Home › Browse Calibers › .244 H&H Mag.
Common uses: Hunting, Varmint
| Type | rifle (centerfire) |
| Typical load | 100gr reference load |
| Muzzle velocity | 3500 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 2719 ft-lb |
| Published G1 ballistic coefficient | 0.351 |
| Case length | 63.5 mm |
| Overall length | 86.4 mm |
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Drop (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3500 | 2720 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 3194 | 2264 | 0 |
| 200 | 2909 | 1879 | -1.9 |
| 300 | 2643 | 1551 | -8 |
| 400 | 2391 | 1269 | -19 |
| 500 | 2153 | 1029 | -36.2 |
A retained-energy reference only — not a shoot/don't-shoot distance. Real effective range depends on your accuracy, shot placement, bullet construction, and conditions. The ~1,000 ft-lb (deer-sized) and ~1,500 ft-lb (elk-sized) figures are commonly cited rules of thumb, not standards.
This reference load is not verified factory-load data; confirm the displayed inputs against a reliable published source where available, and verify modeled results with your own rifle.
Despite the ".244" designation, this is a 6mm cartridge, driving a 100-grain bullet to roughly 3,500 fps for about 2,720 ft-lb of muzzle energy. Its appeal was an exceptionally flat trajectory that forgave misjudged range on open hill and mountain terrain, making it a specialist tool for long-range deer stalking. That performance came at a cost: significant muzzle blast and shorter-than-average barrel life kept it from ever reaching the mainstream. No mass-market maker has ever chambered it, and it was largely eclipsed by the .240 Weatherby Magnum and the various 6.5mm magnums that offered similar reach with fewer drawbacks. Today it survives mostly as a low-production Holland & Holland proprietary round, with occasional rifles still chambered by H&H and others.
The .244 H&H Magnum was created in 1955 by David Lloyd, a British deerstalker and riflemaker, who necked down the belted .375 Holland & Holland Magnum case to a 6mm bore. Lloyd wanted a "canyon rifle" that shot flat enough to make precise range estimation across deep valleys unnecessary while still delivering a hard-hitting 100-grain bullet. Unable and unwilling to pursue commercial production himself, he gave the design to London gunmakers Holland & Holland, who adopted it and lent it the H&H name. It is credited as an inspiration for Roy Weatherby's later .240 Weatherby Magnum.
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