Oldschool .44 Magnum Self Defense Load? Federal Hydrashok .44 Mag 240 gr JHP VS .45 ACP 230 gr JHP
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Testing the Federal Hydrashok ammunition in a 240 gr .44 Magnum and 230 gr .45 ACP in a 10% Clear Ballistics test. Always appreciative of any channel help :) www.patreon.co...
Here's some interesting comparisons on the one shot stop chart. They didn't have Federal Hydrashok .44 Mag but there was an Eldorado Starfire .44 Mag 240 gr JHP at 1,180 FPS (the Hydrashok here was 1,190 FPS) and that data shows 14.8" penetration compared to my "15 inches". They show a 4" S&W revolver as real world gun and 91% one shot stop. The Federal Hydrashok is on the list but they show only 819 FPS compared to my 908 FPS and they show 13.3" penetration compared to my 12.5" penetration. They show 94% one shot stop from a 5" Colt.
Don’t pay any attention to criticism about your shooting. It’s obvious to everyone that you are skilled with both, revolver and semi automatic pistols. Your videos are consistent and very well done. When it comes to ballistics, you are one of the top channels, Sam.
Thank you for your time and effort in making these available to us. I’ve learned a lot from you.
Lol yeah at least he has the land to shoot on whenever he wants
@@lukebassignani8169 He doesn't shoot whenever he wants and you know it. I suppose ammo just grows on trees too.
@@exothermal.sprocket Yeah, I actually am disabled. I pull it off and almost no one can tell as I push myself when out there filming. I had to bust my butt and take risks, dumping money into this channel before I got ads that could supply the ammo. Had nothing handed to me. Thanks for telling a naysayer off lol. But really I don't own the land but grew up on it, my parents are elderly but still alive so I go out to film a couple times a week. But as far as rural Michiganders go, literally everyone has land like this to shoot on and a lot of people do it, I just got lucky with their land having a river go through it which gives me river valley hills, and hills for these parts are non existent. I am blessed and thankful though. My dad's dad immigrated from Hungary before the war and acquired this land. He was very proud of it, always said "God will always make more people, but not more land, cherish it" or something to that effect.
@@GunSam Thanks for being so candid. I've always enjoyed your thoughtful, objective, interesting talks and testing. I knew you had physical health issues, for whatever reason.
I just don't see why people have to invent circumstances in their minds and be so rude, cruel, or moronic to people online. You are probably one of the least pretentious people producing gun content that I have seen, and your comments are always pretty well thought out within context. You obviously share a passion for the art of firearms and ammunition and aren't being paid to perform against your will. I suppose there are always going to be cynics, critics, people without objective thought talents, and others who are just plain envious and evil.
Keep up the content, if you're physically able to. You seem like an individual who would be easy to be friends with.
I don't know if I'll ever own a house and property in this life, just the way financial things are in this Nation right now.
A lot of people once used a 44 special for social situations. It is similar to a hot loaded 45ACP. They are both ideally suited for self defense. They don’t blow your ear drums out, don’t over penetrate as much as high velocity loads, are easy to shoot, and work very well.
44 special is NOT like a "hot" 45acp....44 specials are 240-246 grain lrn bullets at around 700-750 fps...or a 180 grain hornady around 950fps...that's a mild or less than 45acp...they could be loaded hotter..but not in the charter arms bulldog...that most people carried..you are talking about a .429 inch bullet traveling slower than a .452 inch (45acp) bullet
@kevinrichardson8859 Either way, if you have a 44 special or a 45 ACP, they are more than adequate.
I would never say you are a bad shot. You are doing an outstanding job with these videos. I learn a lot from them.
I'm just a month shy of 74 years old and I have been shooting for over 65 years. I spent about a year on the Post Pistol team when I was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds from 75-78. And at one time I would have said I was a better than average shot, but time takes a toll on us all. And now on a good day I would say I'm a good shot. If I were you I would not waste any time or energy on those who criticize your shooting. It is easy to criticize when you know you won't be called to prove you can do better. I would say your shooting is just fine. I carry either a S&W 442 or one of several polymer 9mm's for EDC. I have four 44 magnums the smallest a 6.5" model 29. I can't imagine carrying a 44 magnum for self defense, too great a risk of over penetration and too slow to follow-up. That's just my personal opinion and I would never tell someone else what to carry. My son used to carry a Redhawk in 480 Ruger. But of course he lived in Alaska at the time.
HydraShock doing goood.
And unless someone trains one firearm, thumbs forward can be a hindrance.
Great presentation. The HS .45 ACP had a pretty good reputation and was one of the rounds authorized by FBI and another three letter. Harry Callahan would have appreciated the .44 Mag version.
Thank you
I wouldnt take any stock on anyone trolling you.Your clearly a good shot and do excellent in more realistic shooting senerios you demonstrate.Not to many UA-camrs are demonstrating there shooting skills over 25 yards. Infact at the indoor range I go to I am one of the few people that run it down to 25 yards to start for handgun shooting. People online are just cruel and most likely anyone talking down to another person shooting skills should demonstrate there own. I like your testing protocol and I'm pretty sure every round I carry In my firearms passed a test you did.With the exception of .38 special +p and .357 mag snubby. Had to break with you on that. Still a huge fan of your work. Its an important and worthwhile endeavor.
Important to remember that at least 50% of people are dumber than average. When you start to consider how high on the bell curve you are merely for being literate and understanding even a modicum of physics, it's probable that any detractors you might deal with on the internet are vastly inferior intellectually.
The grip bit has me laughing, Jerry Miculek uses your style of grip when shooting revolvers, that's enough in itself.
I appreciate you doing these ballistic tests.
Your revolver content is always top notch 👍🤙
Weird. My buddy and I were talking about 44 magnum for self defense. Hahaha. I am quite surprised to see how well the 240 grain performed in 44 mag. It always seemed to me that 240 grain would be too heavy for self defense. have 210 grain gold dots loaded up for home carry in 44 mag.
My main carry gun is 45 ACP loaded up with 185 grain or 200 grain gold dots. I prefer lighter or middle weight bullets for SD.
Great video as always!
Thanks. Even the 230 gr .45 ACP tend to penetrate too much often. So I think the Hydrashok is just a great design for heavier projectiles.
Agree with ruru.!
Long ago, I carried the .44 Mag. I preferred the 180 gr semi jacketed HP, the rationale being it was faster, much more expansion but with less penetration. I can't seem to find those semi jacketed hollow points anymore, they really started the expansion process.
@ronaldsellers3717 the hornady xtp in 180 grain has good results in Gel. I think this channel tested them.
I've been thinking about picking up a Marlin Dark Series 1895 Lever Action in .44 mag as a home defense option hanging on my wall (I'm in IL so ARs are now illegal), and this ammo may have just made the decision for me to purchase it.
I clocked the Speer Gold Dot 200 gr 44 Special load at 1200 fps from a 20 inch barrel. Should be good.
That 44 may become my new winter carry ammo. I’m currently using hornady custom 240 but my winter edc is also my deer sidearm
My immeadate thought !
Compromise of deep enough for broadside deer , but not totally ridiculous for SD .
I've kept my .44mag's loaded with the 240gr hydra-shoks for the last 20 years. Wouldn't be my first or even 2nd choice for a self-defense weapon, but in a pinch, I wouldn't feel too outgunned.
Great job as always! I appreciate that youve added a look at the bullets removed from the gel
I really appreciate your videos. You're covering a niche topic that has been neglected by the gun world. The performance of traditional service calibers like 38, 9mm and 45acp are well documented. But in the context of defensive shooting, it's cool to see what outlier cartridges like 44 Mag are capable of. It's interesting how two bullets that are basically the same weight and close in diameter perform at different velocities. The 44 Mag HS surprised me though.
Good timing, was thinking about buying some 44 Mag Hyrda-Shoks.
10:18 Brother, you’re a great shot!
Thanks for that test. I am a .45acp guy while my BIL is a .44 Spl/Magnum guy. Very helpful.
Great video. Great info.
When the 45 ACP load came out it had a 100% rating from a 5 inch that lasted for a long time. It then dropped down to 95%.
Speer has a 44 Special Gold Dot 200 gr load on the website for sale the last time I looked. This goes 830 fps from the Bulldog and expands to .750. Speer used to make a 44 Mag load with that bullet rated at 1070 fps. I still have some of those. If you can fins the 44 cal 200 gr Gold Dots, you can easily handload a equal load.
I think you are a good shot. Keep up the good work.
I have those rounds loaded in my 16” 44 mag Henry lever action for my home defense gun.
Hey, screw those jerks who are criticizing you! There's a great stump speech by TR called "It's not the Critic who Counts". It's been my mantra for 40 years. Look it up! And keep putting out these great videos.
This was an awesome, no nonsense review of the practicality of 44 mag for self defense. For years I have wondered if it was practical. My conclusion has always been effective, yes but practical, no, due to stout recoil, penetration, and controllability. This video just completely changed my mind. Awesome job!
From matts bullets .452 med soft lead 200 gr RN HP , great ojive for an ACP , in the 45lc expanded large > 9.4 unique , 6.5" S&W , don't know the vel . I still am a fan of med hard swc-hp for 44 or 45 revolvers or a full WC . I think BB had the 190 gr ?? in 44 . Less weight slug & more vel seems to work for this type of bullet for carry .
Looks like either one will do the job just fine but the Glock has the capacity advantage. Our agency started with the 230 grain Hydrashok but a few year later switched to Speer Gold Dot. I don't think it was a performance issue but it might have been a price issue. I don't have a .44 mag but we had a discussion at the local range about defensive ammo. The consensus was that the 180 JHP was the favored option because it penetrated less than the 240 grain bullets.. Thanks for the tests and another great video.
More capacity is always great, but I've never felt underprotected by a revolver with a speedloader. The odds are overwhelmingly that 6 rounds is sufficient, having 12 is more than enough for any situation a handgun can realistically bail you out of.
@@troy242621 The higher capacity might be helpful in a defensive situation with a large animal, such as a bear, moose or buffalo.
The fu factor that is baked into the 44 is bitchin!
That's right 44 Magnum and 45acp is my EDC. 45acp in my 1911s and 44 Magnum in my Desert Eagle and Taurus Raging Hunter. And my carry Ammo is Lehigh DEFENSE XTREME Defender and Federal HST and Barnes TAC for 45acp and for the 44 Magnum Barnes TAC and Hornady XTP . and now these Federal HS for the 44 Magnum
Stainless is the way to go with revolvers, and that revolver is nice.I have blue revolvers but I won't take them out in the rain or humidity as it offers little resistance to rust.
I have not owned more than a handful of blued revolvers. Liquid blue is a must have if you get a scratch or whatever, but stainless scratches come out with a lot more options or methods.
@@GunSam Yesterday I hunted in freezing rain and all my guns are stainless or aluminum frame for the wet, it rained nearly a inch in one day.
@@GunSam If I had your 44 and planned to keep it I would have that sucker polished, like chrome...lol.
Typical excellent video and with 2 of my favorite handgun calibers as well! Thank you Sir!
Thank you
I love the Doc Holiday reference 😄.
As the weather has gotten cooler, my 3" .44 magnum has gone about town with me more and more. I'm gonna have to find me some boxes of that .44 Hydra-Shok. A full--power .44 magnum that can dump all of its energy in a torso? Yes, please!
What's funny is I could find it NOWHERE for 3 years. Then, it was on Federal's website 3 weeks ago, now it's on Midwayusa and I will assume everywhere else.
I think people are just jealous of your shooting ability.
The way I see it, is I am nowhere near a competition shooter skill, however I think I am 90% as good as I can be for marksmanship. Obtaining that other 10% costs 10 times as much in ammo cost, time and upgrades to guns. I feel like I can better serve this community by doing the ballistic tests with what I have to work with. I should probably adopt a new motto that I am a ballistic gel tester, I am not supposed to shoot good lol
They are jealous and crazy.
Sam can shoot.
Another great vid and comparison! Just supports for me why I like my Glock 22 40 S&W with Fed HST 180 grain HP's for carry ammo. iirc, it compares much more favorably to that 44 Mag. The 45ACP is nothing to sneeze at but it's slower velocity makes HP expansion challenging...
I always enjoy your content.🙂
Thank you
Nice. I need to get the old 44 Mountain Gun and Shield 45 out for a run. Theyre surely fun.
Both looked ok to me. Interesting test.
Thanks and hope that hand is ok.
lol, the hand is fine. Started getting hot but just surface burns.
Last weekend I shot a Model 69 first time 3 shots Old guy called his medium reloads and last 2 Nuclear...I filmed it but 4 of my 5 hits went high at 7 yards that's just too much recoil in a light revolver. Compared to range Barrow 6 .357 158s rounds from a Model 66 Bill Drill 7 yards a few weeks earlier 5 of 6 A Zone. At the time the .45 HS either expanded or it barely deformed either way I guess people were happy w it back then I think LAPD SIS (used many times effectively) and Massad Ayoob carries it Block 30s from memory and I believe FBI overall rating score 87.5% on memory, w 185 JHP doing best and the 180 downloaded 10mm getting close enough to the 185 .45 that performed best
People criticizing probably haven’t shot pistols or revolvers it’s not easy and takes practice
Porting the 44 mag reduces recoil 40 % and allows quicker more comfortable rapid shots .
Wow. Can't believe someone said you are a bad shot. They obviously don't know much about shooting. Must be some know it all back seat shooters. I've been shooting seriously for 5 years now, & shoot IDPA and ASI, and place about in the middle of the pack. And to be in the middle you have to be a good shot. The better shooters aren't any more accurate, but they are a lot faster. I mean a lot faster! That being said you miss very little at distance and your accuracy is next to top notch. Some people aren't happy until they make others miserable, or at least that's their goal. I've always loved your videos, and without your commentary it would be like watching professional football without any commentators. Keep up the good work!
To get the best of both worlds a 230gr 460 Rowland would be great,
460 hydashock with good capacity,
I'd like to see sam test some of the heavy horsepower pistols like 460 Rowland, 9x25mm dillon, 40 super, as these are awesome rounds and you get capacity but there's almost no ammo tests with them.
I'd say the myth of over penetration of the .44 mag is dispelled.
GS. Good video. Interesting to see how those heavier bullets preformed. Thanks for sharing. Take care.
Thank you.
I want to start seeing more 42 caliber vs 32 caliber !
That's pretty far apart lol. It's like .312" VS .430". Average 100 gr VS average 240 gr. Hard to compare, not that you can't as I have compared .22 LR to 9mm - however I think people would be asking a lot of questions about where the overlap is between .327 Federal and .44 Magnum, or .32 Long VS .44 Special and so on.
@@GunSam I’d love to see it! 44 special big and slow vs 327 small and fast! Why not? Same with 45acp slow and heavy.
Mid range or less is best for 44 mag for carry .... a light Special !!!
Good gel test, thanks
my arthritic hands hurt after watching the recoil/muzzle flip on these test ☹😠 as for your accuracy well, keyboard warriors will be keyboard warriors cause mamma's basement is safe. thanks for sharing
It's a genuine shame that Federal never stepped up to the plate with modernizing .44 Special.
Either the Hydra-Shok or HST would be the ideal bullet for the caliber.
Especially the latter.
The .44 Magnum Hydra is a bit much for what is received.
In the Hydra.
The .45 ACP makes more sense.
Lower recoil, faster follow-up shots, more on tap ammo capacity, and similar penetration.
At least in gel simulant.
Excellent test
Love today's "Big Bore" content. But at 9:50 I about fell out of my chair that people were telling you how to hold a gun. Same dimwits that bought a Tesla and think they can drive coast to coast with an EV in 3 days.
You would think that maybe just kids on UA-cam would be responsible for all this technique talk, but it's not just there. I qualified for CCW about 8 years ago, I was mid 30's at the time, some 'instructor' half my age interrupted the range session that I was completing with my Ruger SP101, and grabbed my thumbs and pushed them forward on the revolver. I gave him a dirty look and re-wrapped them.
@@GunSam them young whippersnappers don't know anything :)
Sam, on a totally unrelated note... I don't understand why you don't have more subscribers... your vids are superior to most of the cartridge and gun review channels out there imho. Maybe ask for the subs? You should be at 679K subs not 67.9. Just thinking with the ad revenue, you'd be able to buy more guns and ammo to review and maybe shoot some meat targets lol - jk.
I don't have much control over how many subs I have. But I hear you. I have seen people do some really poor content, get 10 times the subs. I think a lot of them are bought subs, or brought in with giveaways and the like. Nice thing about my smaller sub count is they are all real, consistently watch. I have seen channels with hundreds of thousands of subs that get less views per video than I do. I have also seen channels copy my content and make it bigger than I am, but there's not much I can do about that.
305 gr bear loads at 1200 plus fps that is as hot as I will go with 44 mag . Wouldn’t use that load for defense though , in the mountains definitely an option .
You cant listen to these peoples comments to much. They hate themselves and just have to make your life miserable instead of figuring out why they hate themselves.
Sam can you try the 5 STAR speedloader for the S&W 44 Magnum ? I want to see which is better
45 is excellent personal defense. 44 magnum for self defense? Why not. It is definitely effective. Hydro-Shock is a proven design.
You just know that Burt Gummer will only shoot Hydrashock ammo!
Unless I miss my guess that is a K frame Smith. Lotsa recoil using a heavy load in a smallish revolver. I’d lock my thumbs too….
One step up. L frame like the model 686.
With all of the hundreds of rounds you test, do you keep a spread sheet of the performance each had? ...like for barrel length, caliber, bullet profile, velocity, fps energy, weight, test media performance, depth of penetration, expansion diameter and percentage, retained weight, ect... Do you see any noticeable differences between similar constructed rounds of different diameter, speed, and energy? I mean does an extra 150 foot pounds from a 357 that much more violent than a slower 9mm?....or is the larger diameter of the 45 cause that much more damage than the 327? Or does almost everything perform within spitting distance of each other untill you get to a specific speed, or foot pound? Or is therr no big difference until you get up into like 44 magnum territory? Does a light for caliber, larger diameter bullet do way better than a light for caliber smaller one?...Should we all just really be carrying one or two specific loads of 9mm, or is there some huge jump in observable performance with another round you can have in a similarly sized platform? I know personally, the smaller and lighter firearm get a lot of extra points if I can actually carry it without adjusting my pants every 5 min because its too bulky and heavy....That kind of takes a full sized glock or an L frame revolver out of the running for me. Would love to see a quarterly or semi annual top 10 or top 15 caliber/bullet list as the test progresses....I dont think anyone else has dome as extensive tests on all these calibers as you have.
🙂👍
What I would like to see is a middle ground approach. It seems like in commercial loads we have the special loads with standard weight bullets at around 800 fps or Magnum loads of the same weight at 1200-1300 fps. Why not a magnum load closer to 1000 fps?
At one point, Hornady had made a Critical Defense load like this. I don't recall the exact weight but I think it may have been the 165 gr bullet that is used for the .44 Special now. I remember the energy was something like 600 FPE which would put it at about 1,280 FPS. This was around 2011-2012 that I saw this on Hornady's website, and then it was gone and listed as discontinued. Now days I don't even think there's any evidence that it existed as I couldn't find any mention of it when I searched for it on the web a couple years ago.
Critical Defense .44 Magnum.
NOT BAD FOR OLD TECH BULLETS USED TO CARRY THE 45 ACP IN HYDRO SHOK OUT OF A GLOCK 30 ON DUTY. HOW DO YOU LIKE THE MODEL 69 SMITH ?
I used to carry a G36, pretty similar to a 30, loved that pistol and it was way better than this model 41. The S&W model 69 does not disappoint. It's the newer style with the ball detent front lockup, barrel sleeve and other changes. I don't know what they did to it or how they did it, but the double action trigger on these combat magnums are superior to the old style design like my 686.
KEEP UP THE THE GOOD WORK. I THINK REMINGTON ONCE HAD A 44MAG. MID RANGE LOAD AT ABOUT 1000 FPS MAYBE 180 GRAIN.@@GunSam
Well, I've typed up two long replies with links and both dissapeared. Apparently if Sam doesn't want a debate there won't be one. I guess he's the opposite of what he claims to be.
And yet this post is here. Confusing. Maybe it's not Sam at all? Maybe the site deletes posts with links? Anyone know?
I have no idea what you are talking about. But to be accused like that over something I did not do, is a pretty effective way to never have a debate with whoever you are.
UA-cam has a habit of deleting posts with links.
if you already got a 44 at home why not?
I enjoyed the test.
Please stop quoting "statistics" that were published over 30 years ago and debunked as garbage just a few years later.
And yes you flinched. :) But I understand. .44 mag is a very difficult round to manage. I flinched to, the last time I fired a cylinder of it.
I have heard about 200 people comment that stopping power numbers have been debunked. I asked every one of these people for links or where that debunking comes from. So again for the 200th time on my end, please link this info so I can see who debunked it, what methods debunked it. In fact I will link (edit; pin) this comment so if you cannot list that info, maybe someone else can.
I have been interested in this debunking information for years but no one is linking it for me. I want the truth if it is out there. I am not here to argue or claim I am right, I just want to see the information. Now I do want to mention, that while I do not blindly trust Sanow and Marshall's handgun stopping power methodology, I DO indeed take the Goats as Strasbourg test very seriously. Reason why is I grew up on an Alpine goat farm and we had dozens of animals - the very animals used in that test.
I know first hand as a boy and young man of how incredibly strong Alpine goats are. If you mess with them, they are stronger than you. Females averaged about 160 lbs and males about 250+ so their size and strength and overall thickness of their thoracic cavity is about like a human. When crossed referenced with stories of .357 Magnum all having the same story from older cops saying .357 Magnum takes one shot (and seeing footage of .357 Sig doing that same thing) and with seeing footage of 9mm and .40 S&W used in body cam footage, that footage very closely mirrors incapacitation time with that goat study.
When I see .357 Magnum 125 gr SJHP shown as 7.34 seconds incapacitation time and .38 Special 158 gr LRN incapacitation time at 46.58 seconds, and I contrast that with stories that cops who comment on my channel about real shootings they been in, it totally adds up that this goat test has a lot of elements of truth to it even if Sanow and Marshall is nonsense. Even the newer ammo that is designed to fragment and not penetrate well like Liberty Civil Defense - people who have had to use it have told me it is again, one of those one shot stoppers - lights out. Compared to the 30 year old goat test, ammo that performs similarly like Glaser Blue 80 gr 9mm, 1,667 FPS - incapacitated goats in an average of 4.72 seconds.
It may sound like nonsense to most people, but growing up on an Alpine goat farm, getting knocked on my butt by a 250 lb buck and even at 16 years old, powerless to overpower it - and they go down like this with certain ammo, tells me a lot. And the real world shootings that are told to me - which UA-cam has provided because I have conversations on here that I would never have anywhere else - that information contrasted all adds up - I tend to put stock in the goat test and the subsequent gel test performance of these super man stoppers, and comparison of ammo I test to those super stoppers.
@@GunSam Sam...did you delete my post that took 15m to type?
I don't know what you are talking about. Your comment is there, I pinned it and replied to it. Your response is there, asking if I deleted a comment. So I do not know what you are talking about at all.
@@GunSam I'd written out a long response with links (another one in addition to the one you pinned) for you and it vanished. So I wrote another and that vanished. Maybe they were too long? I don't know but I was hoping you didn't delete them. If you didn't I apologize for the accusation. Oh well.
I have replied to several other comments today. I looked through my comment page and many of the comments I responded to, have my responses deleted. I know the feeling, I wrote an amazing comment on Wilson Combat's channel on a recent video, then I refreshed the page awhile later to see how many people responded, and my comment was gone.
👍👍👍.🇺🇲🌲🔥🔪
RIP your ear drums firing this indoors in a bedroom in your home without ear protection in an emergency home invasion situation.
03:04 in this video.
754 FT/LB of muzzle energy ... REALLY???? Ideal if your home is going to be invaded by a Lion or a Hippo maybe.
PLOT SPOILER.... You can drop a home invader with a .380 Auto ..Just saying.
Your eardrums will be the same after, with the exception that it could eventually cause some hearing loss, but it would be minimal. There's been studies on this stuff, my brother is an audiologist and we have discussed this stuff. It's rarely the hunters or shooters with hearing trouble, it's the factory workers. If the eardrums are not blown, they are not blown. Arms length from ears will not blow the eardrums, even in a room.
i'm not specific yo 'home invader'. It's personal defense. The .44 Magnum is a good cartridge, overpenetration didn't seem to be an issue. Therefore what the .44 Magnum does is give a more reliable means to stop an attacker, than a lot of cartridges. Not much more I can explain as I don't think you would get it.