44mag rifle for deer
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zerobarrier
Contributing Member
Last year I used a Ruger 77/44 and it worked great. I shot a deer at about 70yds with Winchester Supreme Ammunition 44 Remington Magnum 250 Grain Platinum Tip Hollow Point and it went about 15 feet then fell down. It was a lung shot 1"-2" about heart, hole was bigger then 1". Out to 150yds its great and really good for thick woods like I hunt in.
This year I will be trying my new 300blk
This year I will be trying my new 300blk
Excellent choice for short ranges or brushy areas. Just don't try for long range shots, and make sure you can make consistent kill-zone sized groups with it at 100 yards. Used mine on a mule doe in January and she went down in seconds.
phonejack
Member
This year I used a Ruger 44 carbine. I took two deer . Load was a max charge of H110 and a 240 hp. Both fell 10 yards from where they were standing. Good choice for short range, in the woods hunting.
T.R.
Member
For many years, I hunted with a Marlin 1894 in 44 MAG. This carbine featured shallow micro-groove rifling and very slo-o-o-ow rate of twist. The only bullet that would group decently was the Hornady (.430) in 200 grains. But I made do and killed a number of deer without any problems.
The new Marlins do not have micro-groove rifling, so conventional (.429) bullets are okay. I'm not sure about the twist rate. If I were in the market for a new 44 MAG carbine, I'd consider the twist rate so that I could hunt with bullets weighing more than 200 grains.
This northern California buck never knew what hit him.
TR
The new Marlins do not have micro-groove rifling, so conventional (.429) bullets are okay. I'm not sure about the twist rate. If I were in the market for a new 44 MAG carbine, I'd consider the twist rate so that I could hunt with bullets weighing more than 200 grains.
This northern California buck never knew what hit him.
TR
I have a new production Marlin 1894. It is an excellent deer rifle. I consider it a 125 yard and under cartridge and it is all you will ever need within that range. Mine stabilizes 240 grain XTPs just fine. Some owners report problems with heavier bullets, but I haven't tried any heavier than 240. My Marlin will shoot 2 in groups at 100 yards and that is with a red dot sight (no magnification). Btw, I think a red dot is perfect on a .44 carbine. It doesn't have the range to require magnification and the red dot makes it much easier to quickly acquire the target and sight picture than with irons.
At ranges under 100 yards it is probably more effective than a 30-30. It could be used at longer ranges, but for most of us there are better options for that. If I lived in a state with the limitations you have a 44 mag rifle would be my top choice.
The new 44Mag `94 Marlins have standard Ballard grooves with a 1:38 twist
which is perfect for the 240/250-grainers. They also superbly accurate,
decently-ranged (±1" point blank to 100yds/±2" out to 140yds), and produce
the better part of 1,800ft-lbs at the muzzle
See: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5950842&postcount=1
which is perfect for the 240/250-grainers. They also superbly accurate,
decently-ranged (±1" point blank to 100yds/±2" out to 140yds), and produce
the better part of 1,800ft-lbs at the muzzle
See: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5950842&postcount=1
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CraigC
Sixgun Nut
If your rifle didn't shoot well with anything over 200gr, it wasn't the twist rate. With full loads, even the slow twist Marlin will stabilize bullets up to at least 300gr.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
You mean .445SuperMag???
MCgunner
Member
To 100 yards, the .44 Mag will humanely kill any deer on earth.
Yes, Craig. That. A 445 SuperMag. I get confused with all the rifle calibers in the safe. A 4 something here, a 2 something there, everywhere a 3 something... Old man J had a safe full EIEIO.
The 336 will support it, and can be converted. It is a straight walled case that is the same circumference as the .44 Mag. With a 1:17 twist you can get upwards of 2500 fps with a 200-240 grain bullet, and shoot heavier bullets more accurately if needed.
Doh!
The 336 will support it, and can be converted. It is a straight walled case that is the same circumference as the .44 Mag. With a 1:17 twist you can get upwards of 2500 fps with a 200-240 grain bullet, and shoot heavier bullets more accurately if needed.
Doh!
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short barrel
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The only reason to limit the shot distance is trajectory. Don't listen to anyone who tells you the .44Magnum is not seriously deadly at any distance at which you can hit. Years ago the .44M was all the rage in revolvers and spectacular long distance shots were made on game. Up that kind of power to a rifle and you can do whatever you can do with a 45/70. The short range nonsense is from those who spend untold amount of dollars for a super magnum bolt action that fire long cartridges with a 2000 power scope that cost $2000. They take those rifles to the woods and shoot deer at 50 yards an then warn you that your 44M is insufficient.
Ideally you are correct, but keeping things nice and short tends to lead to better kills or shot placement.
Also, you are only going to get 1850 fps from a Marlin or Ruger 44/77 with factory ammo, and that is with a 240 grain bullet. Move up to 270+ and you will not even make that velocity. A 45/70 moves at 1800+ with a 400 grain bullet. A lot of difference there I think. A 445 SuperMag will get you to 2500 fps with a 200/240 grain pistol bullet, but that is not what we are comparing.
Throw in that most deer, at least in the south and east Texas are shot within 100 yards of a blind or stand. So why go hunt a bean field that is 300 acres with a .44 Magnum when a .25-06 is what you really need to take?
I have killed deer with my 30-30 out to 250 yards, and killed deer with my .25-06 at 15 yards out to 300 yards. With all that said, you really should try to keep deer within the 125 and under range when shooting them with a .44 Magnum. That shouldn't be hard. People kill millions of deer a year with crossbow and long bows.
A crossbow will kill at 200 yards, but who wants to aim at the moon, and figure in the winds at 200 feet in the air? That leads me to another point. The bullet design for the .44 Magnum is not ideal for long distance shots. It looses velocity very fast, and drifts with wind due to its lack of ballistic coefficient.
I am not trying to have a major debate. I am agreeing with you, but a dime dropped from a plane can kill a rabbit if you can hit it from 4000 feet in the air moving 150 mph.
Also, you are only going to get 1850 fps from a Marlin or Ruger 44/77 with factory ammo, and that is with a 240 grain bullet. Move up to 270+ and you will not even make that velocity. A 45/70 moves at 1800+ with a 400 grain bullet. A lot of difference there I think. A 445 SuperMag will get you to 2500 fps with a 200/240 grain pistol bullet, but that is not what we are comparing.
Throw in that most deer, at least in the south and east Texas are shot within 100 yards of a blind or stand. So why go hunt a bean field that is 300 acres with a .44 Magnum when a .25-06 is what you really need to take?
I have killed deer with my 30-30 out to 250 yards, and killed deer with my .25-06 at 15 yards out to 300 yards. With all that said, you really should try to keep deer within the 125 and under range when shooting them with a .44 Magnum. That shouldn't be hard. People kill millions of deer a year with crossbow and long bows.
A crossbow will kill at 200 yards, but who wants to aim at the moon, and figure in the winds at 200 feet in the air? That leads me to another point. The bullet design for the .44 Magnum is not ideal for long distance shots. It looses velocity very fast, and drifts with wind due to its lack of ballistic coefficient.
I am not trying to have a major debate. I am agreeing with you, but a dime dropped from a plane can kill a rabbit if you can hit it from 4000 feet in the air moving 150 mph.
The second half of your post doesn't really agree with the first half. The .44 rem mag has a much more pronounced trajectory than most rifles and this is a perfectly good reason to limit shot distance. I prefer to keep my shots within the range where I don't have to worry about missing because I misjudged the distance. That means <150 yards and my .44. Can one shoot and reliably kill a deer beyond that distance? Of course, but you better be darn good at judging distance and know your holdovers. Not everyone has enough time to spend at the range to be good enough to make ethical shots at distance with cartridges with "rainbow" trajectories.
I take my "super magnum" with my $2k scope when I think I might shoot beyond 200 yards (actually a .300WM with a $300 scope).
Why? Because I know my bullet will be in the kill zone with no holdover at any distance at which I would consider shooting a deer.
I have put a scope mount on my wife's 20 ga Mossy 500 with a red dot (Aimpoint), and it will dead eye hit where I point it to 125 yards using 3" slugs. It is a great deer rifle. If I didn't have a straight walled rifle already, but needed to hunt, I would use a slug in a smooth barrel sporting an open choke or improved choke.
They shoot accurate out to 75-125 yards.
If I didn't have slugs, no straight wall cartridge rifle, I'd use my Thompson Center Omega with a Nikon Omega extended eye relief and 200 grain HP with three pellets of 777. Now that is a deer slayer. Lots of smoke, but tons of pop out to 200 yards. Easily.
Same with 240 grain bullets. In my ML I use .429 bullets with green sabot plastics. They actually shoot better than .45 cal with black sabots.
Good luck.
They shoot accurate out to 75-125 yards.
If I didn't have slugs, no straight wall cartridge rifle, I'd use my Thompson Center Omega with a Nikon Omega extended eye relief and 200 grain HP with three pellets of 777. Now that is a deer slayer. Lots of smoke, but tons of pop out to 200 yards. Easily.
Same with 240 grain bullets. In my ML I use .429 bullets with green sabot plastics. They actually shoot better than .45 cal with black sabots.
Good luck.
loose noose
Member
EB1, to each his own, however I've shot wild boar, and whitetail deer with my Ruger .44 Magnum Carbine out to 75 Yards, and never had a problem. I put a Williams rear sight on it and experimented with different front sights before I finally settled on one that would place a 240 grain JHP about 2" high at 25 yds. dead on at 50 yds. about 2" low at 100 yards. Seems to work for me. Especially in a wooded/brushy area.
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