44 Magnum, 44 Special, 45 Colt, 357 Magnum, and 38 Special Ammo Selections

*Some of the external links found on this website are affiliate links. Those links use cookies to generate revenue and fund continuation of this website. By clicking an external link you are consenting to a temporary cookie, by purchasing from that link you are supporting this website. To opt out of cookies do not click external links.

While working on some projects for Derya Arms with the Ran line of lever-actions I had cause to test a variety of ammunition I wasn't particularly familiar with, and from barrel lengths I don't often shoot. I decided to drag my chronograph out and see what kinds of velocities we got in order to calculate the muzzle energy of these handgun rounds when fired through longer barrels. The results were very interesting and certainly once again confirm that ammunition price and performance don't always correlate.

I went to the trouble of charting all 33 loads by caliber to serve as a reference the next time any of us are looking for that "hot" punishing load to deliver maximum energy on target or the "soft" practice load for a fun range day. It's important to remember that what this information does not tell us is how the projectile performs on a living target. Some projectiles are optimized for less energy and may actually come apart if they hit a target too hard. Conversely, there are plenty of defensive and hunting projectiles that will not open or mushroom as desired if they don't carry enough energy with them.

TLDR: This guide based on my test results will help you find what hits hardest, what's softest-shooting, what's most consistent (based on 5 shots) and what's the least expensive per round from the same source I bought them from.

44 Magnum

Growing from its parent case, the 44 Special, this magnum round has been around since the 1950 and was once the most powerful handgun cartridges in the world. I had no previous experience with. Not all calibers or loads thereof can take full advantage of longer barrels, and while I don't have a shorter barrel to compare against, it appears that 44 Magnum felt right at home in a rifle. One of the loads approached 12 gauge slug energy levels!

The Rifle was the Derya Ironwolf equipped with an OSight XE and Tion, Inc Grenadier 45 suppressor.

Hardest Hitting 1,926ft/lbs: Remington UMC 180gr JSP $54.64 / 50 at Firearms Depot

Softest Shooting 432 ft/lbs: PMC Bronze 44spl 180gr JHP $21.20 /25 at Firearms Depot

Most consistent (lowest SD): Hornady Leverevolution 225gr FTX (SD: 4.63fps) $28.44 / 20 at Firearms Depot

Lowest cost per round: HSM Cowboy Load 200gr RNFP $40.58 / 50 at Firearms Depot

45 Colt

Originally a black-powder cartridge, the 45 Colt (sometimes called "long colt"to distinguish from its younger sibling the 45ACP) has been around since the 1870s. It's said that 45ACP was developed to repeat 45 Colt's energy levels, but using a shorter case as smokeless powder doesn't require as much space as the original 45 Colt provides. That of course also means there's room for 45 Colt +p which was included in this test with impressive results.

The rifle used was the Derya Ran equipped with the OSight XR and Tion, Inc Grenadier 45 suppressor.

Hardest Hitting 1,538ft/lbs: HSM Bear Load 325gr +p $26.27 / 20 at Firearms Depot

Softest Shooting 503 ft/lbs: HSM Cowboy Load 250gr RNFP $43.99 / 50 at Firearms Depot

Most consistent (lowest SD): Winchester PDX1 225gr JHP (4.45fps) $33.15 / 20 at Target Sports USA

Lowest cost per round: HSM Cowboy Load 250gr RNFP $43.99 / 50 at Firearms Depot

357 Magnum

Growing from a lengthened 38 Special case in 1935, the 357 Magnum was intended to defeat body armor and vehicle cover of the time. We got familiar with the cartridge in another test series involving both shorter and longer barrels. How's it do in the mid-length 12" Derya RanX?

The handgun used was the 12" Derya RanX with the TiTrex 360 from Precision Armament keeping things quiet.

Hardest Hitting 1,045ft/lbs: Remington 125gr JSP $42.53 / 50 at Firearms Depot

Softest Shooting 423 ft/lbs: HSM Cowboy Load 158gr SWC $34.53 / 50 at Firearms Depot

Most consistent (lowest SD): HSM Cowboy Load 158gr SWC (6.44fps) $34.53 / 50 at Firearms Depot

Lowest cost per round: HSM Cowboy Load 158gr SWC $34.50 / 50 at Firearms Depot

38 Special

Another cartridge dating back to the black-powder days, thought it was quickly converted to smokless powder. 38 Special was also included in the previous revolver and rifle test, but maybe the 12" Derya Ran X is the goldilocks barrel length? These numbers certainly beat what is normally expected from the old round.

Hardest Hitting 318ft/lbs: Federal American Eagle 130gr FMJ $27.73 / 50 at Firearms Depot

Softest Shooting 288 ft/lbs: Magtech 158gr LSWC $20.99 / 50 at Firearms Depot

Most consistent (lowest SD): Magtech 158gr LSWC (5.56fps) $20.99 / 50 at Firearms Depot

Lowest cost per round: Winchester 130gr FMJ $58.90 / 100 at Firearms Depot

I hope this surface-level guide helps you find the right load for you intentions and also highlights just how different these loads can be, with or without packaging or pricing making you think any different.