.44 Mag Lever Action: Felt Recoil

[fpgt72]

I would tell you to try to fine a 357, being the new owner of one, and being recoil sensitive (5 hunks of titanium hold my head on) this thing is great and does not hurt during or after....with 38's. The 38 special feeds pretty darn well out of my rifle, I have gotten the Marlin lockup twice so far in I would guess 200 rounds....it seems to really like the winchester white box, but not some blue stiff I I don't remember the name of. The recoil is about like shooting a 22 but you can tell you have a lot more oomph when hitting steel. I have yet to shoot 357's out of it, so far this is working very well for me.

I have not put it on paper yet but it is 8" plate at 50 yards all day with me standing, so I don't think it will be all that bad. Good enough for having fun.....and if there is another ammo shortage reloading 38's will be simple and cheap.

Only bad thing I will say about the rifle is working the action for an afternoon will make your hand sore.....I am talking 50 rounds or more....I am looking into one of those leather lever pads, but really don't like the looks of them.

It really is super fun.....another thing you might want to look at is the camp carbine or deerfield or Ruger 77 in a pistol flavor, all have some issues....heck they all have issues, but are also older fun pistol flavor long guns that don't look all stupi....err tactical.

 

[Space Ghost]

When I first fired my .44 mag Rossi 92 I was disappointed at how uncomfortable it was. One thing I really hated was that curved metal butplate. I had a Hogue recoil pad put on the straightened stock, and it shoots much more mild. The weight of the heavy octagon barrel helps to tame recoil as well. Some purists like the curved butplate, but I also put a red dot on mine, so I'm bucking tradition anyhow...

 

[Gtscotty]

What is the .44 Mag carbine going to do for her that the Mini-14 she already has and likes won't, with the right loads?

I know you mentioned defense against moose... There are a lot of moose in some areas around here, but I don't know anyone that carries something like a .44 for moose defense. They can be creepy if you surprise them, but really aren't a huge existential threat.

 

[ExAgoradzo]

I love my Marlin 1894. WHEN I let others shoot it they want to steal it. GREAT gun. Williams peep and you have unadulterated fun fun fun.
Recoil is not bad at all for me.
Greg

 

[CraigC]

What is the .44 Mag carbine going to do for her that the Mini-14 she already has and likes won't, with the right loads?

I know you mentioned defense against moose... There are a lot of moose in some areas around here, but I don't know anyone that carries something like a .44 for moose defense. They can be creepy if you surprise them, but really aren't a huge existential threat.

The .223 is a glorified poodle shooter that is marginal for deer sized game with modern super premium bullets. The .44 is capable of a LOT more!

 

[Gtscotty]

The .223 is a glorified poodle shooter that is marginal for deer sized game with modern super premium bullets. The .44 is capable of a LOT more!

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That is a neat picture, if he was planning on having her shoot Buffalo, I certainly wouldn't suggest a .223, or a .44 for that matter. But that's not what they are doing, hunting of any type isn't even on the menu.

What he says in his third post is that it will be a camp gun with a generally defensive mission. The two animals he thought he might need to defend against are black bears and moose, both of which are really not that big of a general camping threat, especially moose.

I'd say the most likely uses for a camp carbine are plinking and (much, much less likely) defense against other humans. You can even throw black bears in the mix if you want, I'd still rather have a Mini-14 loaded up with 20 Partitions or TSX than a lever gun in .44 Mag for those circumstances. Given that she already likes the Mini, and a lot of folks are saying that their .44 carbines can recoil smartly with full power loads, I'm not seeing what benefits the .44 has over the Mini for the OP's uses.

 

[WrongHanded]

That is a neat picture, if he was planning on having her shoot Buffalo, I certainly wouldn't suggest a .223, or a .44 for that matter. But that's not what they are doing, hunting of any type isn't even on the menu.

What he says in his third post is that it will be a camp gun with a generally defensive mission. The two animals he thought he might need to defend against are black bears and moose, both of which are really not that big of a general camping threat, especially moose.

I'd say the most likely uses for a camp carbine are plinking and (much, much less likely) defense against other humans. You can even throw black bears in the mix if you want, I'd still rather have a Mini-14 loaded up with 20 Partitions or TSX than a lever gun in .44 Mag for those circumstances. Given that she already likes the Mini, and a lot of folks are saying that their .44 carbines can recoil smartly with full power loads, I'm not seeing what benefits the .44 has over the Mini for the OP's uses.

I further explained that camping in Grizzly territory is in our future (as well as our past), and we are planning to relocated perminantly into Grizzly territory in Montana at some point in the next four years or so. I do not consider the .223 to be nearly enough to cover the bases, and I assume you know the arguments for large diameter heavy hard bullets with wide flat meplats well enough.

I've also seen some pretty large black bear both up close and at a distance, and had a Moose in one of our camps previously. I've never felt the need to bring a gun to aim in any of these situations, but being prepared is preferable to the alternative.

 

[dh1633pm]

I have a four rifles in 45 Colt. When loaded up nicely they can kick a bit, but nothing that gets me too excited. My dad had an 80's model 44 Mag and the magnum loads had a little bite, but manageable. Now, lets talk 45-70 with some butt kicker loads. It will smack your face really good if you have a tight cheek weld. Forgot about the shoulder slam. Does it make me not want to shoot it? No way, I embrace it. When it surprises me it lets me know all is well.

 

[MTNSTRYDER]

I have two guns that kick enough to bother me a 44 mag in a Rossi and a 303 enfield.
I own 45colt revolvers and rifles that are very pleasant to shoot well and my BFR 5 inch 454 is a lot easier to shoot well than a friends 8 inch 44 mag.

 

[ExAgoradzo]

For bear country I bought an 1895 .45-70 GG. In my opinion, for defense, with Corbon, it is adequate. The next step would be an 870 with slugs.
Greg

 

[Gtscotty]

I further explained that camping in Grizzly territory is in our future (as well as our past), and we are planning to relocated perminantly into Grizzly territory in Montana at some point in the next four years or so. I do not consider the .223 to be nearly enough to cover the bases, and I assume you know the arguments for large diameter heavy hard bullets with wide flat meplats well enough.

I've also seen some pretty large black bear both up close and at a distance, and had a Moose in one of our camps previously. I've never felt the need to bring a gun to aim in any of these situations, but being prepared is preferable to the alternative.

I guess I missed the part about hanging out in grizzly country. I do most of my hunting and camping about 300 miles southeast of grizzly territory, but if I was hunting up there I would certainly give some thought to toting my 629.

If recoil is a problem, you can of course load down. 240gr jacketed @ 1,400 fps in my revolver are a whole different proposition than 240gr Keith SWCs @ 1,050 fps. The Keiths are a joy to shoot, but I wouldn't be afraid to use them in a situation that required deep penetration.

 

[gulogulo1970]

I had a Marlin in 44 Magnum. I found the recoil surprising. Out of a handgun, 44 Mag is my limit for recoil. I thought it would be a pussycat out of a heavier long gun. I found it unpleasant. Probably the shape of the gun. I shoot 308 and 300 Weatherbys and find them manageable. The Marlin seemed to transfer much of the shock to my face and not my shoulder. Sold it. Probably me, but I never could find a way to shoulder it where it didn't bother me.

 

[roo_ster]

My wife's favorite rifle is her Rossi 92 in .44mag. Her favorite load to shoot is my handload of Trail Boss under a 240gr LSWC. It makes 1000fps or less out of the 20" bbl. Easy on the shoulder and accurate.

She is not as appreciative of factory 240gr or 180gr .44mag. A bit more recoil than she likes.