Author Topic: 44 mag carbine (Read 3539 times)

younghunter12 · « **on:** May 22, 2006, 01:31:16 PM »

Hi. I've looked at the ruger 44 mag carbine. Is the quality very good on those carbines? Does this caliber work good on deer? For the price I was concidering it for a first deer rifle. Thanks. Alec

myronman3 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 22, 2006, 02:56:08 PM »

one of the new manufactured ones, or one of the old ones?

if one of the new ones, outstanding little rifle. just dont shoot lead through them. stick with jacketed bullets and you will be very happy.

35Rem · « **Reply #2 on:** May 22, 2006, 03:49:19 PM »

You talking about the Bolt Action, Lever Action or the Semi-Auto (Old or New?)

? they make 3 guns currently....

younghunter12 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 22, 2006, 05:36:55 PM »

It's the semi. I'm concidering a new one unless I get a good deal on a older model.

NYH1 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 23, 2006, 06:04:34 AM »

The 99/44 Deerfield Carbine would make a nice little deer gun. Keep your range to 100 or so and you should be fine. I've never owned one but a good friend of mine has one and it's been great! :grin:

Ranger J · « **Reply #5 on:** May 24, 2006, 11:13:30 AM »

I have had one for several years and have found it to be very dependable and accurate. I have killed two deer with 240G SP factory loads. I just wish Ruger would put a recoil pad on it for when you are punching paper with it. Without it the recoil was a little much for my wife and truthfully with some of my reloads for me. Of course shooting at deer you will never notice anything. Keep range to 100 yards or less and you should do well.
RJ

Old Griz · « **Reply #6 on:** June 05, 2006, 09:33:47 PM »

:cb2: My local dealer fired the new Deerfield Carbine at the Shot Show when they first came out, and he was really impressedand it takes a awful lot to impress him! Not a bad choice at all! They have made several improvements over the last one. Like myronman3 said, stick with jacketed bullets. Lead bullets will mess up your gas ports.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #7 on:** June 06, 2006, 05:33:09 PM »

While Im a fan of the .44 Mag cartridge, I own a Ruger Super Redhawk and Browning B92 lever-action carbine and have hunted both elk and deer with the cartridge, I have to say it has its bad points as well as its good ones.

On the plus side, the cartridges are relatively inexpensive for non-handloaders. This hopefully translates to more shooting. Driving a 240g Speer JSP at 1880fps, the bullet delivers 1500fpe out to about 50 yards and 1000fpe out to 135 yards. It has plenty of the right stuff within its range the bullet diameter and weight do a lot to make up for low velocity and pass-throughs are not uncommon. (People will disagree as to what its range is, but I put it at about the 1000fpe mark.)

On the flip side, recoil can be a bit stiff in carbines but a slip-on recoil pad will tame it right down. (My Browning has a steel buttplate ouch!) Its not the rifle I want in my hands when a 200-yard shot if offered, something I would take with a 170g .30-30, so it may make sense as a first deer cartridge in some areas and not in others.

In AZ it is not what I would choose as a first deer rifle unless money for ammo was a major concern. Relatively inexpensive surplus ammo is available for the .308 Win and I would give it strong consideration. The .308 has a much greater reach and is a cartridge you will never outgrow 1500fpe out past 370 yards and suitable for anything up to elk or moose, and recoil is no greater than my .44 Mag carbine. I picked up a used .308 last year and wish Id gotten one 30 years ago.

My 2 cents.

Old Griz · « **Reply #8 on:** June 07, 2006, 07:59:02 AM »

:cb2: This may be a really dumb question, but isn't most surplus ammo FMJ? Would you use that hunting?

Chuck White · « **Reply #9 on:** June 07, 2006, 12:45:33 PM »

Quote from: Old Griz

:cb2: This may be a really dumb question, but isn't most surplus ammo FMJ? Would you use that hunting?

A. Yes, "most" surplus ammo is FMJ!

B. Depends on what you are hunting!
If you are hunting woodchucks, or other such varmints, you'd likely be OK!

In most states, it is illegal to hunt game such as deer, bear, elk, etc with FMJ bullets!
Also if you are talking military stuff, lots of places it is illegal to hunt with a semiauto rifle with a total ammo capacity greater than 6!

Old Griz;
Yours is not a dumb question at all!
A lot of people just don't know for sure, so they ask!

Old Griz · « **Reply #10 on:** June 07, 2006, 05:29:33 PM »

:cb2: Thanks for being kind. There's just sooooooooo much I don't know . . . :shock:

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #11 on:** June 09, 2006, 06:02:37 AM »

Quote from: Old Griz

:cb2: This may be a really dumb question, but isn't most surplus ammo FMJ? Would you use that hunting?

Not a dumb question, yes it is, and no I wouldn't - not even on varmints. (Been there with varmints and didn't care for the results.)

FMJ ammo if just fine for punching paper, and that's about 99.5% of the shots I take. My hunting bullets run $0.50 to $1.00 each so they don't get used much until right before and during hunting season. The rest of the year I tend to shoot practice rounds that use cheap bullets loaded to provide similar trajectories.

Old Griz · « **Reply #12 on:** July 02, 2006, 07:33:03 PM »

:cb2: Another rifle that is cheaper, and still pretty cheap to shoot would be a .30-30. This would also give you a bit more range than the .44 carbine would.

BRENN · « **Reply #13 on:** September 12, 2006, 01:09:22 AM »

HAD MY DEER FIELD 44 MAG FOR SIX YEAR'S NOW.I GUES YOU ALL ARNT USING THE RIGHT LOAD.WE HAVE TAKEN DEER OUT TO 150 TO175 YARDS
WITH IT.I LOAD WIN.296 AND HORNADY 265GR FLAT POINT.FACTORY LOADS MAY NOT DO THAT GOOD.ALL DEER TAKEN HAVE BEN ONE SHOT KILL'S
WITH NO BULLETS FOUND IN ANY.

jd45 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 10, 2006, 10:16:26 AM »

Cayote Hunter, it's been a while since I shot .44mag rifle, but I remember a 240 load factory clocking 1760 by the ammo catalogs. Is this 1880 something new, or did you clock one of your handloads, & if so, how did you get to 1880........that's a substantial increase, IMO. Thanx, JD45

jro45 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 10, 2006, 11:05:57 AM »

My cousin has one and he told me how he killed a deer with it up in N.Y. state.

45/70fan · « **Reply #16 on:** October 11, 2006, 07:37:23 AM »

Excellent rifle. I have so much fun with it that I bought a spare clip to use on my "plinking" days. Recoil is pretty mild, less than the 30/30's I've shot. You can probably stretch 125 yds on deer with it but you need to practice to learn the drop.

bighorn300wsm · « **Reply #17 on:** November 11, 2006, 04:50:47 PM »

ok...first off i would like to say that the deerfeild carbine is a great little gun.now second i think yall are really underestimating the 44 mag by saying keep it at 100 yards or less.i've seen several deer takin with the deerfeild carbine betweem 175 to 200 yards using 265gr hornady flat points with 22 grains of W296 powder.these loads will drop a deer in his track out to 200 yards i know with bullet exiting the other side.....now i would say that the 44 mag is an excellent rifle caliber out to 200 yards.

saltydog · « **Reply #18 on:** June 28, 2007, 12:10:56 PM »

Great little carbine - almost no recoil. Try 180 gr REM JHP w/ Lil Gun. Don't shoot cast in them. Read manual before you take apart to clean.

nrb · « **Reply #19 on:** June 29, 2007, 01:32:17 AM »

I've used a Ruger 44 carbine since the 1980's with complete satisfaction. These rifles are very well made and were costly to manufacture because of the extensive machining involved. As far as using heavy bullets, my handloads revealed that the heavier bullets, 240-300gr, were the most accurate for this rifle. They sell for a premium but are worth every penny. The 44 mag is not limited to 100yds for deer hunting and with proper loads will reach out to 150yds easily.

best, nrb

OLDHandgunner · « **Reply #20 on:** June 29, 2007, 04:38:36 PM »

Love my old Ruger 44 carbines. They have put alot of meat on the table over the years. I use Hornady 240 JHP ( Now called XTP.)

Tikkabuck · « **Reply #21 on:** July 23, 2007, 05:34:51 AM »

Hey There
I have the Model 96 (Ruger Lever)in .44 mag and I can't say enough good about it. It drops deer period. Short,quick it's my go to gun when I hunt in the really thick stuff here in Tenn. most shots where I use it are 75 yards and under. I use 240 grain Winchesters without a hickup,most deer look like they been whacked by a Mack truck.

Boxhead · « **Reply #22 on:** July 23, 2007, 04:31:01 PM »

My old carbine just loves shooting the 270 gr Speer Gold Dot. It is a tough bullet too.

rvtrav · « **Reply #23 on:** August 09, 2007, 03:10:07 PM »

Hello to all,

I am interested in one of the new deerfield semiautos, and I cannot see it listed on Ruger's website. These haven't been discontinued already have they?

They look like the perfect ticket for a hog hunting gun and close range deer gun. I would like to be able to get my hands on one before they are a thing of the past.

roger460xvr · « **Reply #24 on:** August 30, 2007, 04:23:47 PM »

dont get your hopes up finding a new ones. They already discontinued them this year must of cost to much to produce. I gave up looking for a new one, I ending up getting a 460xvr went to hand gun hunting what a blast!