44mag vs 357 carbine

Having shot some things with both, I would say yes, the .44 M is a step up. As many here know, I love the .357 out of a rifle, but the .44 hits with much more authority. In the end, they are both handgun rounds and will not have the same power or range as a rifle round. What are you planning to hunt and at what range?

trekker73 said:

How would you rate the difference between 357 and 44 in carbines gents? Is the 44 a marked step up to take a larger class of animals?

Click to expand...

Yes, the 44mag is a considerable step up over 357mag, with corresponding improvement in on-game performance to tackle larger game. The 44mag hits harder at 100yrds than does the 357mag at the muzzle. The 44 is generally recognized by elite handgun hunters as sufficient for all Earth-bound game species, and has been successfully employed to harvest all species.

I’ve taken a lot of deer and more hogs with both, and the difference in performance has yielded a significant difference in confidence with each. I started hunting with a 44mag carbine as a kid, and have no hesitation to send a 240grn bullet after a deer at 200-250 yards. Precision in position is the limiting factor for the 44mag, not power. Alternatively, I’m self-limiting with my 357mags to only be confident to 100-150 yards, as power upon impact does factor into the equation, considerably, for the 357.

trekker73 said:

How do you manage the trajectory at 250 yards with a 44 mag?

Click to expand...

The same way I manage trajectory at 1000yrds with 6 creed - just a matter of putting the right, knowledge, skills, and gear together.

When my eyes were younger and so capable:





These days, with failing eyesight, it looks more like this (but really, any scope I can dial past 3 mils works fine).



Wanting to reach farther than either the 44 or 357 mags, I also let nature take its course in the reloading bench and made a couple of these:

trekker73 said:

What rifle are you using the 44 mag in? Never heard anyone shooting 250 on deer with pistol cals is all.

Click to expand...

Most people wanting to shoot farther than 50-75 yards don’t choose revolver cartridge carbines. Most people choosing revolver cartridge carbines don’t choose to shoot more than 50-75 yards. Those preferences don’t mean much in terms of actual performance for the rounds or rifles.

I shoot Marlin leverguns. Find a load which holds sub-2moa and 250yrds is just a matter of dialing for trajectory, and giving yourself sufficient support when it counts.

Check out what Ernie Bishop, @xphunter, does with revolvers - not even revolver cartridge carbines, but revolvers. I’ve been working for several years to achieve a 250yrd capable deer hunting revolver, and Ernie clears that bar in street shoes. With a 357mag, no less.

Varminterror said:

Most people wanting to shoot farther than 50-75 yards don’t choose revolver cartridge carbines. Most people choosing revolver cartridge carbines don’t choose to shoot more than 50-75 yards. Those preferences don’t mean much in terms of actual performance for the rounds or rifles.

I shoot Marlin leverguns. Find a load which holds sub-2moa and 250yrds is just a matter of dialing for trajectory, and giving yourself sufficient support when it counts.

Check out what Ernie Bishop, @xphunter, does with revolvers - not even revolver cartridge carbines, but revolvers. I’ve been working for several years to achieve a 250yrd capable deer hunting revolver, and Ernie clears that bar in street shoes. With a 357mag, no less.

Click to expand...

That Franken-Ruger is something else if we're thinking about the same thing.

I am just going to be honest and say upfront I don't have the skill to hunt with .357's or .44's past about 125 yards. I can definitely hit things further than that when I am shooting for fun, but not with enough precision to risk wounding a game animal. I know folks that can and do shoot beyond 125 with good results, so I know it can be done. A laser rangefinder would be an import part of this plan as would actual confirmed dope for windage and elevation. I use my .357's and .44 for areas with less than 100 yards of visibility. That keeps me from taking a risky shot and allows the cartridge to perform well within its working range. Also the type of sights I use for this don't lend themselves well to precision at distance.

I would begin to look at true rifle cartridges if you think you will be regularly shooting that far and beyond.

How do you manage the trajectory at 250 yards with a 44 mag? I use a 357 mag and find the precision and trajectory is making things challenging by 150 yards. I shoot a 158xtp about 1900fps, I think 1.75:" high at 50, drops about 4" at 150, something like 22" drop at 200 and must be several feet by 250..

Click to expand...

Forget the negative posts above, you manage long range shooting with handgun cartridges the same way BB silhouette shooters have done for over 40 years - by knowing your sights, the caliber’s trajectory and the range. Thousands of handgunners hit small targets out to 220 yards that way. Using a rifle - with its flatter trajectory and higher field accuracy potential, would be easier.

Does that make it “easy”? No, but under the right conditions it is certainly doable. One way to help in the field is to not sight in for short range, like the OP does. Sighting in like you would a long range rifle cartridge - 3” high at 100 yards - helps “flatten” the apparent trajectory, but at 250 you would need to know the range and bullet drop well. Sights? I’d use a scope if I wanted to do that. Actually I’ve done it with similar trajectories, a .45-70 with a 300-grain bullet at 225 yards with a MV of 2000 fps. Sighted 3” high at 100 yards it dropped about 10” at 225. Dead deer.




.

I don't think I would use either -- given my particular skill set and shooting a lever action with iron sights -- for shots on game beyond 100 yards. With that limitation, I don't think it would matter much whether it's a .44 or .357 since both would retain enough energy at 100 yards. I will say that the .357 enjoys a much greater velocity boost (near 40% with some loads) than the .44 (closer to 25-30% with most loads) with the longer barrel of the typical 18" carbine. That makes the .357 lever gun particularly compelling for me.

Paul Harrell did a 44 mag vs 30-30 carbine comparison and it was compelling. At the height of the pandemic when 30-30 was selling for $3/round I got myself a Rossi R92 20 bbl in 44 mag, for around $600. Drilled in $10 sling swivels. Found a $9 leather sling and $20 Marble bullseye peep sight. I have yet to hunt with it though on paper it seems like a good truck gun / eastern black bear defense gun to carry while deer hunting.
Now with 44 mag and 44 Spl selling for under 90 cents it’s the most budget friendly wood stock & blued carbine in my arsenal. I don’t know why the 357 mag Rossi’s are always selling for $200-$300 more than 44 mag Rossis on GB.

Southmountain said:

I don’t know why the 357 mag Rossi’s are always selling for $200-$300 more than 44 mag Rossis on GB.

Click to expand...

More demand simply.

Alot more people want a 357mag than a 44mag carbine. 357mag is powerful enough to hunt with in most cases, and considerably cheaper to plink with.

I think most people that want a pistol cartridge lever gun, want it to match their current revolver and there's alot more 357 wheel guns than 44 out there.

They say it’s easier to shoot cast in the Rossi .357 vs the .44, something about the bore/groove diameter or twist rate.

Personally I’d rather have a .38/.357 carbine because if it needs to be bigger than that…. I may as well grab the .30-30 or some other rifle caliber. But if I had a .44 mag revolver I might well feel differently.

Varminterror said:

Most people wanting to shoot farther than 50-75 yards don’t choose revolver cartridge carbines. Most people choosing revolver cartridge carbines don’t choose to shoot more than 50-75 yards. Those preferences don’t mean much in terms of actual performance for the rounds or rifles.

I shoot Marlin leverguns. Find a load which holds sub-2moa and 250yrds is just a matter of dialing for trajectory, and giving yourself sufficient support when it counts.

Check out what Ernie Bishop, @xphunter, does with revolvers - not even revolver cartridge carbines, but revolvers. I’ve been working for several years to achieve a 250yrd capable deer hunting revolver, and Ernie clears that bar in street shoes. With a 357mag, no less.

Click to expand...

I have a marlin 44 mag with a fixed leupold 4x scope zeroed at 100yds half way down the thin crosshair is 150yd hold and where the heavy duplex meets the thin crosshair is dead on at 200yd ..this rifle will go shoulder to shoulder on a whitetail at 200 and hit in a 6 " circle all day not impressive but capable deer round for an occasional longer shot here in the eastern hardwoods

trekker73 said:

How do you manage the trajectory at 250 yards with a 44 mag? I use a 357 mag and find the precision and trajectory is making things challenging by 150 yards. I shoot a 158xtp about 1900fps, I think 1.75:" high at 50, drops about 4" at 150, something like 22" drop at 200 and must be several feet by 250..

Click to expand...

By using a .44 Magnum carbine at 100 yards or so or less. The 250 yards is a stretch for (deer) killing power at 250 yards even for the .30-30 and well past would I would use a .44 Magnum carbine for when hunting.

3C

3Crows said:

By using a .44 Magnum carbine at 100 yards or so or less. The 250 yards is a stretch for (deer) killing power at 250 yards even for the .30-30 and well past would I would use a .44 Magnum carbine for when hunting.

3C

Click to expand...

Assuming you can actually hit what your shooting at, at 250 yard 44 Mag from a carbine is still carrying a fair bit of energy at that range. A 240gr HP bullet launched at 1700 fps from a carbine (my 16-inch Rossi will push 240gr XTPs to this velocity with H110) results in a bit over 600 ft-lbs of kinetic energy (nearly 1100 fps) at 250 yards. 600 ft-lbs is more than the muzzle energy of many 357 magnum factory loads from a revolver. Again if you can reliably hit your target at 250 yards then 44 Magnum still brings sufficient terminal ballistics IMHO. I have killed several deer with very similar energy on target.

I have not doubt I would miss a deer at 250 yards with mine but my is a 16 inch gun with factory semi-buck horn sights. I would stretch mine to 100 maybe 120 but then again on the property I hunt with only a few exceptions 120 yards is a long shot.

trekker73 said:

How would you rate the difference between 357 and 44 in carbines gents? Is the 44 a marked step up to take a larger class of animals?

Click to expand...

I would rate them in muzzle velocity and energy.

A 125 grain bullet from a 357 carbine will be going ~ 2000 fps for just over 1000 ft/lbs of energy.

A 200 grain bullet from a 44 carbine will be going ~2100 fps and closer to 2000 ft/lbs of energy.

When talking about hand held firearms ~ 1000 ft/lbs of energy is quite a bit to be lost or gained.

I’ve got them both but will admit to not hunting with either very much but I have a 45-70 too and it has never had me wish I had picked something better to use.

Mosin77 said:

They say it’s easier to shoot cast in the Rossi .357 vs the .44, something about the bore/groove diameter or twist rate.

Personally I’d rather have a .38/.357 carbine because if it needs to be bigger than that…. I may as well grab the .30-30 or some other rifle caliber. But if I had a .44 mag revolver I might well feel differently.

Click to expand...

I had a 44 lever at one time I liked it at first,but it never shot as great as my 38/357 which by the way is a Rossi 92. I love that little rifle.

Southmountain said:

Paul Harrell did a 44 mag vs 30-30 carbine comparison and it was compelling. At the height of the pandemic when 30-30 was selling for $3/round I got myself a Rossi R92 20 bbl in 44 mag, for around $600. Drilled in $10 sling swivels. Found a $9 leather sling and $20 Marble bullseye peep sight. I have yet to hunt with it though on paper it seems like a good truck gun / eastern black bear defense gun to carry while deer hunting.
Now with 44 mag and 44 Spl selling for under 90 cents it’s the most budget friendly wood stock & blued carbine in my arsenal. I don’t know why the 357 mag Rossi’s are always selling for $200-$300 more than 44 mag Rossis on GB.

Click to expand...

I think it may be due to supply and demand. I to have a Rossi 92 in 39/357
Best shooting rifle I ever had. Lot cheaper to load than the 44.

mcb said:

Assuming you can actually hit what your shooting at, at 250 yard 44 Mag from a carbine is still carrying a fair bit of energy at that range. A 240gr HP bullet launched at 1700 fps from a carbine (my 16-inch Rossi will push 240gr XTPs to this velocity with H110) results in a bit over 600 ft-lbs of kinetic energy (nearly 1100 fps) at 250 yards. 600 ft-lbs is more than the muzzle energy of many 357 magnum factory loads from a revolver. Again if you can reliably hit your target at 250 yards then 44 Magnum still brings sufficient terminal ballistics IMHO. I have killed several deer with very similar energy on target.

I have not doubt I would miss a deer at 250 yards with mine but my is a 16 inch gun with factory semi-buck horn sights. I would stretch mine to 100 maybe 120 but then again on the property I hunt with only a few exceptions 120 yards is a long shot.

Click to expand...

I was thinking from a practical point, being able to hit where you want reliably. But still, many consider 1,000 FPE the minimum for ethically taking deer sized game. But, yes, there is much more to it and the devil is in the details.

3C

3Crows said:

I was thinking from a practical point, being able to hit where you want reliably. But still, many consider 1,000 FPE the minimum for ethically taking deer sized game. But, yes, there is much more to it and the devil is in the details.

3C

Click to expand...

I agree from a practical point of view not many 44 Mag carbines are setup for and run buy shooter than can work the ballistics out to 250 yards given that cartridge's ballistics. I am sure there are a few but it takes a bit more work to get 44 Mag accurately to 250 yds compare to most modern bottle neck rifle cartridge.

trekker73 said:

How do you manage the trajectory at 250 yards with a 44 mag?

Click to expand...

The same way you manage anything that has a trajectory (all firearms), you adjust or compensate for it.

Like this over 400 grain bullet going subsonic. The arch traveled is significant but that doesn’t mean you can’t obtain decent accuracy.

Max'd out/rifle 44Mag is excellent point blank/medium game to 200 yards


Beyond that I would be very reticent to assume a clean kill.