.243 for. 44 mag?

[RIATAC45]

I have my eye on a puma 92 chambered in. 44 magnum, would this be a better gun for short range deer hunting (less than 100 yards) than a. 243? The reason I ask is I have a 700 adl in. 243 and a 600 mohawk in 6mm, and they are basically are ballistic twins. I am considering trading the .243 for the .44. Is this a good idea, or no? Let the opinions fly as to why or why not.

 

[CraigC]

Absolutely! Properly loaded, the .44Mag is more than capable of taking anything on the North American continent. The .243, not so much. That is, unless you worship the feint energy gods. I'd keep the Mohawk and trade the 700.

 

[sansone]

seems to me you're going from a rifle cartridge to a pistol cartridge, but want to shoot it from a rifle?

 

[Jason_W]

With a 6 mm and a .44 mag carbine, you'll have two distinctive niches filled.

Beware that crescent buttstock with full power loads though. I used to have a Puma 92 and the only thing I didn't like about it was that stock under recoil.

 

[trex1310]

At 200 yards the .243 is a much flatter round than the .44mag. As
others have said, I would keep the 6mm and get the .44.

 

[hardluk1]

Please don't sell the 600 rem Hard to find and great rifles.

Now with the bullets out today the 243/6mm can with the right bullets take anything in the lower 48 with a well placed shot.

Now trade the rem 700 for the 44 mag, makes for a goood hog rifle or close up deer rifle, something to be rough with. But I would rather have a marlin 94 in the 44 mag.

 

[RIATAC45]

Thanks folks, that is exactly the answers I was hoping to get. The 600 stays either way, as it was inherited from my grandfather.

Sansone, it doesn't make sense, but yes.

Jasonw, is the recoil really that bad? How does it compare to a m44 mosin, or a 8x57js m95 styer? I have both and they only start to wear on me after about 50 or so rounds.

 

[butwhat]

For under 100 yards I would use a 12 ga. Remington sluggers and skip the rifles all together. If your hunting allows for longer shots then I would go with plan A.
I had one area I hunted where the farthest I could see was 50 yards. It wasn't even practical to use a scope. But then at that time I could still see iron sights.

My other reasoning for the slug gun is I don't like to be able to outshoot my vision. If I can only see 100 yards I don't want a gun that will shoot 2 miles unless I am sure of my backstop.

 

[Bula]

The .44 mag is a whole different creature in a carbine. Lots of fun too. I let go of a 6mm Rem and still kick myself over getting rid of it. 243 is definately flatter, but inside of 150yds (for me), these .44 mags are great.

 

[Jason_W]

Jasonw, is the recoil really that bad? How does it compare to a m44 mosin, or a 8x57js m95 styer? I have both and they only start to wear on me after about 50 or so rounds.

It's been a few years now so I can't remember details, I just remember that I found it unpleasant.

I do remember reading once that the pain of recoil with a crescent stock can be diminished by placing the curve of the stock around your bicep rather than directly on your shoulder.

More devout levergunners than I might be able to offer up more tips.

 

[rs3604]

just my 2cents but i love a 44 lever gun for woods hunting, i would trade it if you are sure you'll never go more than 100yds. just my opinion.

 

[303tom]

A brush gun huh, yeh the .44 mag. would make a good one, but why not increase your range & get a .30-30.

 

[sansone]

Thanks folks, that is exactly the answers I was hoping to get. The 600 stays either way, as it was inherited from my grandfather.

Sansone, it doesn't make sense, but yes.

Jasonw, is the recoil really that bad? How does it compare to a m44 mosin, or a 8x57js m95 styer? I have both and they only start to wear on me after about 50 or so rounds.

actually since you have (2) 6mm rifles the idea has merit

 

[glockky]

I would go with the 44 considering you have the 6mm to fill the other role because i think everyone should have something like a 243 to shoot a light fast bullet. I have hunted with a 44 mag only for the last 4 years and have yet to shoot a deer that ran out of my sight.

 

[BoilerUP]

Both a 243 Winchester and 44 Magnum will kill whitetail deader than dead at 100yd and closer. I know somebody that hunts with a Ruger 96/44 carbine in a no-rifle state to great effect, with much less recoil than a 12 gauge slug gun.

 

[PreMod70]

A .243 kills deer from 0 yards to way out there, a .44 won't.

 

[Jason_W]

A .243 kills deer from 0 yards to way out there, a .44 won't.

Yeah, but a short carbine length weapon is a lot more manuverable and quick handling handling in thick brush/woods than a scoped bolt gun with a 22 inch or longer barrel.

The OP has the right idea. One rifle for sniping deer over clearings and farm fields, and another for hunting them in the thick stuff.

 

[sansone]

A .243 kills deer from 0 yards to way out there, a .44 won't.

yes I prefer the 243 for the same reason, the OP has 2 6mm rifles though

 

[Art Eatman]

If you're a sneaky-snake hunter in thick stuff, a shorter gun can indeed be a Good Thing. If you mostly sit and wait, length is far less important. But I've hunted the jungly swamps of the Appalachicola River below Blountstown, Florida, with a full-length rifle and had no trouble easing along.

Inside of 100 yards, a .44 Mag will do as well as a .243--but certainly no better.

 

[RIATAC45]

We let our south Texas lease go and bought some property in east Texas that is so thick it is hard to walk through. I was just thinking that the. 44 would stay straighter if it hit a small branch or stick on the way than a. 243. Am I thinking wrong?

 

[CraigC]

Be aware that there are crescent buttplates and then there are curved steel carbine buttplates. Carbine buttplates can be placed into the shoulder like any other butt. Crescent buttplates should be placed a little farther out on the arm, rather than bedded into the shoulder. The toe of the butt should be rounded into the armpit. So technically, the butt should curl around the deltoid, not down on the bicep. This makes shooting them much more tolerable. Almost comfortable.

 

[Jason_W]

We let our south Texas lease go and bought some property in east Texas that is so thick it is hard to walk through. I was just thinking that the. 44 would stay straighter if it hit a small branch or stick on the way than a. 243. Am I thinking wrong?

I believe it's been pretty much proven that bullet mass and velocity have little effect on deflection. The least prone projectile to deflection, IIRC, is a 12 ga roundball.

I think the biggest advantage of such a carbine in thick terrain is its light weight and short length. It could be argued that a slower, fatter, heavier, projectile is a better choice for close in shots as well. What happens to a bullet and meat when impact velocities exceed 3k fps? although, it could be argued that using a premium bullet in your .243 (such as those made by Barnes) would reduce the hamburger effect at close range.

 

[hardluk1]

RIATAC45 There is nothig that carries like a early lever action design. Just easy to move around with and quick if follow ups are needed. You might want to check out some of buffalo bore and double taps loads unless you hand load. A use a currently not avalible DT load thats 240gr sp at 1492 fps in my DW revolver and out of a h&r carbine it clicks along at 1795fps. That is more than good out 150 yards and still only falls 4 " with a 1 1/4" high,100 yard zero That h&r feels like kicks harder than my 7mm rem mag by far. But I still never feel it while hunting. Enjoy the 44 mag.

 

[RIATAC45]

Thanks Hardluk, I guess I must not be very sensitive to recoil. I shot a 7mm mag that belongs to a buddy of mine, and I did not think the recoil was bad at all, even off a bench.

I do hand load, another reason for getting a. 44mag. I believe it will be cheaper to load than some of the .243 loads I have been using. I also am hopeing that it will not damage as much meat as the .243 at close range.

 

[ssyoumans]

I've got a Marlin 1894 in 44 mag and really like it. It doesn't kick as bad as the Mosin Nagant. If you can go 50 with a Mosin you'll do 100 with the 44 Mag.

Reloading 44 Mag is the way to go, I push along 240 Hornady XTP's with a 1gr under max charge of 296 at 1775 fps. That makes a great hog or deer load. 44 mag being a straight walled pistol cartridge is 5 times faster to reload than bottleneck rifle rounds. Less time reloading means more time shooting.