The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - 44mag vs. 30-30: Performance inside 200 yards

wncchester · April 16, 2011, 09:45 AM

"...realize that ballistics charts don't tell the whole story with large-diameter heavy rounds like a 44 mag, ..."

Ballistics charts do tell the "whole story" of the trajectory and, for what you're speaking of, that's all that matters. Either round will kill whitetail much further than you are likely to be able to hit but hitting beyond about 100 yards with a .44 quickly gets iffy but, as Mr. Smaug correctly points out, longer shots in wooded areas are rare. Even so, practical killing accuracy with a handgun is MUCH less likely with a handgun than a rifle; handguns were and remain basically a last ditch effort personal defense weapon for close quarters combat.

Rifles are superiour to handguns from any ballistic perspective. Bottom line, the .30-30 is a rifle cartridge, the .44 is a handgun cartridge; that's the end of that part. Rifle barrels offer little, if any, velocity benefit for any handgun cartridge because the cases simply won't hold enough slower burning rifle power for the added length to matter very much.

The fact that you are asking these questions suggest you have little or no personal experience with the .44 mag.? If so, no matter the effectiveness of the round, I can assure you that it takes a LOT of practice to achieve dependable hunting accuracy with a .44 mag handgun and a good bit of continuing practice to maintain that proficency. And you will still be range limited due to the trajectory.

No matter how many deer you may see in your area now, IF you are thinking of a "bug-out" survival arsenal, forget the big guns and go for a compact and light .22 rimfire rifle and several bricks of ammo. In that sad event the competition for game will be so intense the woods will be quickly cleared of "big" things like deer. Small game and birds will likely comprise most of the successful survivalist's food.

April 16, 2011, 09:45 AM	#23
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"...realize that ballistics charts don't tell the whole story with large-diameter heavy rounds like a 44 mag, ..." Ballistics charts do tell the "whole story" of the trajectory and, for what you're speaking of, that's all that matters. Either round will kill whitetail much further than you are likely to be able to hit but hitting beyond about 100 yards with a .44 quickly gets iffy but, as Mr. Smaug correctly points out, longer shots in wooded areas are rare. Even so, practical killing accuracy with a handgun is MUCH less likely with a handgun than a rifle; handguns were and remain basically a last ditch effort personal defense weapon for close quarters combat. Rifles are superiour to handguns from any ballistic perspective. Bottom line, the .30-30 is a rifle cartridge, the .44 is a handgun cartridge; that's the end of that part. Rifle barrels offer little, if any, velocity benefit for any handgun cartridge because the cases simply won't hold enough slower burning rifle power for the added length to matter very much. The fact that you are asking these questions suggest you have little or no personal experience with the .44 mag.? If so, no matter the effectiveness of the round, I can assure you that it takes a LOT of practice to achieve dependable hunting accuracy with a .44 mag handgun and a good bit of continuing practice to maintain that proficency. And you will still be range limited due to the trajectory. No matter how many deer you may see in your area now, IF you are thinking of a "bug-out" survival arsenal, forget the big guns and go for a compact and light .22 rimfire rifle and several bricks of ammo. In that sad event the competition for game will be so intense the woods will be quickly cleared of "big" things like deer. Small game and birds will likely comprise most of the successful survivalist's food. Last edited by wncchester; April 16, 2011 at 09:53 AM.