Best .44 Magnum Ammo: Hunting, Self-Defense, and Lever Action

After hearing about the raw power of the 44 Mag for years, I was honestly a bit reluctant to fire a 44 Mag firearm. However, after testing a few rounds, it’s much more manageable than I once thought, and it has quickly become a top choice for many situations.

Created by Elmer Keith, the same man who created the 357 Magnum, the 44 Remington Magnum is known for its power and versatility. Wisely, you want to understand how to maximize both by purchasing the best 44 Mag ammo.

Below, you'll find the top-performing 44 Mag ammo for hunting, defense, and lever-action plinking situations.

Best 44 Magnum Ammunition

Best 44 Magnum Ammo	Federal 240gr JHP
Best 44 Mag Hunting Ammo	Black Hills 240gr JHP
Best 44 Mag Lever-Action Hunting Ammo	Hornady Leverevolution 225gr
Best Self-Defense 44 Mag Ammo	Buffalo Bore Anti-Personnel 180gr JHP
Budget-Friendly 44 Mag Ammo	Fiocchi 240gr JSP

44 Mag Ammo Testing Procedure

After purchasing several of these brands with various bullet weights and designs, I headed to the gun range to see how they performed based on these factors:

• Intended Design
• Reliability
• Accuracy
• Price

Various projectiles will perform differently depending on their design. For instance, JHPs are great for hunting and self-defense but get pretty expensive for plinking at the range, unlike FMJs.

No matter the situation, I want ammo that will go bang when I pull the trigger. If it’s constantly jamming or failing to fire, I’ll know I have wasted my money and won’t buy that ammo again. So, all of the ammo on this list is produced by trusted brands that use quality components.

Ammunition also needs to be accurate. If I can’t hit the broad side of a barn with the rounds, then it’s no good to me while hunting or protecting my family. It also makes for a frustrating day at the range.

Lastly, price isn’t as much of a factor for hunting and personal defense ammo; however, when I’m headed to the range, I don’t feel like burning through a mortgage payment worth of ammo, so I compromise between a fair price and reliability.

Federal 240 grain JHP - Best .44 Magnum Ammo Overall

Specs

• Bullet Weight: 240 grain
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,210 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 780 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Trusted Brand	Expensive
High-Quality Components
Reliable
Accurate

Why I Chose It

Federal 240 grain JHP is the best 44 mag ammo because it’s produced by a trusted brand, uses high-quality components, and is very accurate.

I’ve shot Federal ammo at the gun range, while hunting, and carried it for personal protection for years because I know it’s going to get the job done when I need it. Federal is trusted by countless shooters and hunters because it consistently produces high-quality ammo.

This is because Federal Premium uses components like boxer primers, nickel-plated brass, and Hyrdra-Shok bullets in these rounds, which are known for getting the results every shooter needs.

The biggest drawback is how expensive these rounds are. I could feel my bank account flinching with each trigger pull, so I don’t recommend taking them to the gun range all the time unless you’re training with them. Barnes 225 Grain XPB HP is a tad less expensive than Federal 240 grain JHP and offers similar ballistics if you’re unwilling to spend that much money on ammo.

Overall, it’s tough to beat Federal 240 grain JHP 44 Mag ammo because of the reputation Federal has built over the years.

Black Hills 240 grain JHP - Best .44 Hunting Ammo

Specs

• Bullet Weight: 240gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,260 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 846 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Hard-hitting heavy bullet	Heavy Recoil
Reasonably priced

Why I Chose It

When hunting, stopping power and accuracy matter most. There's no doubt the 44 magnum round has all the stopping power you'll need to ethically harvest a black bear, whitetail deer, and feral hogs found across North America. It's considered one of the most popular handgun-hunting calibers, especially when paired with Black Hills 240 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP), the best 44 mag hunting ammo.

I found it to be reasonably priced, which means you can practice and sight in your 44 magnum revolver without emptying your wallet.

Thanks to the hard-hitting heavy projectile, I know you can confidently hunt any big game in North America with these rounds because they are some of the hardest-hitting 44 Mag ammo on the market.

While Black Hills Ammunition is a smaller company than Remington, Federal, and Hornady, it’s known for producing high-quality rounds that perform under any condition, making it an excellent choice for hunters.

However, be prepared for some recoil. The heavy 44 Mag bullet means you better brace yourself when you pull the trigger.

The heavier projectile means it’s capable of taking down any big game animals you might encounter in the field, which is why Black Hills 240 grain JHP is the best 44 Mag hunting ammo on the market.

Buffalo Bore Anti Personnel 180 grain JHP - Best .44 Magnum Self-Defense Ammo

Specs

• Bullet Weight: 180gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,500 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,762 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Lighter bullet means reduced recoil	Bright muzzle flash in low-light conditions
Self-defense or deer hunting	Expensive
Revolver or Levergun

Why I Chose It

Self-defense is another everyday use for the 44 Mag, though most argue it's a bit much to carry, and I agree. It's prone to overpenetration in home defense situations, which endangers your family members, and the heavy recoil means the average shooter is somewhat inaccurate.

If you're one of the few who can handle the recoil and don't have to worry about over-penetration, then the best 44 Mag self-defense ammo is the Buffalo Bore Anti-personnel 180 grain JHP.

The bullets have enough stopping power to stop any two-legged threat despite being 50gr lighter than the heavier bullets used for hunting.

They can be used in any 44 mag gun, whether a handgun or a rifle. This is a significant pro if you own a 44 mag handgun and rifle because you can focus on protecting yourself and your family instead of ensuring you have the right ammo loaded.

Fiocchi 240 grain JSP - Best .44 Mag Lever Action Ammo for a Tight Budget

Specs

• Bullet Weight: 240gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,310 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 975 ft-lbs

Pros	Cons
Inexpensive	Soft-point bullets tend to jam in lever-action rifles
Comparable ballistics to hunting and self-defense rounds

Why I Chose It

One of the cheapest yet reliable rounds I’ve found is Fiocchi 240 Grain Jacketed Soft Point (JSP). These rounds offer solid ballistics commonly found in defense and hunting ammo.

When I'm headed to the range to be a hole puncher, or I want to make some music with steel targets, I'm not obsessed with getting the peak performance out of a round, so I usually opt for a cheaper round. I love that I can fire several boxes of these rounds without busting my ammo budget.

However, you will need to be more cautious with soft point bullets in a lever action or a semi-auto pistol like the Magnum Research Desert Eagle. They don't always feed cleanly into the chamber, and the soft-point tip will occasionally catch while feeding into the chamber. This will prevent you from shooting quickly and decrease the round's accuracy.

Fiocchi 240 grain JSP doesn’t jam as often as traditional soft-point bullets because its jacket covers most of the projectile, allowing it to feed into the chamber more consistently. Compared to other 44 Magnum ammo, these rounds are a great choice for the budget-minded shooter.

Parting Shots: Best 44 Rem Mag Ammo

After concluding my testing on the best .44 Magnum ammo, I determined Federal 240 grain JHP was my top choice for nearly all shooting applications, except when I wanted to head to the range for a day of plinking. It offers hunters and CCWers incredible ballistic performance, but most importantly, it’s accurate and extremely reliable.