DHart
Member
I'm thinking I might like to add a .44 mag carbine/short rifle to my rifle assortment. The potential use would possibly be defensive, really, since I'm not a hunter. And though one of my 12 gauge shotguns would probably make a much better defense long arm for a homeowner on 5 acres, the idea of having a .44 mag. short rifle just sounds appealing to me. I might use it for plinking... but, I know, that's a pretty costly caliber to "plink" with.
Anyway, I have several Marlin lever rifles (1894's all of them) one in .38 spl., one in .357 mag., and one in .45 Colt. Certainly I could just stock my Marlin .45 Colt with CorBon .45 Colt ammo and call it good, but the .44 mag. has been calling me for years and I'll probably yield to itsooner or later. I like the Marlin levers a lot. But I am also drawn to the Ruger Deerfield semi-auto .44 mag. Rifle caliber rifles don't really appeal to me, especially since I'm not a hunter.
Does anyone have any data on which of these two rifles might prove to be more reliable in a defense situation? If it came down to it and I had to use the rifle for defense, reliability is, of course, the #1 factor. I'm pretty confident in the lever rifle, but not sure how reliable the Ruger Deerfield is, being an auto-loader. The ammo used would probably be defense-oriented softpoint or hollow point.
So, for a .44 mag. defense rifle, which would it be: Marlin 1894 or Ruger Deerfield, and why?
Anyway, I have several Marlin lever rifles (1894's all of them) one in .38 spl., one in .357 mag., and one in .45 Colt. Certainly I could just stock my Marlin .45 Colt with CorBon .45 Colt ammo and call it good, but the .44 mag. has been calling me for years and I'll probably yield to itsooner or later. I like the Marlin levers a lot. But I am also drawn to the Ruger Deerfield semi-auto .44 mag. Rifle caliber rifles don't really appeal to me, especially since I'm not a hunter.
Does anyone have any data on which of these two rifles might prove to be more reliable in a defense situation? If it came down to it and I had to use the rifle for defense, reliability is, of course, the #1 factor. I'm pretty confident in the lever rifle, but not sure how reliable the Ruger Deerfield is, being an auto-loader. The ammo used would probably be defense-oriented softpoint or hollow point.
So, for a .44 mag. defense rifle, which would it be: Marlin 1894 or Ruger Deerfield, and why?