First Look: Federal Premium .44 Mag. HST Ammunition

Federal Premium is now offering its popular HST jacketed hollowpoint bullet for the classic big-bore .44 Mag. revolver cartridge, packaged under the Federal Premium Personal Defense ammunition product line.

“This new HST loading addresses customer requests for a Personal Defense option in .44 Mag., offering more power than a .44 Spl. load but better control and less overpenetration than a full magnum hunting load,” said Chris Laack, Federal Handgun Ammunition Product Manager. “Its cartridge-specific bullet design best utilizes the magnum power available for defense and has more energy than 10mm and .357 Mag. yet with a larger .44 Mag. projectile. It is incredible.”

“When matched with the HST bullet design, the 44 Mag. provides the energy to achieve both effective penetration depth and significant hollow-point expansion,” continued Laack. “This HST does exactly what a great hollow-point bullet should. It provides significant expansion and retained weight, while achieving optimized penetration depths in tissue with reduced risk for over-penetration.”

Federal’s new .44 Mag. load is specifically loaded to “light magnum” specifications. It features a 230-grain HST bullet loaded to a standard muzzle velocity of 1,085 fps. Like any other Federal Premium Personal Defense load, the new .44 Mag. load also comes loaded with Federal’s nickel plated casings. Likewise, the primer pockets are also sealed in order to provide additional protection. These defensive revolver or lever-action carbine cartridges are packaged in boxes of 20 rounds and have an MSRP of $55.99 per box.

Based on the original .44 Spl. revolver cartridge, Elmer Keith, Remington and Smith & Wesson developed the much more potent .44 Mag. round in the 1950s. Ever since, this big-bore revolver cartridge has remained a staple–especially for handgun hunters and those who spend ample time in the backcountry.

To learn more about Federal Premium’s new .44 Mag. Personal Defense cartridge or other ammunition Federal offers, visit federalpremium.com.