My 44s were loaded with 240gr XTP and a max charge of H110. Out of my 10" Virgin Valley contender barrel, it was running 1950fps. They performed fine. Damage wasn't excessive, and nothing ran further than 100 yds.Okay so what weight was your 44 magnum handgun bullets?
I've done deer hunting with handgun instead of shotgun for years in Indiana. I've used XTP's in 240gr and 300gr. Both did the job. The 300gr did a lot more damage so I stopped using them.
My dad normally used 250gr Winchester Supreme factory loads in his 16" factory barrel. I wasn't impressed with their performance. They did the job, but I'm pretty sure a semi wadcutter would have done just as well. One of the last does he shot was at about 75 yds almost directly head on. I found the projectile in the rear ham while processing her. It hadn't expanded enough to actually increase the diameter.