.44 Mag Carbine - What Should I look For?

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Mike1234567

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Greetings Folks,

I'm looking to buy a .44 Mag carbine that will cycle/chamber longer loads with SWC and HP bullets. This can be a bolt, lever, pump, or semi-auto (just not single-shot) and I'd really like 5+1 or more cartrdige capacity. Marlin (pre-Remington) is appealing because I have others and I like to have similar platforms.

I've read a few places that the Ruger 77/44 is limited regarding bullet AOL but I've found no other reference to any other rifles.

Any help?
 
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If you like the lever I would stay with it. The Ruger's magazine does limit OAL whereas the loading gate on the Marlin is more generous. The old Vulcan Pump from Universal (a converted M-1 Carbine) was limited in OAL as well, plus they are really hard to find these days.
 
new marlin's are problematic. if you can find an old one, go for it. If not, rossi makes a decent 44. You can get a 16" barreled one that is very trim and handy.
 
Love my Older Marlin 44, I love my Rossi in 357/38.. both good ones... Henry makes a fine lever gun, they offer a few in 44 Mag...

I have not run may 44 specials through my Marlin, I have however run a variety bullet styles.. with no problems at all on OAL... it fed everything I threw at it.. Same with my Rossi's, in both 38 and 357, various bullet styles... it ate them all... The Henry I know nothing about, except they offer levers in 44 Mag, and they are very well made..
 
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I've owned several Trapper-length (16 inch) Rossi 92's in .44 magnum. Great guns. I had no problems at all feeding 240gr SWC's, which is what I shot most extensively with them. Plenty accurate and a fine trigger. Cartridge capacity on these are 8+1.

I will say though that I had some abnormally long-nosed 240gr SWC's that had been casted by my great uncle many, many years ago that did not feed. These particular bullets were shaped in such a way that more of the material was "above" the crimping groove. As I recall, the OAL of these cartridges ended up being about 1/8th of an inch longer than what I would call "standard" 240gr SWC length. They would chamber fine, but were too long to feed through the magazine reliably.

Only criticism I would have at all of the Rossi 92's is that the stock fit and finish can leave a little to be desired. The wood edges around the tang have stuck out a little proud on a few Rossi's that I've owned. A little filing and a little oil cleaned that right up though.

I currently have a 24" octagonal Rossi 92 in .45 Colt and have no intentions of ever getting rid of it. I'm sure I'll get my hands on another in the future.
 
I've got a Rossi .44, and gotta say, it's really nicely made. 10 + 1 capacity, and a great shooter too. Would recommend one without hesitation.
 
CraigC said:
I know you bought a rifle but for discussion's sake, define "longer". What bullet weights?
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Sorry for the lack of specificty. I want this rifle to reliably cycle loads similar to and including the Georgia Arms 300gr offerings. GA doesn't publish the OAL so I couldn't provide that data. This stated, I'd "prefer" the ability to cycle even heavier loads... but at 1100fps or slower. I do know I'll need to be cognizant of bullet stability issues.
 
Depending on how the OAL turns out on those, I'm willing to wager you may have issues feeding through the magazine. Really depends how deep you're seating them. If you can tell me the distance between the tip of the bullet and where you plan to crimp, I can probably tell you if they'll feed in your Rossi or not. I have one of those long 240 grainers left on the reloading shelf somewhere.

If all else fails, single-loading with the bolt open is not really a burden with a model 92. I used to use a 16" barrel for cowboy shooting, which holds 8 in the magazine. Most stages require 10 rifle rounds though, so I had to reload on the clock. Rather than recharge the magazine via the loading gate, once I opened the bolt on my 8th round, I would maintain hold of the lever with my right hand and hold it up on my shoulder, while grabbing a single round from the front of my belt with the left hand and dropping it into the chamber. Repeated for the 10th round.

It really worked pretty slick. It probably wouldn't have worked though if I had had the action slicked up, as the lever would likely fold under the weight of the rifle at that point. Can always load the new round with your right hand though. Just a tad slower.
 
Tallinar... Thank you but I'm not reloading for this caliber. The Georgia Arms 300gr are sold for 60 cents per round. GA doesn't publish detailed data... that I've found anyway. Can you please explain how I might have trouble with the tube magazine?
 
Feeding with your typical 300gr jacketed bullet is not usually a problem. It's the long, heavyweight LBT's that present two issues. One being length, two being the stupid slow twist that most leverguns are saddled with.
 
Action length, bullet shape, and twist rate I understand, more-or-less. I just don't know which rifles have longer actions, ramps suitable for flatter meplats (or can be reshaped for same), and faster twis rates.:)
 
Ya know, I guess I should ask...

I read that the Rossi Model 92 .44 Mag has 1:20 twist rifling so it should stabilize some pretty darned heavy (long) bullets. I "assumed" they all have 1:20 twist but now I'm wondering. Also, since it can stabilize long bullets, I "assumed" the action would be suited to long cartridges.

Anyone know?

Here's the one I bought: Rossi Model 92

ETA: After more research I can only find one reference to 1:20 twist for the Model 92. That appears to have been a typo because all other references indicate 1:30. Is this fast enough to stabilize a 300gr JSP bullet at 1100fps?
 
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You have to specify length. Like I said, most 300gr jacketed bullets are not very long. It's the 250gr Keith bullet and the heavyweight LBT's that are very long.

Far as I know, all Rossi 92's are 1-30" twist, not 20". A 1-20" twist would stabilize everything available, right up to 355gr. The only rifles I know of with that twist rate are Rugers and their magazines limit OAL.

So we need to know just how long and heavy a bullet you want to use to tell you which rifles will feed AND stabilize them. Most leverguns will feed and stabilize most 300gr loads. Some rifles will stabilize the long and heavy LBT's but not only do they not feed them in stock form, you can't even modify them to do so.
 
Can you please explain how I might have trouble with the tube magazine?
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Yes. When you open the bolt, the feed ramp descends to collect the new cartridge from the magazine. The round is pushed onto the ramp by the magazine follower spring. As you close the bolt, the feed ramp ascends with the new cartridge and the bolt pushes it into the chamber.

If the OAL of your cartridge is too long, the tip of the bullet may not be able to clear the magazine tube. When you bring the lever up to close the bolt, the feed ramp will be trying to pull the cartridge up and the bullet's head will still be in the magazine tube. You'll be forced to jimmy the cartridge with your fingers manually to get it out of the tube and all the way onto the ramp. If it's REALLY too long (never experienced this, but it's mechanically easy to imagine), then it'll be too long to jimmy and you'd have to unscrew the magazine tube plug and let the cartridges fall out of the front. Not a huge problem, as far as your gun or safety are concerned, but enough to shut you down at the moment you need a shot.

You may just wanna contact the manufacturer and see if they'd share the OAL information with you. Shouldn't be too much to ask of them if they want your business.


Far as I know, all Rossi 92's are 1-30" twist
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I'm pretty sure this is correct, based on my reading.
 
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If I were to judge by the pictures of the 300gr rounds on Georgia Arms website, I'd say you should be fine with the 92 action. For all we know the pictures are of something else though. :)
 
Tallinar... But isn't that a function of the action length and/or ramp shape rather than design of the tube?
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Yes, it has everything to do with the length of the action. I think we'd probably find that any "within OAL spec" .44 magnum cartridge should function fine. It may just be those odd-ball shaped very long bullets (like I was using) that are problematic.

After seeing those pictures, I'd say you'll be just fine. I'd still contact them to find out the OAL for sure. Let us know what you find out.
 
Tallinar said:
Yes, it has everything to do with the length of the action. I think we'd probably find that any "within OAL spec" .44 magnum cartridge should function fine. It may just be those odd-ball shaped very long bullets (like I was using) that are problematic.

After seeing those pictures, I'd say you'll be just fine. I'd still contact them to find out the OAL for sure. Let us know what you find out.
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I tried to call GA this afternoon but they closed pretty early. If I can find my calipers I can measure them myself. But I just moved and everything is a mess. For bullet length I'll need to pull one with pliers though.
 
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