What 44 cal option is best?

[Jbow]

With the upcoming deer season coming my daughter told me she wanted to go. I do have a h&r 44 but would like to put one in her hands that has the capabilities of multiple shots. There Inlies the issue I am not made of money and I just was blessed enough to sell one of my guns to make this possible for her but I only want to buy one and want the best possible one. I like the Henry but it is HEAVY and has no sling attachments. The marlin is nice but not sure about the Remington made ones plus a lot of so called pre Remington jm stamped ones out there but not sure what year they stopped making them. Finally the ruger 77/44. Any advise or insight that can be given to make this a easier and more informed decision is greatly appreciated. Thank you jason bowling.

 

[Leadeye]

All three are good choices with factory ammo. The Henry is a little flashy for the deer woods but still a sound shooter. Pick up some different brands of ammo and bullet shapes to practice with and find one the gun likes best for fast feeding.

 

[planedriver]

Budget is always something that comes into play buying any gun. That being said, the ruger 44 auto carbine is top notch if you can find one. Sometimes I pickup my 44 thinking it is a 10/22 and soon find out when I begin to load it. Go onto gunbroker's closed auctions to get some idea of what the type you are looking for is selling for then shop locally.

 

[45fan]

Something else to consider while looking at the options, sights. Of the ones you mentioned, the Ruger and Marlin are the two that most readily allow scope mounting. Another option that you might consider, the Rossi line of lever guns isnt a bad deal for the money, and I believe they come drilled and tapped under the rear sight for a scout scope.

Sling mounting on a lever gun isnt too complicated, Uncle Mikes makes a front stud that clamps onto the mag tube, and a simple screw in type for the rear, slings pop right on.

 

[6mm Shoot]

A guy down the road from me has the Ruger and likes it very much. I have shot it myself and I like it. It is a light handy rifle. I also like the lever actions. The older ones any way. The Henry is about the top of the line. I have shot the 4440 that they make and it is a great rifle. If it was for me I would go with the Henry. The Ruger is much lighter. It just don't have the cool factor of the Henry.

The 44mag is a 100 yard round. If you are getting a new rifle for her you could be looking for a 35 Remington. It will add 100 yards and is about the same in recoil as the 44. You can get one used for around $400 or so. There is all sorts of loading information to make it legal for hunting this year and everyone is claiming that next year it will be legal with out doing any trimming of the case. Just something to think about. Then if you don't reload you will not be able to trim the cases before reloading to make it legal.

 

[nailknocker]

I love lever guns! There is nothing wrong with the Remlins, most of the complaints involving them are cosmetic. I have a 94c that I ordered, wood to metal was disappointing, but I didn't want to wait for a replacement, it reliably puts bullets where I want them to go, as a hunting arm that is all I ask. If you want an heirloom, get out your billfold and get one of the offerings from the Miroku Winchester catalog, they do not disappoint.

For a hunting rifle I would look at the many offerings from Rossi. They come in a wide range of shapes and sizes at reasonable prices. I don't know how they hold up for CAS shooters, but I would think that as a hunting gun they would last a lifetime. Just my two cents.

 

[1911ly]

I love lever guns! There is nothing wrong with the Remlins, most of the complaints involving them are cosmetic. I have a 94c that I ordered, wood to metal was disappointing, but I didn't want to wait for a replacement, it reliably puts bullets where I want them to go, as a hunting arm that is all I ask. If you want an heirloom, get out your billfold and get one of the offerings from the Miroku Winchester catalog, they do not disappoint.

For a hunting rifle I would look at the many offerings from Rossi. They come in a wide range of shapes and sizes at reasonable prices. I don't know how they hold up for CAS shooters, but I would think that as a hunting gun they would last a lifetime. Just my two cents.

The Marlins I handle d had more them cosmetic issues. The action feel like it had sand in it. And a handled 5 or 6. I haven't checked out the newest ones in the last year. Hopefully they are better. And look better.

Henry does sell a kit to add a sling. Another rifle to look at is the Rossi.

 

[1911ly]

A guy down the road from me has the Ruger and likes it very much. I have shot it myself and I like it. It is a light handy rifle. I also like the lever actions. The older ones any way. The Henry is about the top of the line. I have shot the 4440 that they make and it is a great rifle. If it was for me I would go with the Henry. The Ruger is much lighter. It just don't have the cool factor of the Henry.

The 44mag is a 100 yard round. If you are getting a new rifle for her you could be looking for a 35 Remington. It will add 100 yards and is about the same in recoil as the 44. You can get one used for around $400 or so. There is all sorts of loading information to make it legal for hunting this year and everyone is claiming that next year it will be legal with out doing any trimming of the case. Just something to think about. Then if you don't reload you will not be able to trim the cases before reloading to make it legal.

I those you are thinking of a 45-70?

 

[Bigtanker]

Magnum Research Desert Eagle, .44 Magnum, 10-Inch Barrel, Black - Style # DE4410, MRI Shop / Firearms

Possibility?

 

[6mm Shoot]

1911ly I was talking about the 35 Remington. Its case is 1.920 inches long and a lot of people are cutting the brass down to 1.8 inches to make it legal for Indiana deer hunting.

There are several posts about it on this site. It seems to be doing well and you don't have to do anything to the rifle, just the case.

The 45 70 would be a little brutal on recoil for a small person don't you think. I know some guys that wont shoot one because of recoil.

 

[Jbow]

Thank you all. I do like the Henery I was cautioned about putting the sling kit in because the weight of the gun will split the stock over time. Also I was wondering the original marlin "jm stamped" what should I look for in getting one because I was told that some still had the jm on the early remlins. Thanks guys

 

[Hookeye]

The Ruger .44 magnums are neat, but they are no longer made (parts?) and the triggers are pretty crappy.
Accuracy has never been reported as stellar, but the couple I shot were good to 100 yards. One I kept to shorter D due to sight limitations.

 

[Hookeye]

Kid....................I'd set up a Contender Carbine in .357 magnum.

 

[1911ly]

1911ly I was talking about the 35 Remington. Its case is 1.920 inches long and a lot of people are cutting the brass down to 1.8 inches to make it legal for Indiana deer hunting.

There are several posts about it on this site. It seems to be doing well and you don't have to do anything to the rifle, just the case.

The 45 70 would be a little brutal on recoil for a small person don't you think. I know some guys that wont shoot one because of recoil.

The recoil is a but of a brute. No Doubt! I have one. I have made my shoulder sore a few times :-( i wasn't suggesting a 45-70. When you mentioned cutting the cases it reminded me of the 45-70. They do the same thing with them to make it Indiana deer legal. I did not know that about the 35. I just learned something. Thanks.

 

[1911ly]

Thank you all. I do like the Henery I was cautioned about putting the sling kit in because the weight of the gun will split the stock over time. Also I was wondering the original marlin "jm stamped" what should I look for in getting one because I was told that some still had the jm on the early remlins. Thanks guys

I have not heard of a Henry stock splitting. I also have not heard of a Remington/Marlin wearing a JM stamp. Someone else will have to chime in on that. All the JM stamped ones I have handle were great. Marlin quality is suppose to be rising but I haven't handled the newest of the new. As of a year ago they were crap. I handled many of them before I tossed in the towel and bought the Henry. I still want a 1895CB. And when I find one with decent finish and a smooth enough action it will be mine!!

 

[JdsBiff]

Try a Rossi. They come in 20 and 16 inch barrels, 44 and 357 mag. Can remove the rear sight and install a rail (available from Rossi website or sometimes included). Put a 2-7 Burris Scout scope on it and you are go to go out to 150 yards. And since you are in Muncie check MC Sports, Dunhams, or Rural King, they all had some last week at decent prices.

 

[6mm Shoot]

Hookeye I don't know what 44mag that Ruger made that is no longer made that you were talking about. I know of two that they made in the past. One was a lever action and the other was a auto loader.

I was talking about the Ruger 77/44 bolt action. The one I shot wasn't a tack driver but it would hold about 2" at 100 yards and the trigger wasn't half bad. The last one I priced was just over $600. For the money I would rather have the Henry. Then they go for around $700.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I have been using the 77/44 for a few years and taken 3 deer with it. A fantastic rifle, light and handy but big enough that the hottest .44Mag loads feel soft.

I beg to differ about the 100 yard limit, though. The longer barrel wrings out extra velocity and extends things. With Hornady's LEVERevolution rounds, 150 yards is no big deal using 4x magnification. Sighted to be 1 inch high at 100 yards, it's just 4" low at 150 yards and still carries 800 ftlbs of energy.

 

[6mm Shoot]

The standard for taking game is having 1000 FPE to take the game humanely at the farthest given distance you will shoot at. I am not saying that the 44 mag can't take game past 100 yards.

I shot in IHMS events and we would shoot to 200 yards with it and knock over eighty pound rams. That was with a 8" S&W. I would say if you could place the shot in the heart zone on a deer you could take it out to 200 yards. Then how many have the skill to do it cleanly every time. I wouldn't try it. It is one thing to hit steel that don't move at 200 yards. It is quite another to try and take an animal with the 44 at the same distance. There are to many better choices to use. I personally like the 358 Winchester. You can use it out to 300 yards with no problem. At 400yards it still has 931 FPE. With a 200 yard zero you will have 13" of drop at 300yards. Then that is 38.5" at 400yards.

When shooting the 44 at 200 yards you have enough time to recover from the recoil and watch the shot hit its target. That is how slow the slug is moving at 200 yards. Now to get the energy that you are talking about you are pushing the 240gr bullet to 1700 FPS and using a 18" barrel. I don't think I ever loaded my 44 mag revolver rounds to more than 1300 FPS. That is the difference between a 8" barrel and 18" barrel.

 

[Hookeye]

6mm

I was responding to a comment on the Ruger autoloaders. There were two types (old and new, the newer with the detachable mag).
Took a deer when rifle became legal, old deluxe sporter, worked fine.
Buddy had a 77/44.............nice n light, but the bolt throw with even a small eye piece Leupold was pretty close to hitting.
Accuracy was tolerable, but nothing exceptional.

I like my trimmed .35 Rem. If I want to run a .44 I'd use the old Ruger DSP. There are better .44 rifles out there IMHO, but none cooler than an old fingergroove.