Big Boy Steel .44 Mag Range Report

[JEBar]

earlier today I was able to spend some time at Jay Henges Shooting Park firing our H012 Big Boy Steel and our Ruger Redhawk 44 Mags.... all together I fired 150 practice loads through the Henry .... I also put 50 of the same practice loads and 6 full power hunting loads through the Redhawk .... both operated flawlessly .... the Redhawk is topped with an Aimpoint Red Dot sight .... they have been sighted in 2" high at 25 yards .... the second picture below shows the group of 5 practice rounds in the top circle and 6 full power rounds in the lower circle .... if/when we should once again take it hunting we will have to rezero the Aimpoint for high power ammo .... the Henry topped with a 3 - 9 Nikon performed well out to 75 yards .... beyond there I'm pretty sure the Henry did well but the 240 grain lead bullets ran out of steam and dropped 5 +/- inches between 75 and 100 yards .... if/when it is to be taken hunting, the scope will have to be rezeroed .... for me the Henry has proven to be a fun rifle to shoot with low power (light 44 special load) ammo .... it kicks more than a 22 but very little more .. .. if I'd of had another 150 practice rounds with me, I'd of been happy to run them down the barrel .... I was pleased to note that shooting a full magazine (10 rounds) didn't heat up the barrel where you could tell it by touch .... you definitely need headphones but that's true for most rifles nowadays

[Deadwood Dutch]

Thanks for the report, you have a beautiful rifle there. You shot well.

[RanchRoper]

Nice shootin'...That .44 mag is muy guapo!

[White Squirrel]

Sounds like a really fun Friday! Two nice guns and good shooting.

[RetiredSeabee]

Great report, those 44s make some big holes. I have been shooting .22 for so long that something like your beauties might make me need a big boomer.

[JEBar]

as others have noted in recent range reports, one can always do better .... I was pleased with the Henry and have no doubt that it is capable of better grouping than I am .... I can't get over how much fun it was to shoot for so many rounds .... I'll stick with reloading the 240 grain lead bullets because we have hundreds of them .... that said, I'm leaning toward working toward trying a much lighter bullet .... my theory is we can probably squeeze out a much flatter trajectory out to 100 yards while retaining the low recoil of the lighter powder charges .... after today's experience I'd be willing to deer hunt with it at out to 100 yards .... it still hits plenty hard enough to cleanly take a deer and is consistent enough deliver the bullet to the proper spot .... all that being said, I would go back to full power 44 mag loads for deer hunting .... the Redhawk is an old friend that we know very well .... to me its a major plus that they both handle the our practice reloads so well

all shots were fired from a rest while seated at a bench rest

[daytime dave]

Nice report. Those two are a nice pairing. I like shooting .44 specials all day long. The magnums are fun too. You don't really feel much kick with my Big Boy. The extra weight soaks up recoil like a sponge.

I like the steel with a scope. It looks good. I agree with you. Out to `100 yards or so, deer can be very humanely taken. Thanks for sharing your fun with us.

[JEBar]

I'm looking forward to having the time and opportunity to Chronograph the same practice loads out of the Redhawk and Henry .... I suspect the 13" longer barrel and the lack of a gap between the cylinder and the barrel (found it revolvers) will boost the muzzle velocity by several hundred feet per sec

[Travlin]

Nice shooting and thanks for the report. I have the same pair but only the Ruger has been shot a lot so far.

[JEBar]

Nice shooting and thanks for the report. I have the same pair but only the Ruger has been shot a lot so far.

we've had the Redhawk since the mid 70's .... there is no telling how many thousands (realistically tens of thousands) of rounds have been run through it .... I'd love to think the time will come when we will have run as many through our Henry