Ohio allows Straight-walled cartridge rifles! Now which one to get?

Which straight walled catridge for deer hunting in Ohio?

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44 mag ruger 77/44 would be the berries. I would love a Marlin 45-70, but have to sell my really nice slug gun first. Problem is that the bottom has fallen out of slug guns.
 
IF you could get brass for it I really like the 357 maximum on deer. Brass has been no go for a quite a while now, so that is a strong consideration. It is a bit of a niche round, so supply shortages are especially bad for brass there. 44 magnum is quite versatile and a good bit easier to find components. Good reason to buy a nice revolver too lol, you know a matched pair and all!

If you do not cast bullets or even more importantly reload, I would get a 44 mag.

BUT my top choice is the 45-70. It is an excellent round for the hand loader and caster. It can be loaded however you like it. I have loaded down with trail boss and unique without any issues. The rounds hit hard and recoil/blast is very low. You can load to fill just about any situation you can think of. Fast lighter expanding bullets like the nosler or hornady (poly tips for tube mags) offer a better trajectory than the heavier loadings and absolutely poleaxe any deer you will encounter. The heavier slower loadings (400g plus) will kill anything else.

The list of usable powders is quite large, so even when stuff is scarce you can still load up 45-70. It is VERY cast bullet friendly if you interested in going that route.

Since you had shoulder surgery recoil will be your biggest concern. What do you usually shoot? What is your comfort level with recoil?

I shoot a marlin guide gun and am very happy with it. Recoil with hand loads can be mild or wild depending on what I am after.
 
I have Marlin 1895's and an 1894. Ohio deer aren't monsters, I'd opt for the .44 mag over the 45/70. 44 is a lot cheaper to shoot and there are some good factory soft point loads available.
 
I used 12 gauge slug gun for deer hunting in Ohio for the past few years. so used to that kind of recoil but would like lighter not more. I can handle recoil to an extent 5 rounds or so for target and sighting in each year but would like the shoulder to last long term and enjoy the gun and not use it a handful of times and be a safe queen.
 
Sounds like it's time to keep the ball rolling and start lobbying for the inclusion of bottle neck cartridges. In your situation I would probably go with .44 mag because I already have a revolver so chambered. If I wanted a flatter trajectory I would go with the .444 Marlin.
 
There are some hot .357 loads out there that would be great for whitetail out of a rifle (and a revolver with enough barrel).

Those .357 lever guns sure a right handy to tote in the field mind ya! And can pull double duty as defensive guns to. .38 special factory ammo is reasonably affordable which would allow for practice etc.

Might not be the hardest hitting choice off that list, but like I said with the the right loads it would be more than plenty for deers at no more than 100 yards or so, preferably under 50-70 yards.

YMMV.
 
"Sounds like it's time to keep the ball rolling and start lobbying for the inclusion of bottle neck cartridges. In your situation I would probably go with .44 mag because I already have a revolver so chambered. If I wanted a flatter trajectory I would go with the .444 Marlin."

Indiana is a few years ahead of Ohio on this one. Hopefully you will avoid the turmoil caused by those who don't understand that a .30-06 is indeed more dangerous in open land populated by 10-20 hunters per square mile than a straight-walled pistol caliber weapon.

I vote .44Mag. Very lethal, common, easy to reload, can be down-loaded to 44Spl if needed, and available in many platforms.

I personally carry a Ruger Deerhunter (semi-auto) as a back-up to my smokeless muzzleloader. I've used it to shoot 4 of the 5 deer I have killed in the past two seasons, clean kills from 50 to 140 yards.
 
Voted 44 mag but I want to get and hunt with a Marlin 1895 Classic in 45-70 and I want an 1866 Trapdoor Sprinfield rifle in 50-70. Kind of my own "Lucretia Borgia."
 
I voted .44 magnum, because I just shot my first deer ever in January and that's what I used. It was about 50-60 yards, that bullet just zipped right through her and she was down and dead before I was even sure I'd made a hit. Recoil is very tolerable, the Trapper is small and light.

After dressing that deer it sure looks to me like those critters aren't very tough, and I just don't see the need for big, powerful guns. At least not under 100-150 yards. Longer ranges, different story obviously. I think I could have used my M1 carbine just as successfully on her.
 
I voted .45-70. It can be loaded mild to wild and has a ton of history. And I badly want a Sharps military rifle repro. A .38-55 might be a good choice too.
 
OP I would just like to apologize for all the people that voted and posted without reading a damn bit of your original post.

.357 magnum is my vote based specifically on what you posted in your first post.

To be more thorough, I believe the Ruger 77/357 would be a perfect fit for you
 
Actually, I did read his post, about his shoulder issues. The 45-70 cartridge is very versatile and can be loaded very light, say oh, .357 magnum levels all the way up to stopping a cape buffalo.

I enjoy a rifle that can do everything, loaded up or down with a great deal of ability to maximize the load to the game/target in which it will be employed against.

I do love the .357 magnum, it might be my favorite pistol caliber, but as a long rifle, I feel like the 45-70 is more versatile, and versatility is something that I try to exploit.
 
I'm interested as well, being an Ohio deer hunter. While my initial thought was .44 Magnum, I have done a little reading and am becoming interested in the .357 Maximum. Brass is only available on an annual basis (once a year run), so that raises a little concern. However, a lot of guys have been loading single shots to Max. performance in Mag. brass. But I keep going back to the simplicity of just buying a box of cartridges off the shelf for a .44.
 
the OP also said weight is a factor , he would be caring this rifle in the Eastern hills, , witch is why I said 44mag , and in a rifle a 44mag don't kick much more than a 357, and it is lighter than a 45-70 , 357mag and the 45-70 plus many other on the list are all fine deer rounds , but for this post the 44mag is the better pick ,
 
Its about time! I have been in ohio my whole hunting life and while I have shotguns my Muzzle loaders have seen more time in the field... and my pistols. I am in the same quandry as to what to use... I have a 357 marlin a 357 handi rifle and a 357 max handi.... a 44 mag winchester trapper and a handi rifle all of which would be great depending on the range. I am thinkin the 357 max single shot will be my choice IF i do not decide to lug one of my Shiloh Sharps in 45/70 out in the woods... I am just happy that I won't need 3 dollar a round shotgun slugs to be viable 150 or more yard in a modern platform. Cheap cast bulletts reloaded to even normal velocities will make great 100 yard and under rounds

If I did not have some brass and a rifle and contender in the max it might be different and likely the 44 single shot or it rechambered to a bit longer round for a tad more veocity...

all I know is I am lookin forward to this season!
 
I have 357mag, 38/55, 44mag, 45 colt and 45/70 all avaliable and any of them would work just fine.
If you want to scope it I'd be real tempted to buy a Ruger 77/357. My 357 is a Marlin and is a blast to plink with 38 special class loads and will get 2000 fps with 158gr softpoints.
A 77/44 would be exellent too if bigger game were a concideration.
 
I voted 44 mag. I use it in a handi rifle and while it is no tack driver, it is more than accurate enough to punch a hole through the vitals of a deer. The 45-70 would also do the trick but why deal with the extra recoil? Deer are not too tough to take down. The 44 mag in handi-rifle has literally no recoil.
 
spaniel said:
"Sounds like it's time to keep the ball rolling and start lobbying for the inclusion of bottle neck cartridges. In your situation I would probably go with .44 mag because I already have a revolver so chambered. If I wanted a flatter trajectory I would go with the .444 Marlin."

Indiana is a few years ahead of Ohio on this one. Hopefully you will avoid the turmoil caused by those who don't understand that a .30-06 is indeed more dangerous in open land populated by 10-20 hunters per square mile than a straight-walled pistol caliber weapon.
Click to expand...

How exactly are bottle neck cartridges more dangerous to other hunters than a .444 Marlin? Either you know what's directly behind your target or you don't, the use of straight walled cartridges doesn't magically make it ok to lob bullets off into the wild blue yonder. If ricochets are what you're concerned about, shotgun slugs and other heavy slow rounds are about the worst offenders.
 
It's simply the absolute range. Where I hunt, you can see a house in about every direction. Most pistol caliber cartridges would never reach them, but a 30-06 would reach easily.
 
I preempted it by a few weeks and ordered up a 44 mag rossi off Bud's.

And just about bought up everything that wasn't self defense or aluminum cased 44 mag in Franklin county!

So I'd suggest a 45 LC in that case!
 
It's simply the absolute range. Where I hunt, you can see a house in about every direction. Most pistol caliber cartridges would never reach them, but a 30-06 would reach easily.
Click to expand...
But the law doesn't limit you to pistol caliber cartridges a 444 marlin or 45/70 with the Hornady FTX bullets will reach just about anything a 30-06 will and still weigh twice as much when it gets there.
It's the same problem with most game laws that try to regulate morals and ethics, you can't do it so you end up with dumb laws.

Cooper's rule 4 is know your target and what's beyond it.
Follow that rule and a 30-06 is as safe as a slug, don't and a slug is just as dangerous as a 30-06.
 
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