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For felt recoil reduction/control I recommend Jordan Trooper stocks by Herrett’s. For chest holsters, the Guides Choice by Diamond D. For heavy loads, a gas-checked LBT projectile either handloaded or purchased from Buffalo Bore, Grizzly Cartridge, Garret Cartridge, etc
www.ammoseek.com for much better prices on ammo than stated above.
I apologize for being so late to the thread. You have been given some very sound advice.
If you decide to reload, it will not be for the expense or shall we say saving money. It will be for the variety of loads you can produce, mostly to tailor them to your gun, for accuracy.
If you do not want to get into reloading, you still have some of the biggest and best choices out there, since you chose the 44 mag as your sidearm.
There is nothing wrong with jacketed or cast bullets both can be good or bad. This mostly depends upon bullet design and construction.
For jacketed. Sure you can buy the cheaper stuff for your play or fun outings but if you are going to be hunting and need to be serious about your ammo then a few suggestions hopefully will help you in succeeding in your endeavor.
From experience The 240 gr XTP is a very accurate bullet. But lacks the performance needed to be a "go to" cartridge.
Buffalo Bore is not really needed, and you are spending money on something that will not do as well as some other offerings. DO NOT Be fooled by Tim's BS Name "Reduced Recoil" 44 mag. It kicks just as bad as the more potent stuff.
You live in West Texas and so you may have some longer range shots and possibly get a shot at a Muley. You may also be able to hunt in your back yard. BUT ! If you have to pay for a lease and had to travel and spend more money on a hunt then you will certainly want your ammo to perform, and spending a little extra on the ammo can return greater dividends than not.
Suggestions: Since you have a 4 1/2 barrel, an excellent load for you is the Garrett ammo Defender load. It is a 310 hard Cast bullet running 1020 from a 4" barrel. It is accurate ammo and it kicks considerable less than BB ammo or any of the other exotics and even the 240gr Winchester stuff. Trust me on this stuff taking good care on Real Hogs (300LB +), or bears. This is no problem for any deer.
Swift ammo makes a good cartridge if you want jacketed. I know a couple of guys that have shot hundreds of hogs and deer with the swift bullets Ranging from 44 mag, 454, and 475 Linebaugh.
Please do not overlook the 44 SP.... If you handloaded there are several options on this too. But if not It does get limited in Factory ammo.
If you handloaded I would suggest some kind of 250gr cast or the Lyman 429215 mold cast bullet ( it drops weight is 210 -230 grs) depending upon who does the casting and their alloy. These, are the very best for the 44 SP But work great in the mag too. One of the very best and proven loads For the 44 mag, is the Lee 310 cast, with 21.5 grains of H110 or 296 powder. Use a magnum primer on this one for sure.
Practice first at 25 yds then move to 50 yds and if you want to use a red dot or something if you cannot see sights good enough. But it takes a lot of trigger time to get proficient with any handgun.
You should be able to achieve 2" groups at 50yds. It may take trying a few different loads or brands of ammo. If the gun will not do this then send it down the road.
If you get unhappy with the Redhawk, you have several options. The original Redhawks w/ 7 1/2 barrels most were very accurate. So have the Super Redhawks. They are blue ribbon winners in the ugly contests. But they usualy shoot light out. You can go to a BFR since it has a short cylinder and they are Very accurate. and not that much more money. I got very lucky when I bought my Blackhawk. It is a 4 5/8 barrel and Like you ,, I like the shorter barrels for ease of packing them around. Mine is accurate.
Holsters Chest is a very good way to go. I have one and I have a crossdraw also. These 2 setups seem to serve the best since they are out of the way in a pickup or on the 4wheeler or if you are on a Horse. I have hunted West texas many times and the dust is horrible at times. On my crossdraw I have a partial flap ( think Thad Ripka) style holster. the chest holster allows you to have it under a shirt or jacket to keep dust,rain,snow? or whatever off the sidearm. I keep a 1" paintbrush in gear, for cleaning the dust off. After a few days or weeks of hunting out there, break that gun down and clean and lube it and Oil it good.
Lubrication: Yep any gun needs it especially the BIGBores. A little gun grease or you can even use some never seize in the cylinder ratchet, and the base pin latch area. The recoil and pounding is much better on the lube than on steel to steel.
Grips : I have custom grips on all my pistols. There is Less "Felt" recoil with them. Gunnerblue has good advice. Stay away from the finger grooves unless they really do fit your hand. They usually only fit about 2% of the public.
Trigger: Get a good trigger job from a reputable Gunsmith. Stay away from the poormans trigger job !!!! A good trigger will help shrink groups. As well as a good sight picture.
A S&W 29 was my first revolver and I started handloading right off for some reduced loads.
I said that to say,,,, Enjoy the gun and have fun with it.
I want to add if you are afraid of leading, or if you shoot lead bullets and experience leading, Then there are some bullets that have been powder coated or have some kind of coating on them now. Cast Performance has a clear coat on theirs. These Bullets DO NOT lead and since there is no lube they do not smoke either. Best of both worlds. Cleanup is a breeze too. When testing them and using them in my guns I got a slight increase in the velocity (because of the low COF and lubricity) and the accuracy was slightly better in some cases. But remember that this depends upon the bullets design.
If you shoot lead and it leads such as skidding or even deposits lead in your barrel, then get some COPPER "chore boy" scrubbing pads. Cut a small piece off and wrap it around the brush, and use it to clean the barrel. Never use the Stainless Steel pads! BE CAREFUL !!! THE CHEAPER BRANDS ARE NOT COPPER THEY HAVE A COPPER COAT ON A STEEL PAD. We do not need scratched barrels. I stay with "Chore Boy" only.
COF = coefficient of friction lower is better
Here's some chrono data and penetration/expansion info for some of the more common 44 Special loads.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/art...ial-cartridge/