Anyone kill a deer with a 44 Mag rifle?

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Bowhunter57

New member
I own a Henry in 44 Mag and have been shopping for a 1895 Marlin CB in 45/70, for deer hunting. However, I've been reading several articles of guy killing their share of deer with the 44 Mag. So, I'm wondering if I should even bother getting the Marlin 45/70.

Having said that, I understand that the 45/70 is going to kill the deer with more authority, but my shots are going to be inside 130 yards...most likely inside 80 yards. I don't think I'm going to have a problem killing a deer with my Henry. Shot placement is everything. :cool:

I'd like to hear from those of you, that have killed a deer (or more) with a 44 Mag rifle.
Thank you, Bowhunter57
 
I have a friend who has killed a few deer with is Ruger .44Mag carbine, all inside 100 yards.

I have shot a handful with .300BO and .357 Magnum and 3 with a Marlin .41 Magnum, again all inside 100 yards.

Not a direct answer to your question, but I hope helpful.
 
40 years ago I killed deer with a Ruger .44 mag semi-auto carbine. Somewhere along the way I lost my mind and sold it to my BIL....it is now his sons'. Since then I have obtained .44 carbines in the Marlin lever and Ruger 77/44 platforms, both of which have killed deer. Under 100 yards, I see do distinct advantage of a 45/70 over .44 mag for deer sized game. After that it's a toss up.
 
One doe with a Win 94 Trapper. 125 yards complete pass through using PMC 240 TCSP high in the ribcage. Ran 80-100 yards before going down. Not super impressive but adequate.
 
I have never killed a deer with a .44 magnum, but I have killed a dozen or so over the years with the older and weaker .44-40 WCF. Never lost one and never had one run more than a few yards if they ran at all. All within 110 +/-.

This is from last year. Uberti 1873 winchester replica with 24 inch barrel. 200 gr. lead bullet on top of 38 grains of Goes 3F black powder. Ball hit her quartering away in front of the last rib on her right side and came out through her left shoulder. Ran about thirty feet.
 
One deer and one elk. Both dropped like stones. Ammo was commercial Remington flat points, no jacket.

Rifle was the Ruger .44 Mag carbine. Wish I still had it. Very authoritative game rifle. 150 yards is about the most I would push it.

I wouldn't swap yours out for another cartridge given the range you mentioned. Both cartridges are good for brushy terrain.
 
.44 mag history

My Dad bought a Win '94 in .44mag in the 70's, and killed 10 or so whitetails with it. Dad's eyes had slipped a bit, and at one point ended up putting a Leupold 2x pistol scope in a scout type mount, well forward. That was well before I ever read any Jeff Cooper scout rifle articles. Eventually he ended up with a sidemounted 4x. Dad's load varied, as we had a bit of a hard time finding ammo, all were 240 gr, but different makes and bullet types. He even killed a couple with the old 240 gr W-W factory lead, "luballoy" plated looking SWC. All Dad's shots were under 100 yds.

That experience as an impressionable kid, influenced me buying a SA Ruger .44 mag tube feed, old style carbine, then another, some twenty years later. I now shoot 200 gr slugs from mine, as accuracy from my rifles with heavier bullets is very poor. The early Rugers had a very slow twist rate. Taken a half dozen or so whitetails, all under 100 yds, some as close as 30. At that range, the .44 as I use it kills deer as well as about anything else.

Both my Dad's Winchester, and my Rugers, were a pure joy to carry. Lugging a climbing treestand as I do alot of, the short light Ruger is appreciated. The locations I hunt the .44 take into account its limited effective range. They are not ROW or beanfield/green plot rifles. But in the thick stuff, well back, or in the hills, they are near ideal.

I've sholdered a Henry .44, and they seem a tad heavy....too me. But you will not be handicapping yourself in killing power (on whitetails). The 45-70 is admitably more gun...but on deer, I wonder too if you really need it.
 
I've killed many with a .44 pistol within the range specified.

No reason a rifle wouldn't do it.

240gr JSP bullets should be the bomb.
 
I have only harvested one small Buck with it. Still own a long ago discontinued Ruger 44 semi-auto carbine. Don't shoot it much anymore. In fact I haven't laid eyes on it in a couple years. Hmmmm I hope its still here? :confused:

Fork antlered as I recall. One easy 75 yard shot made from a tree scaffold into a open hay field. Deer came better than half way across the field and stopped then stood broad side to me. Down for the count that deer was in short order.
A couple things I remember about that rifle. I tried shooting home cast thru it only once and plugged up its gas port that took a whole day for me to figure how clean it out.
Than again I could never get that Ruger to shoot anything accurately other than a jacketed 240 FP or HPs although it was intended by the factory to shoot 265 gr 44 mag FP bullets. Tried 180 gr. Hornadys. I couldn't hit a watermelon 10 ft away with those and its open sights. 200 gr showed some promise but I never followed up in their testing.
Cleaned it-case it-and stuck it in a closet. Then bought a new Rem model 742 ADL (06) carbine as the Ruger's replacement. Still have that one too. 742 shoots good but boy is it loud!! That's another rifle I seldom shot also.
 
opposite

I'd be curious to know what twist rate the Henry Rifle Co (NJ) put in their .44 mag carbine, anybody know?

Sureshot's experience is the exact opposite of mine. Both my old tube feed models shoot light for caliber 180-200 grain slugs better than anything weighing 240 and up. The old tube feeds were twisted 1-38" as opposed to nearly all revolvers in .44mag twisted 1-18, 1-20 and so on, to include Rugers very own SuperB. When the tube feed models were introduced, I don't think anybody even produced a jacketed bullet for .44 heavier than 240. The Hornady 265 and the Sierra 300 came along about the end of the tube feed production era.

Ruger knew they'd missed the boat, proof being later, newer, yet still now discontinured, mag fed .44 mag '96 lever and mag fed auto were twisted 1-20", and yes indeed, should handle the heavier slugs better.

As a general note, watch out shooting 180 slugs, especially 180 Hornady XTP in .44 carbines. They are intended to expand at much lower velocity, as in .44 spl revolver, and driving them at top speed from a rifle tube will yield dramatic expansion, but not so much penetration. I had one fail to exit a typical whitetail buck, that bounced to life when I grabbed its antler (stupid) and shot again as it regained its feet and stumbled off, distance, about 20 feet, broadside. Absolute havoc, but the slug simple disintergrated, and I found only the jacket against the ribs on the opposite side.

Shot initially just below the spine, I had let the deer lie several minutes, then climbed down to go over to it. It had dropped as though pole axed, and never moved. Good thing I did not lay that handy carbine down.
 
Having said that, I understand that the 45/70 is going to kill the deer with more authority, but my shots are going to be inside 130 yards...most likely inside 80 yards.
Click to expand...

There's only 1 degree of "dead" and given the parameters you described, the 45/70 has no advantage over a 44 Mag.

Most any bullet at mid to high velocity will easily shoot through a deer, so go with whatever is accurate in your rifle
 
Bama...Those early WW 240gr Lubaloys were some of the hottest 44 mag ammo loaded...We clocked some at over 1500fps from an 8 3/8'' barrel...Started shooting IHMSA silhouettes in the late 70s. l decided l would try deer hunting with my silh pistol.SW 29 44mag. My first couple of deer were taken with a 20rd box of 180gr 44mag Super Vels.. First deer l took was a large doe broadside at app 40yds thru both shoulders. Had to throw one of them away because that bullet did so much damage.. Second one taken was a 5point with a broadside double lung one...l was wondering about the velocity of these loads and asked our match director to clock them with his new 0ehler Chronograph.. 5 shot avg was an unbelievable 1803fps... l think l may have killed another out that box... Sadly no more Super Vel to be found because they went out of business shortly after...l kept hunting with my 44 another couple years, but went to 240s because that was the weight l shot silhouettes...
lnside 100yds a 44mag cant be beat for deer
 
wounding

Those old Lubaloy's had a distinct copper hue to them, and came in a 50 rd box.
Dad hunted them for several seasons. I was just a kid, 10-12 yrs old, but can recall the disinct, clear cut entrance wound they would make on a deer, and the short, heavy blood trails left from those wounds, complete pass throughs of course. By contrast, any deer I have shot with a 180, or 200, has not exited. Destructive, resulting in a very dead deer, but in no way equal in penetration.

Most everybody I know, shoots heavier bullets in the .44, and I do believe that is the correct choice. Elmer Keith thought so too. Were it not for the fact that my carbines just will not group them to my satisfaction, I would shoot heavies as well. As an aside, Dad had a 10-1/2" Ruger Super B, with a scope, that would shoot circles around his Winchester, and my Ruger carbines.

I am still watching for one of the newer, lever or auto Ruger carbines, but they are scarce and pricey. A 265 or 300 from one of them, twisted right, should be interesting.
 
Years ago, I was stationed in northern California with USAF. Abundant coastal black tail deer could be found near reservoirs throughout the coastal mountains. I hunted with my Marlin 44MAG carbine and kept my shots within 100 yards or so. Never had any problem downing a buck with one shot through the chest organs.

Jack

 
Yes.

Just two things.

#1 SOFT POINTS from a rifle.

#2 It is a close range gun. 150 yards is iffy. An up close gun.

Hollow points made for a handgun break up from the higher velocity.
 
a friend of mine used a winchester 94ae last year in 44 mag...she killed her first two deer with it....one deer at 100 yards and the other closer. Did the job
 
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