.44 Magnum Rifle for Hunting?

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I saw a nice used Ruger .44 magnum lever action rifle at the local gun shop that I really liked.
Anyone have any deer hunting experience with .44 magnum rifles in general or specifically with the Ruger .44 mag. lever gun?
Does it have much use for any other game beside deer, hogs maybe?
Beside giving up a little bit of range at the fringe distance of 125 - 150 yards, is its lethal performance better, worse or about the same as the .30-30 at 100 yards or less? Would either have an advantage for use on larger deer or hogs?
Which would probably be more accurate using factory ammo?
 
I had a Marlin 1894 in 44mag and man I loved it,Im definatly regretting selling it now,but I wanted a carry gun more than I used it,anyway!! Mine would shoot winchester 240gr JHP extreamly well,I mean like .5inch groups at 50 yds,I shot 1 4pt with it at 60 yds,was a high shoulder shot,droped the deer in its tracks..Had a complete pass thru also.The 44mag is a very well deer round if kept in its own range 100 to 125yds max...As soon as money permits,that will be my next long gun purchase..Another Marlin 1894..
 
I want one in 357,,but to answer your question,,I would rather have the 44 as the 30/30,,if hunting somewhere the 44 would not have enough range I want at least a 308
 
It'd be a heck of a hog gun. I'm headed out to the Big South Fork to do some hog hunting this winter. Think I'm gonna use a rifled 12ga 11-87 slug gun and a 10mm though. A Marlin 1894 in .44mag is on my soon-to-have list though.
 
A 44. mag for hogs???? Wow I didnt realize it was that potent. Ok... I am looking for a new contender bbl to hunt pigs with and maybe a deer or two. would a 44.mag pistol bbl do the job? What about for a black bear? Is it alot more than a 45 LC?
 
My first centerfire rifle was/is a Ruger .44 semiauto carbine. I killed my first deer with it and quite a few afterward. It works well inside 125 yds like you say. I always used the Winchester/Remington 240g bullets in it. Accuracy was deer capable-about 3-4 inches at 100yards as I recall. My first redneck shooting range at my grandpa's place had a 10" bull pine where I put the targets. After a few range sessions the .44 cut the tree completely down! I remember as a kid reading Outdoor Life and seeing Ruger's ad for the .44 carbine which showed a lowland gorilla that someone had killed somewhere in Africa. That ad wouldn't fly today-wish I had a copy of it. PH
 
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Velocity kills said:
A 44. mag for hogs???? Wow I didnt realize it was that potent. Ok... I am looking for a new contender bbl to hunt pigs with and maybe a deer or two. would a 44.mag pistol bbl do the job? What about for a black bear? Is it alot more than a 45 LC?
Click to expand...

44 mag is plenty for bears and hogs.black bears that is.
 
We have been through all of this before, but just to reiterate, the 44 mag (or any pistol cartridge) out of a rifle barrel is going ALOT faster than it is out of a pistol barrel. Rough estimates are 50 FPS per extra inch of barrel. It would surprise some folks the speed a pistol cartridge can get out of a rifle barrel.


check out the 357 and 44 mag velocities in this sight.


www.buffalobore.com
 
Velocity kills said:
A 44. mag for hogs???? Wow I didnt realize it was that potent. Ok... I am looking for a new contender bbl to hunt pigs with and maybe a deer or two. would a 44.mag pistol bbl do the job? What about for a black bear? Is it alot more than a 45 LC?
Click to expand...

44mag factory ammo will run circles around factory 45LC ammo. 45LC ammo is kept to lower pressurs so that folks dont blow up their Single Action Army revolvers and similar pistols. There are a few manufactures that load specifically for pistols such as the Ruger Redhawk. To get better perfomance in the higher end pistols, most people will reload the 45LC.
 
killed my biggest deer to date with a marlin 44 mag,12 pt gross score was 157 7/8 lincon county .didnt go 30 yards after the shot
 
I hunt some with my ruger carbine in .44 mag I wouldnt hesitate to shoot anything inside 75 yds which is about as far as I can see in the stick stuff.
 

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