Best straight-walled cartridge for deer hunting.

E

Elliottsdad

New member
So, long story short: I moved to Iowa, which until recently only allowed shotguns shooting slugs, or muzzleloaders during deer season. This year they began to allow straight walled pistol/rifle cartridges.

This wouldn't be a problem, as I've always wanted a good lever action 30-30. However, there is a caveat: the cartridges used must be .357 or higher in diameter.

The game and parks catalog included a short list, with .357 mag, .357 maximum, .45 long colt, 10mm, .41 mag, .44 mag/spec, 45/70, .444 marlin.. but said wildcats weren't necessarily disqualified as long as they met the criteria.

Which would you go with and why? Thanks!
 
444 marlin or 45-70 would be my choice but realistically I would probably shoot a muzzleloader with 100-120 grains of powder.
 
357maximum is clearly the best choice. It has more power than the 30-30 and is the flatest shooting cartridge listed. I've killed deer with this cartridge at 180yds and got a complete pass through with the Hornady 180 grain bullet. I've shot several closer, but that was my longest kill with this cartridge to date. It's mild recoil, very accurate, easy to load for, and is devastating on deer. FWIW, I own several 45-70 rifles, and they are effective deer cartridges, but they don't shoot as flat. Same applies to the 44mag. I've killed several with that cartridge also, but it doesn't shoot anywhere near as flat either and doesn't kill any deader.
 
My vote would go to the 444 Marlin, it has the energy of the 45-70 with better trajectory (due to higher velocity) and significantly less recoil. A 265 gr bullet at 2,200 fps is very convincing.
 
450 Bushmaster in a Ruger American
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This.

Ruger designed the rifle with regulations like this in mind. The 250 gr bullet @ 2200 fps all but matches 444 with ammo that is readily available and reasonably priced. Paired to an accurate rifle that is readily available and reasonably priced.

The 444 round is good enough, but is a dying round.

If you just have to have a lever action then 44 mag would be my choice. The 45-70 is over rated, has way too much recoil and has more power than you need.
 
The 44 mag is a safe and practical choice. I use an older marlin lever for deer. The recoil wont kill you but the deer will be real dead. No need for a muzzle brake. You can mount a scope on a marlin as easy as any bolt gun.

I also have a 45/70 (more than one) and it is more weight and power than required for deer rifle. That would be my opinion on the 444 and 450 BM.

I was thinking about trying a Bushmaster but not for deer. Those who advocate the bushmaster are often times trying to push out the range a little. it might depend on where and how you hunt. If the bushmaster is good, then the 444 and 45/70 should also handle the job and it would come down to choice of rifles. The Marlins are nice guns. or they used to be. The new Ruger American bolt is light and handy and you might forget the caliber differences and make you choice based on the gun. The only down side on the ruger is the muzzle break. I think, I read on the ruger website, the brake can be removed for hunting and they provide a thread protector. Savage had a nice idea, a while back, they had a brake you could twist on-off. I think browning did that too. There is also the cool factor, some people just like the look of the Ruger bolt with a big nasty (aka rambo) muzzle brake. I cannot argue to much against a gun I was thinking about buying. I just dont see this as the ideal deer rifle for the parameters layed out by the op. I was looking a the 450 ranch rifle, not the scout.

Ruger has come back with the Model 77/44 that gives you a bolt action features with the ideal power of the 44mag. I dont have one, but I do belive this is a great gun. My friend has one in 357 and its a sweet package and in 44 would be about ideal for deer.

One more input. No one is forcing us to use a straight wall ctg around here. We use the 44mag as our own free choice. That should tell you something.
 
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Some good choices have been posted. What's funny is today's muzzle loaders can shoot just as good if not better than any lever 30-30. Some of today's rules and guidelines are just ridiculous.

Only advice that I have as a general rule any rifle cartridge will be better than any pistol cartridge in a rifle. For power and or distance.
 
Personal preference:
.41 Mag
.44 Mag
.444 Marlin

Scorch said:
My vote would go to the 444 Marlin, it has the energy of the 45-70 with better trajectory (due to higher velocity) and significantly less recoil. A 265 gr bullet at 2,200 fps is very convincing.
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Indeed.
Nothing that I have ever shot with my 444s has lived to ask why I didn't use a .45-70 instead.


jmr40 said:
The 444 round is good enough, but is a dying round.
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Dying?...

I don't think so.
Niche cartridge? Arguably, now that .45-70 has seen such a resurgence. But it's a big 'niche'.

There have certainly been more .444 Marlin rifles and handguns made in the last decade than any previous decade; and used Handi-Rifles and Marlin Model 444s now usually sell at more than their original MSRP, whereas they were priced like 336s just 10 years ago. (50-70% of then-current 'new' prices)

Right now, .444 Marlin is gaining in popularity -- due, in no small part, to the number of states allowing it in 'primitive weapon' seasons, or changing rules and allowing 'big bore' straight-walled cartridges.

.444 Marlin is growing so much that it was the first rifle cartridge that Starline added to their catalog, in their new line of rifle brass. A company doesn't invest in new machinery and tooling for a 'dying' cartridge, especially when there are already two competing companies well-established in the market (Hornady and Remington).

Marlin also claims that bringing back the Model 444 is one of their highest priorities, even though it requires all new tooling for the 444-specific parts or machine operations. Remington doesn't invest in dead-ends.

It isn't a cartridge that's for everyone. But it isn't dying, either.
 
Most straight-walled case ammunition has been legal in Ohio only for the past few years (before the "Great Rifle Enlightenment", the DNR required deer hunters to use only shotguns). I like the amply powerful, fairly inexpensive and widely obtainable .45-70. The recoil it generates in my "Extra Light Weight" Winchester Model 1886 (Miroku repo) rifle is not objectionable to me.
 
The 444 cartridge is and always has been a fine deer cartridge. It lost popularity to the magnum fever that affected gun buyers nation wide. The 45-70 is also a good round for medium to heavy animals. Find out what your local availability is and choose one.
 
Knowing the size of the deer in Iowa. 38-55 for those close in shootings. 45-70 for those Iowa trophy bucks meandering a ways away along the edge of a corn field.
 
+1 for the 444 Marlin.

My Marlin in that caliber won my heart by being the most accurate lever gun that I've ever owned. It's a bad shooting day if prints a group larger than one inch with the 265 gr. Hornadys.

BTW I just bought 250 of the Starline cases... they're nice.
 
I like the 44 Remington Magnum for out to 100 yards comfortably. While I have used the 45-70 Government and 444 Marlin the 44 Remington Magnum in a semi-auto or lever gun would work just fine.

Ron
 
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