.244 H&H Magnum

Type

Rifle

Place of origin

United Kingdom

Production history

Designer

David Lloyd

Designed

1955

Manufacturer

Holland & Holland

Produced

1955

Specifications

Parent case

.375 H&H Magnum

Case type

Belted, rimless

Bullet diameter

.245 in (6.2 mm)

Neck diameter

.263 in (6.7 mm)

Shoulder diameter

.445 in (11.3 mm)

Base diameter

.508 in (12.9 mm)

Rim diameter

.532 in (13.5 mm)

Case length

2.78 in (71 mm)

Overall length

3.58 in (91 mm)

Ballistic performance

Bullet mass/type	Velocity	Energy
100 gr (6 g) SP	3,500 ft/s (1,100 m/s)	2,720 ft·lbf (3,690 J)

Source(s): Cartridges of the World

The .244 Holland & Holland Magnum cartridge was created in 1955 in Great Britain by deerstalker and rifle-maker David Lloyd of Pipewell Hall, Northamptonshire and Glencassley in Sutherland, Scotland, and is not to be confused with the smaller-cased and much milder 6 mm (.244 in) Remington. Stalking on extremely steep deer forests such as his own at Glencassley, Lloyd was in search of a "canyon rifle" cartridge that would shoot exceptionally fast and with a very flat trajectory across deep valleys and over distances out to 300 yards (270 m) and more, to make range estimation less critical for accurate bullet placement, and to deliver a hard-hitting bullet weighing a minimum of 100 grains. The .244 H&H Magnum easily met these criteria.

Based upon the well-proven .375 H&H Magnum rimless belted big game cartridge case heavily necked down, the .244 H&H originally fired a 100-grain (6.5 g), aluminum-jacketed, copper-pointed bullet pushed by 74 grains (4.8 g) of non-cordite smokeless (nitrocellulose) powder, and returned a muzzle velocity of about 3,500 feet per second (1,100 m/s). That load and velocity remain standard for the commercially loaded cartridge today; although handloaders can achieve higher velocities with careful load tuning. The .244 seldom performs well in barrels less than 26 inches (660 mm) long, owing to the need for a longer bore to allow pressure and bullet velocity to reach intended levels.

Lloyd was unable and unwilling to embark upon commercial cartridge production, and consequently "gave" the cartridge to veteran London rifle and ammunition makers Holland & Holland Ltd., who in 1954 had paid him £250 towards his cartridge development costs. H&H quickly adopted it, the cartridge acquired the prestigious "H&H" appellation, and both H&H and David Lloyd went on to build significant numbers of very high quality bolt-action deer-stalking rifles in .244 H&H Magnum calibre (see Lloyd rifle). Initially, commercially loaded ammunition was manufactured by IMI Kynoch at its Birmingham, England factory. Commercially, this cartridge has only ever been loaded with 100-grain (6.5 g) bullets: lighter- and heavier-bulleted loads have been created by handloaders.

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Wikipedia