBWC and 210 gr. Remington JHP that are both handl-loads with less power than the Speer or DT loads.
These run about 800-820 fps have always shot nicely through my various .44 Mags and a S&W Model 624 back when I lived in Idaho,
and had both a room and time to reload.
Not too shabby through the Bulldog as well.
In looking at the more expensive but more advanced (according to some people ) TAC-XP load.
It is both longer than the SPEER Gold Dots and the DT Bonded Defense load, but also slower for the 2.5 inch
barrel mark at 900 fps.
Solid copper/lead free technology with a ICBM missile profile- and a deeper cavity than the Gold Dots.
No need to be bonded...it has 100% expansion and also full weight retention in most media/testing.
You can see it alongside the Bonded Defense 200 grain load a very old SPEER Lawman lead round nose .38 Special
bullet from my Dad's old police K-38 stash of ammo.
We have came a long ways in the past 25 years of ammo evolution and some think the X bullet to be the
zenith in both defensive and hunting ammunition.
Yes, it is more expensive than a traditional JHP, but the cost is coming down a bit..especially for hand loaders.
There seems to be a number of people who shoot and carry it from Double Tap in .380/9mm, .40, .357 SIG, the 38+P/357M
and of course- .44 Special!
Others like it in Cor-Bon DPX or even from Wilson, and love the very adequate/tactical penetration and perfect expansion it provides.
I don't know of any Double Tap defensive shootings with the TAC-XP other than in hunting situations, but the DPX
has performed very well on the streets in actual shootings.
Some savvy cops and ccw holders use DPX or nothing else!
Well, whether you decide Speer or Double Tap GOLD DOTS, you will be getting powerful ammo for your .44 SPECIAL that you can
count on.
Proven Gold Dots bullets that have been dropping bad guys and game for decades!
Or you can choose the BARNES TAC-XP bullet that is gaining steam across the country each day.
Me, I like them both!
I'm hoping to get out and shoot this ammo through the Bulldog, but it might be a while with this heat wave here in Washington state.
For more information:
<broken link removed>
<broken link removed>
I think I'll save up for a 396 Night Guard now.
Thanks for viewing!
KEV
My Dad has carried a Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special for about 15 years now.
His only other gun is a SBH .44 Magnum.
I've shot his gun more than a few times and liked it,
but have been wondering if there is anything better than a 240 Semi-Wadcutter, or a 210 gr. handloaded JHP
for that gun or other .44 Specials these days.
I've also shot Silvertips and the Federal Lead hollow-point loads as well.
Factory level Cowboy loads seemed pretty tame in all of my guns.
Thats said.
My two favorite bullet these days for 9mm, 38+P, 357 SIG and even .357 Magnum are the Gold Dots
and newer on the market, BARNES X bullet.
Both designs have been proven on the street and hunting fields- with the most data going to the Speer
bullet.
The 200 grain SPEER Gold Dot in .44 Special just looks plain wicked.
Deep and wide cavern for the hollow-point and it's also a bonded bullet that holds onto the jacket for the most part
in testing that I've seen with the larger caliber Gold Dots, or bonded Defense JHPs, ect.
Same bullet- but different names.
Advertised velocity for the SPEER load is 875 fps, with energy at 340 ft/lbs
You can also buy the 200 gr. BLAZER Gold Dot load that's identical in both muzzle velocity and energy.
Know for high-performance ammo:
DOUBLE TAP, steps up to the plate with an advertised velocity of 980 fps for the applicable 2.5 inch barrel, but no energy figures,
however - it should be near the Speer specs.
You can see some other .44 Special loads as well.
240 gr. BBWC and 210 gr. Remington JHP that are both handl-loads with less power than the Speer or DT loads.
These run about 800-820 fps have always shot nicely through my various .44 Mags and a S&W Model 624 back when I lived in Idaho,
and had both a room and time to reload.
Not too shabby through the Bulldog as well.
In looking at the more expensive but more advanced (according to some people ) TAC-XP load.
It is both longer than the SPEER Gold Dots and the DT Bonded Defense load, but also slower for the 2.5 inch
barrel mark at 900 fps.
Solid copper/lead free technology with a ICBM missile profile- and a deeper cavity than the Gold Dots.
No need to be bonded...it has 100% expansion and also full weight retention in most media/testing.
You can see it alongside the Bonded Defense 200 grain load a very old SPEER Lawman lead round nose .38 Special
bullet from my Dad's old police K-38 stash of ammo.
We have came a long ways in the past 25 years of ammo evolution and some think the X bullet to be the
zenith in both defensive and hunting ammunition.
Yes, it is more expensive than a traditional JHP, but the cost is coming down a bit..especially for hand loaders.
There seems to be a number of people who shoot and carry it from Double Tap in .380/9mm, .40, .357 SIG, the 38+P/357M
and of course- .44 Special!
Others like it in Cor-Bon DPX or even from Wilson, and love the very adequate/tactical penetration and perfect expansion it provides.
I don't know of any Double Tap defensive shootings with the TAC-XP other than in hunting situations, but the DPX
has performed very well on the streets in actual shootings.
Some savvy cops and ccw holders use DPX or nothing else!
Well, whether you decide Speer or Double Tap GOLD DOTS, you will be getting powerful ammo for your .44 SPECIAL that you can
count on.
Proven Gold Dots bullets that have been dropping bad guys and game for decades!
Or you can choose the BARNES TAC-XP bullet that is gaining steam across the country each day.
Me, I like them both!
I'm hoping to get out and shoot this ammo through the Bulldog, but it might be a while with this heat wave here in Washington state.
For more information:
<broken link removed>
<broken link removed>
I think I'll save up for a 396 Night Guard now.
Thanks for viewing!
KEV
