Buffalo Bore 44 Special 255gr Hard Cast SWC – Relentless Outdoorsman Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 44 Special 255gr Hard Cast SWC is the classic trail gun load brought up to modern pressure. It runs 1000 fps for roughly 566 ft-lbs, and unlike a hollow point it is not designed to expand at all. It is designed to go straight through. Safe in any firearm chambered for 44 Magnum and in 44 Special guns generally, but Buffalo Bore excludes the Charter Arms Bulldog. Twenty rounds per box, item 14B/20.

• Buffalo Bore 44 Special 255gr Hard Cast SWC Overview
• 44 Special Hard Cast Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 255 Grain Keith Semi Wadcutter Penetrates
• Specifications
• Range Notes For A Gas Checked 44 Spl Load

Buffalo Bore 44 Special 255gr Hard Cast SWC Overview

The bullet is an Elmer Keith pattern semi wadcutter cast from a hard alloy, with a gas check crimped on the base. The Keith profile is the important part: a wide flat nose, a full calibre driving band, and a sharp shoulder that cuts a clean full diameter hole through tissue instead of sliding it aside.

The gas check is a small copper cup on the base of the bullet. It keeps hot propellant gas from cutting the soft lead base at these velocities, which is what stops the bore from leading up. Without it, pushing a cast bullet to 1000 fps in a 44 tends to leave you scrubbing.

Buffalo Bore publishes real gun numbers rather than laboratory figures. They list 1044 fps from a six inch Ruger Super Blackhawk and 984 fps from a three and a quarter inch Smith and Wesson Model 396, which is a useful spread to plan around.

44 Special Hard Cast Ammo Ballistics

566 ft-lbs at the muzzle is more energy than the 200 grain copper load in the same line, which manages about 537. The difference on target is far bigger than that gap suggests, because a non expanding 255 grain bullet uses its energy for depth rather than for opening up.

Momentum is the honest way to think about 44 Special hard cast ammo. A heavy flat nosed bullet that holds its shape will drive through a shoulder blade and keep going, and against an animal that is exactly what you want. Against a two legged threat it is the reason this is not a city carry load.

1000 fps is also below the speed of sound, so the Buffalo Bore 44 Special 255gr Hard Cast SWC is quiet by centrefire standards and pleasant to shoot. Recoil in a steel framed revolver is a firm push rather than a snap, and most people find it easier to control than a lighter bullet driven faster.

Why The 255 Grain Keith Semi Wadcutter Penetrates

Expansion is a trade. A bullet that opens makes a wider wound but gives up depth, and at 44 Special velocities there is not a lot of speed to spare. A hard cast bullet refuses the trade entirely, keeps its full weight and its full frontal area, and simply keeps going.

The flat meplat is what makes that work. A round nose of the same weight will often push tissue aside and leave a narrow track. A 255 grain Keith semi wadcutter punches a clean hole with sharp edges the whole way through, which is both a better wound channel and a much clearer blood trail.

This is why it is the traditional answer for a trail gun. Black bear, feral hogs, a deer at close range in thick cover, or simply the peace of mind of carrying something that will reach the vitals from a bad angle. Heavy 44 Special woods ammunition is about penetration you can count on rather than a number on a chart.

It is also easy on the gun. A gas checked 44 Spl load at 1000 fps is working well within what a modern 44 Special revolver was built for, so you are not beating up a gun you probably like, and the 255 grain Keith semi wadcutter feeds and chambers without fuss in revolvers and lever guns alike.

Specifications

Range Notes For A Gas Checked 44 Spl Load

Check compatibility first. This is a heavy loaded 44 Special. Buffalo Bore says it is safe in 44 Special handguns and rifles and in any firearm chambered for 44 Magnum, but not in the Charter Arms Bulldog. That exclusion is specific and worth respecting. Bulldog owners should use the 44 Special 200gr hard cast wadcutter, which Buffalo Bore developed for all 44 Special firearms including Charter Arms.

Point of impact should be close to right in a fixed sight gun. Most 44 Special revolvers were regulated around a 240 to 246 grain bullet, and at 255 grains this load is near enough that it usually prints sensibly. Confirm it at your own distance rather than trusting that, but you are unlikely to be surprised.

Expect a little more soot than a jacketed load leaves. That is normal for cast bullets and the gas check keeps actual bore leading minimal, but the cylinder face and forcing cone will look dirtier after a session than they would with 44 Special hard cast ammo you might remember from softer, slower loads.

Think about what is behind your target. A non expanding 255 grain bullet at this speed will pass through most things you shoot with it, so treat a gas checked 44 Spl load as a woods and field round. That through and through performance is a feature in open country and a liability anywhere with houses in the background.

Heavy 44 Special Woods Ammunition Availability

This heavy 44 Special woods ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or another Buffalo Bore load, call us and we will check what our distributors are holding.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. If you would rather have an expanding bullet, compare the 44 Special 200gr Barnes TAC-XP or the 44 Special 180gr JHP, or browse our full ammunition selection.