Why .44 Mag in 1894?

F

Fred S

New member
First, let me say thank you to all of that responded to my post below trying to help me decide between the .45 LC or .357 Mag for aWinchester Model 1894.

Everyone so far recommended the .44 Mag and I was not even considering it. Well, I guess I should. Why is this the recommended caliber? Remember I'm going to use this gun primarily in a 50 yard off hand competition iron sights only.

Will the .44 Mag be more expensive than the .45 LC or .357 mag to reload?

Is there more recoil with the Mag, if so how much?

What else makes this a better choice?

Thanks again for your help.

Fred
 
recoil w/ a .44 mag is more than a .45 LC or a .357 mag. But, in a carbine like this, it is negligble to the shooter. Also, if you want less recoil then you can use .44 S&W special ammo in the same rifle.

Why the .44 mag? Because it is a superior cartridge in terms of performance, energy, compared to the other two. The .44 mag could double up as a good brush deer rifle as well as do your cowboy shooting or whatever competition you have in mind. If you reload, it probably would be close to the same cost as reloading the other two rounds.

Hope my $.02 helps.

Orso
 
Make sure you get one without the micro groove rifling, it fouls badly with lead bullets. Excellent gun.
 
I agree with the reasons above for the 44 mag.

As far as the 45 Colt is concerned, I just cant get into a lever gun in that caliber. I know it doesnt make sense, but my main reason is that lever guns were never chambered for it back in the cowboy days. For some reason carrying a 44 mag lever gun seems ok to me, even though I realize it wasnt a cowboy gun either.
 
When you say "competition" I assume Cowboy Action Shooting, that's the only sport I can think of where lever actions are used competitively. If that being the case then I'd say go with the .357 Mag / .38 Spl.

As another poster pointed out the .38 Spl is the hot ticket in that sport - cheap brass, least expensive bullets (lead=cost... .38 Spl bullets are light), low recoil, accurate (the .38 has been the pinnacle of handgun accuracy for 60 years), ect.

For hunting get the .44 Mag, no doubt. To be competitive in CAS shoot .38 Spl. -- Kernel
 
I'd say go with the 44 mag. Its the most versatile of the three. reloaded cost is comparable and you can load up light loads for competition, and heavy loads for hunting. If you load cast bullets for it, (and you should.) stay away from the microgroove rifiling as previously noted. It's dirt cheap to reload for if you cast, and the 44 mag is wonderfully accurate and easy to load for!
 
This threads got me thinking that I should get one in 44 mag.

444, 357? not being true to your namesake? No 444 Marlin?

So can you shoot 44 mags in a 444 Marlin? (No pun)
 
Well I already have a Marlin in .444
And I have the Winchester 94 Trapper in .45 Colt
I can't see getting the .44 Mag since I already have the other two. But, .357 Mag has got to be my faviorite caliber. I have something like 7 different handguns in that caliber and there are at least two others I would like to have. The idea had entered my mind of a .357 levergun before but I never seriously considered it. After having it brought to my attention, the velocities being obtained in a rifle barrel, I am now getting fairly serious about it. I loved the Marlin Guide Gun in .45/70 but couldn't see buying it when I already had the .444 Marlin. Then they came out with the "little guide gun" in .44 mag and I considered it but I figured I already had that performance range covered top and bottom. But, getting the same styling in .357 makes a little more sense for me. This sounds like a great coyote calling rifle, a walking the dog rifle, plinking etc. Since I already reload that caliber by the ton, it only seems fitting.

You can certainly shoot .44 Mag loads in a .444 using .444 cases. And I have shot a lot of cast bullets through this microgroove barrel. Never had a problem as long as you don't try to push the velocity. I ran some 300 grain laser casts around 2200 fps and the barrel looked like a smooth bore after about 5-6 shots. On the other hand I have loaded like 5 grains of Bullseye with a 300 grain bullet producing a load that makes no noise, has no recoil and is very accurate. I haven't had a problem with leading using the Keith load (22 grains of 2400 (or is it 18) behind a 240 grain cast bullet).
 
Actually you can shoot .44 mag out of your .444 but you won't be able to reuse the brass. The Beartooth Bullets sight has extensive info about this. I've also heard that it causes throat erosion but I haven't experienced that problem. Marlin, Winchester, and anyone else who manufactures a .444 will tell you you can't do it but they have their reasons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top