Hunting 44 mag rifle?

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theboyscout

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Anyone hunting with a 44 mag rifle? I'm interested in moving that direction for a 100yrds or less hunting rifle.

Anyone hunt further than that, any issues, and concerns. I am we'll aware of the hype hy bullet expansion and how the bullet falls faster. That's why I was thinking 100 or less. And I would want to hunt deer and/or hog, other big games.

What do you think the limits of big game would be for this rifle, at 100 yes or less. I'm hunting more wooded areas, not major long distance.
 
I’ve hunted a Marlin 1894 44mag for over 25yrs. The big game and cast or solid bullet shooters will rightfully poo-poo the XTP’s for anything LARGER than deer or hogs, but for deer and hogs, it’s a great bullet. It’ll cleanly kill deer a lot farther out than 100, just depends upon you as the shooter to know your load.
 
Well you should know that Theodore S. Van Dyke, reknown deer hunter and one time guide for President T. Roosevelt, and author of The Still Hunter https://www.amazon.com/Still-Hunter-Theodore-Van-Dyke/dp/1612037240 thought the Winchester '73 in of all things, .44 WCF [.44-40] was a most excellent deer rifle out to 200 yards. Now today, I'd venture that folks would say the 200 grain, lead alloy or all lead bullet launched by that cartridge at 1100-1250 fps is too under-powered as a good deer cartridge even at 100 yards. Yet he took a lot of mule deer in California with it. (Today in my state it's not legal as a deer cartridge as it's too under-powered).

Now the .44 magnum is just fine out to 100 yards as a deer cartridge. Where I live I cannot hunt with a cartridge rifle [shotgun or muzzleloader only], but my neighbor, an older fellow who is just about 80, absolutely loves his vintage Ruger semi-automatic rifle in .44 mag for deer, as he has land outside the "no modern rifle zone". He gets at least one deer a year, sometimes two. While the Ruger semi-auto is no longer made, Ruger does make a .44 Mag lever-action, as do several other companies.;)

OH and I asked him once, why the semi-auto instead of a Winchester or Marlin lever-action. It wasn't because he needed a quick extra shot..., in fact he only needs to shoot the deer once as his rifle is accurate in his hands and the .44 knocks the deer down fast.. No, he found the joints in his hands where his fingers start have arthritis, and it hurts to work a lever action on the down stroke when there is a spent shell in the chamber resisting removal. Now the semi-auto puts different pressure on his hands to work that action, doesn't hurt him, and that's why his sons bought him that rifle years ago. Plus not having to track the deer far if at all, is a plus at his age. :thumbup:

Coincidentally, my black powder rifle launches a 225 grain all lead projectile at about 1400 fps, and his favorite load these days is Hornady .44 "leverevolution" ammo also in 225 grain and going about the same speed. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/7...magnum-225-grain-flex-tip-expanding-box-of-20. Now my patched round ball sheds velocity a lot faster than the Hornady ammo, and I've taken deer without problems at 100 yards, so I don't doubt that my neighbor has no trouble with his .44 magnum rifle, nor would I think that you would have trouble, when you find a good, accurate round.

LD
 
I don't hunt. I have a 44 magnum Henry lever gun and it is very accurate out to 100yd's with a 240gr jacketed flat nose bullet & 240gr. XTPs' It also shoots pretty much to the same point of aim at 50yd's. No scope open sights only. I can't say how good it would be for taking deer or hogs at 100yd's but it seems like it is hitting pretty hard at that range. Some times I shoot clays laying on a dirt berm at 100yd's and it digs some pretty big holes in the berm.
 
I’ve taken four whitetails with my Marlin 1894 in .44 mag. I mounted a Burris Fastfire II on it with the 2 moa dot. I haven’t hunted with it in years but it works great. I decided it was a 125 yard rifle for me because I don’t want to worry about figuring the holdover. I’ve got a .300wm if I think I’ll need to shoot farther.
 
The .44Mag is a 100yd cartridge out of a revolver and there is nothing on the planet the cartridge cannot take within its effective range. The added velocity you get from a rifle (~400fps) gets you to 150yds for 240gr bullets and deer sized game.
 
I have lever .44s and I have a 77/.44. While I love me lever guns, for a true deer hunting carbine, the 77/.44 is hard to beat. With it's detachable rotary mag, it's much easier and quicker to load and unload than the levers, has a true 3 position safety and is very accurate. Scopes mount on it much easier too. Being stainless steel and synthetic stocked, it a all-weather carbine that shoots just as well wet, as dry. In the last decade, it's the only rifle I have used for deer ........but since I mostly use my revolvers, it too doesn't get used much. My grand-daughter is gonna start hunting next fall, and it will probably be her first deer gun.
 
I've never seen a 77/44 report that I would characterize as "very accurate". It's what keeps me from buying one. My Marlin 1894S shoots sub-MOA. I never understood the complaint about loading/unloading leverguns either. I love my Rugers but for a .44Mag carbine, there are better choices than the 77/44. For an all weather gun, there is the Taylor's 1892 Alaskan and the Henry Big Boy all-weather model.
 
My Dad used a .44 Ruger auto for several years deer hunting, he didn't get any deer with it. Not the gun's fault, he just never saw any.
 
Ruger 77/44's and 77/357's are not noted for their accuracy. I had a 77/357 for while and tried a dozen different loads from 125-180. Shimmed the bolt, put a better trigger in it and restocked it. Nothing worked. Finally in frustration I sent it back to Ruger and they re-barreled it. That didn't help either so I sold it.

If you want accuracy probably should be looking at a lever gun.
 
My 1894 knocks 'em out for me. I also use it as a short range (100 yards) rifle.
 
This will fill the ticket:

n9pZMXy.jpg

GpKogWG.jpg


Based on my testing, H110/W296 is an excellent powder choice for this rifle. Any rifle that pushes a 240 grain bullet at 1750 fps is going to be able to put down any deer sized animal in the US.

M1894 Marlin Ballard Barrel



240 Speer JHP 22.0 grs 2400 CCI 500
21-Dec-01 T = 54 °F

Ave Vel =1747
Std Dev =21
ES =68
Low =1717
High =1785
N =7

240 Nosler JHP 24.0 grs W296 WLP Fed cases
23-Mar-05 T = 65° F

Ave Vel =1725
Std Dev =7
ES =21
Low =1715
High =1736
N =5


240 Nosler JHP 24.5 grs W296 WLP Fed cases
23-Mar-05T = 65° F

Ave Vel =1752
Std Dev =12
ES =28
Low =1735
High =1763
N =5

240 Nosler JHP 24.0 grs H110 WLP Midway cases
23-Mar-05 T = 65° F

Ave Vel =1710
Std Dev =3
ES =9
Low =1705
High =1714
N =5

240 Nosler JHP 24.5 grs H110 WLP Midway cases
23-Mar-05 T = 65° F

Ave Vel =1745
Std Dev =12
ES =45
Low =1723
High =1768
N =10

240 Rem JHP 24.0 grs H110 WLP Midway cases
23-Mar-05 T = 65° F

Ave Vel =1719
Std Dev =10
ES =29
Low =1705
High =1734
N =10
 
Well you should know that Theodore S. Van Dyke, reknown deer hunter and one time guide for President T. Roosevelt, and author of The Still Hunter https://www.amazon.com/Still-Hunter-Theodore-Van-Dyke/dp/1612037240 thought the Winchester '73 in of all things, .44 WCF [.44-40] was a most excellent deer rifle out to 200 yards. Now today, I'd venture that folks would say the 200 grain, lead alloy or all lead bullet launched by that cartridge at 1100-1250 fps is too under-powered as a good deer cartridge even at 100 yards. Yet he took a lot of mule deer in California with it. (Today in my state it's not legal as a deer cartridge as it's too under-powered).

Now the .44 magnum is just fine out to 100 yards as a deer cartridge. Where I live I cannot hunt with a cartridge rifle [shotgun or muzzleloader only], but my neighbor, an older fellow who is just about 80, absolutely loves his vintage Ruger semi-automatic rifle in .44 mag for deer, as he has land outside the "no modern rifle zone". He gets at least one deer a year, sometimes two. While the Ruger semi-auto is no longer made, Ruger does make a .44 Mag lever-action, as do several other companies.;)

OH and I asked him once, why the semi-auto instead of a Winchester or Marlin lever-action. It wasn't because he needed a quick extra shot..., in fact he only needs to shoot the deer once as his rifle is accurate in his hands and the .44 knocks the deer down fast.. No, he found the joints in his hands where his fingers start have arthritis, and it hurts to work a lever action on the down stroke when there is a spent shell in the chamber resisting removal. Now the semi-auto puts different pressure on his hands to work that action, doesn't hurt him, and that's why his sons bought him that rifle years ago. Plus not having to track the deer far if at all, is a plus at his age. :thumbup:

Coincidentally, my black powder rifle launches a 225 grain all lead projectile at about 1400 fps, and his favorite load these days is Hornady .44 "leverevolution" ammo also in 225 grain and going about the same speed. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/7...magnum-225-grain-flex-tip-expanding-box-of-20. Now my patched round ball sheds velocity a lot faster than the Hornady ammo, and I've taken deer without problems at 100 yards, so I don't doubt that my neighbor has no trouble with his .44 magnum rifle, nor would I think that you would have trouble, when you find a good, accurate round.

LD
Ruger made a lever 44. Now they don't.
 
I've never seen a 77/44 report that I would characterize as "very accurate". It's what keeps me from buying one. My Marlin 1894S shoots sub-MOA.

In my experience, I could reverse that sentence. My 77/44 is boringly accurate. Like any Ruger 77, it needed a trigger job. My Marlin 1894 shoots well enough, but in my hands, it's not nearly as accurate as the Lil' Ruger. It comes up to my shoulder and fits me better than the Marlin too, probably why it shoots better for me. But, that's my experience with guns. What works well for one, don't always work well for someone else.

I never understood the complaint about loading/unloading leverguns either.

I started out deer hunting with a Winnie .32 special. For many years I pushed one cartridge at a time thru the loading gate before every stand and then had to jack them out one at a time at the end of the hunt......many times digging thru long grass or snow looking for all of 'em. Many times it was with frozen fingers. While I still enjoy shooting it and all of my other levers at the range, there is no unloading them, just shoot and jack in another round...and shoot again. There's a reason detachable mags are popular, and I prefer them. The lil' Ruger's rotary mag system works well for me. To each their own. Years ago, I had a Winnie 9422. While it was accurate, on running rabbits, my bolt was quicker. Traded it for a 10/22 with a Manlicher stock.
 
I have one, shoot it at the range quite a bit, but don't hunt with it. With the right ammo, and within it's range limitations, I think it will kill anything in North America. I'd prefer it over a 45-70 for bear protection. At SD ranges with the right ammo I'd think it just effective. But in a Marlin lever action you get 10-11 rounds in a shorter more compact rifle. And the pistol caliber rifles are truly fast to shoot. The longer lever throw of 45-70 and 30-30 leverguns isn't significantly faster than a bolt gun.

I think it is more effective than 30-30 at 75ish yards on deer. Much farther and the edge begins to tip in favor of 30-30. It probably has the ability to kill game farther, but with ME shooting MY Marlin 44 about 75 yards is as far as I feel comfortable. That is due to the accuracy I get and the arched trajectory, not the rounds ability to kill.
 
Bought a CVA break action for the grand kids to hunt deer, inexpensive ($275), and very accurate. Easily a 100 yard or better rifle. Four of the grand kids got their deer this year with it, (two boys, 10 & 13) and (two girls, 9 &15). They absolutely love it, light weight and doesn't kick like the 20 gauge shotguns did. Probably buy a couple more, one for 4 kids isn't enough.

25425-DEFAULT-l.jpg

thumbnail.jpg
 
I started out deer hunting with a Winnie .32 special. For many years I pushed one cartridge at a time thru the loading gate before every stand and then had to jack them out one at a time at the end of the hunt......many times digging thru long grass or snow looking for all of 'em. Many times it was with frozen fingers. While I still enjoy shooting it and all of my other levers at the range, there is no unloading them, just shoot and jack in another round...and shoot again. There's a reason detachable mags are popular, and I prefer them. The lil' Ruger's rotary mag system works well for me. To each their own. Years ago, I had a Winnie 9422. While it was accurate, on running rabbits, my bolt was quicker. Traded it for a 10/22 with a Manlicher stock.
You can't just eject the round in the chamber and leave the magazine loaded?


The longer lever throw of 45-70 and 30-30 leverguns isn't significantly faster than a bolt gun.
Yes, for the millionth time, they are.
 
When IN allowed PCR I took my dad's minty '66 Ruger auto "fingergroove" w peep and filled my antlerless tag at 65 yards.
Norma 236 gr JHP hit neck, ahead of onside shoulder, as deer was coming down hill angling toward me. It trashed the spine.
Deer backflipped and landed flat on its back, all 4 legs sticking up. Dead.

I had a Marlin lever gun, scoped. It shot the Hornady factory 240gr stuff well.
Nothing big enough to shoot that year, cept a varmint. 75 yards, called heart shot too (buddy and I saw it on edge of field).

As for Ruger making a lever gun...........they dropped the 96 stuff I thought.
Only .44 mag rifles Ruger offers are the #1 (falling block) and the 77/44

The 77/44 are nice and light, but accuracy has been spotty. Some folks find something that it likes, others don't.
And not for lack of trying.
My buddy has had two, one horrible, one barely tolerable.
The problem with that gun is the bolt handle. Properly mounted scope gets the knob super close to the scope.
Higher rings help, but then cheekweld is crap.

One guy on another forum solved that problem..........he put a Burris Fastfire reflex sight atop his. Goes right into a ring slot.
 
I am no lever gun fan.
Had several. Win BB94, 94, 9422Ms.....and a Marlin 1894 and a Savage 99.
If I wanted speed and not an auto, I'd get a pump.
Or if I had the funds...........a straight pull bolt gun like a Merkel Helix.
Not all bolt guns are turnbolt ;)

 
.44 mag, being rimmed..........the Ruger #1 would be my choice, but it comes with a 20" bbl and while that might be enough, IMHO it doesn't look good on that rig.
Think 22" would have been better.
Lots of folks run the CVA stuff around here, the Scout 2 is very popular.
 
I haven't seen anybody running an old Rem 788 in .44 mag yet.
Or an IMI Timberwolf.
 
You can't just eject the round in the chamber and leave the magazine loaded?

Not in my state, not when transporting them. Not in a car, on a ATV/UTV or in a boat. On those days when we used to drive several small parcels in a day, this could mean loading and unloading half a dozen times a day, or more.

.........as I said before, what works well for one, ain't always the bug's ears for someone else. How we hunt and what we like to hunt with is like tastes in women and whiskey, can and do vary. Many times I like something just because it's different than everybody else.
 
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