Buffalo Bore 44 Special 200gr Barnes TAC-XP – Potent Lead Free Defense Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 44 Special 200gr Barnes TAC-XP is a heavy loaded, all copper hollow point running 1100 fps for roughly 537 ft-lbs at the muzzle. Read the compatibility note before you order: it is safe in any firearm chambered for 44 Magnum and in 44 Special handguns and rifles generally, but Buffalo Bore specifically excludes the Charter Arms Bulldog. Twenty rounds per box, Buffalo Bore item 14D/20.

• Buffalo Bore 44 Special 200gr Barnes TAC-XP Overview
• 44 Special Defense Ammo Ballistics
• Why A 200 Grain TAC-XP Hollow Point Works
• Specifications
• Carry And Range Notes For This All Copper Handgun Load

Buffalo Bore 44 Special 200gr Barnes TAC-XP Overview

The projectile is a Barnes TAC-XP, machined from solid copper with a deep hollow cavity and no lead core anywhere in it. On impact the nose peels back into copper petals and the bullet keeps close to all of its original weight, which is what lets a 200 grain bullet penetrate like a heavier one.

Buffalo Bore loads it well above the sleepy standard pressure 44 Special factory fodder most people have shot. A typical 200 grain 44 Special load leaves the muzzle somewhere around 800 fps. This one leaves at 1100, and that 300 fps is the entire reason the Bulldog exclusion exists.

That combination, a light for calibre copper bullet driven fast, is what makes this a defensive load rather than a target load. It is not trying to be a 44 Magnum. It is trying to make a 44 Special revolver do serious work without magnum recoil.

44 Special Defense Ammo Ballistics

537 ft-lbs out of a 44 Special is well into the territory people usually associate with a 10mm or a hot 45. The half inch frontal area is what separates it though. Even before expansion, a 429 diameter bullet is making a bigger hole than anything in the 9mm and 40 class.

Expect less than the published figure out of a snub nose. Buffalo Bore chronographs in real firearms rather than in laboratory test barrels, which is more honest than most, but a two inch barrel will still give up meaningful velocity against a four or six inch gun. Copper needs speed to open, so barrel length matters more with this load than with a soft lead bullet.

Recoil sits in a useful middle. It is noticeably firmer than standard pressure 44 Special defense ammo and clearly softer than full house 44 Magnum, and in a steel framed revolver most shooters can run this all copper handgun load fast without losing the front sight.

Why A 200 Grain TAC-XP Hollow Point Works

The argument for copper in a handgun is consistency. A lead core hollow point can plug with clothing, shed its jacket in bone, or over expand and stop short. A solid copper bullet has no jacket to lose and no core to separate, so what leaves the muzzle is very close to what finishes the job.

Weight retention also lets you use a lighter bullet. A 200 grain TAC-XP hollow point will generally out penetrate a 200 grain lead hollow point because it stays intact, so you get the flatter shooting and lower recoil of a light bullet without giving up depth.

There is a real benefit to skipping lead as well. Indoor ranges with poor ventilation, hunting units with non toxic requirements, and anyone who simply does not want lead residue on their hands all have a reason to prefer an all copper handgun load.

And there is the platform itself. A 44 Special revolver, whether it is a Smith N frame, a Ruger, or a fixed sight belt gun, is a pleasant thing to carry and shoot. A 200 grain TAC-XP hollow point is what makes that pleasant gun genuinely capable.

Specifications

Carry And Range Notes For This All Copper Handgun Load

Take the compatibility note seriously. Buffalo Bore says this 44 Special defense ammo is fine in 44 Special handguns and rifles generally and in anything chambered for 44 Magnum, but not in the Charter Arms Bulldog. If that is your carry gun, use the 44 Special 200gr hard cast wadcutter instead, which Buffalo Bore developed specifically for all 44 Special firearms including Charter Arms.

Confirm your point of impact before you trust it. Fixed sight revolvers are usually regulated for a 240 or 246 grain bullet, and a 200 grain bullet at 1100 fps often prints lower than the heavy loads the gun was set up for. Shoot it at your realistic distance and find out rather than assuming.

Practise with something cheaper and confirm with this. Lead free 44 Spl ammunition is not range fodder pricing, so most people shoot cast or plated loads for volume and run a box or two of the real thing to verify function, recoil and zero.

If you are carrying it in the woods, understand what it is and is not. Against a black bear at short range it is a credible load. For big coastal bears, a heavy hard cast bullet is the more traditional answer because straight line penetration through heavy bone is the priority there.

Lead Free 44 Spl Ammunition Availability

This Buffalo Bore 44 Special 200gr Barnes TAC-XP 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 load from the Buffalo Bore catalog, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. If you want a lead core or cast bullet instead, compare the 44 Special 180gr JHP and the 44 Special 255gr hard cast SWC, or browse our full ammunition selection.