Thinking on my next purchase, anyone done a bunch of hunting/killing big NE white tail with these? Been wanting a companion cal rifle for my .44 mag revolver. Been wanting another lever. Been wanting a big bore lever. Been wanting an 1894 Marlin, I think.... opinions? For hunting and just schitts n grins. Would be a still hunting piece in Northern New England woods. Probably the thick stuff. Probably a snow tracking specialty purpose. Probably shots inside 75 yards. Think it would fill a hole in the short distance end of my spectrum. I know it’s “old school”. I know a 30-30 is a more versatile choice. I prefer to make the jump to .308

They perform/kill well on Big bucks inside 100 yards?

Thanks for your input. And any commercial ammo suggestions are welcome too as I don’t load my own.

Sadly, the .44 Mag will only kill a critter once per shot.

Don't know if you hand load or not, but if you do and like cast bullets.. They do have Ballard rifling, but the twist is a bit slow for my liking at 38:1 It will work well enough for most .44 bullets but is iffy when they start reaching up to the 300 grain range.

Mine is a Ruger 77/44 plastic and stainless w/20" twist. Thor's hammer on deer and pigs.

I had a 77/44, and with 300 grain LBTs, big deer were not a concern. It handily shot through any deer I shot with it.

Is there a better lever option you’d recommend, perhaps with a faster twist? Like maybe a BLR or something? Not really wanting to hunt (and pay) for an old Winchester.

My wife's Marlin does very well with 300 grain jacketed bullets and lead bullets. Surprised me a bit with all that I had read.

I would imagine a 240 grain bullet would not bounce off a deer if a Marlin would not work well with the 300 grain bullets.

Poachers use 22’s , I think 🤔 a 44 would suffice!

Hornady ammo loaded with a 240 grain XTP ought to do the trick.

Opinions vary widely on whether they are better or even as good as Marlin but the Henry Big Boy .44 Magnum has a 1:20 twist. They also make a 16" carbine model. Had a Marlin 1894 with a 16" barrel which was extremely fast handling, and 16" will still get you all the usable velocity you could want from a straight walled pistol case like that.

There's been a Ruger semi auto used for exactly your purposes in our hunting camp since the early '80s. It's fed with 240 jhps and works well on WI bambis.

Never killed anything huge, but if you can shoot the heavies (300), they don’t stop easy.

Ruger carbines are the ticket. Stop [bleep] NOW

I personally prefer a Win 94 Trapper in .44 caliber.
Mine has worked well on numerous big deer and feral hogs here at the Ranch with a 280 gr WFN LBT Hard Cast bullets over a stout load of WW 296. I’ve yet to catch a bullet in any of them.
Although I could easily live with a Marlin or Ruger LA rifle.
Personally, I don’t care for the Henry’s.

Thanks guys. I’m hearing a lot of the same from someone close to me who has them all. Put it up for question to see. The Fire confirms.

Back in the mid-1960's my Father and Bearrr264's Father killed several big ME whitetail bucks in the area between Lake Umbagog and Lower Richardson Lake and a couple of big NH whitetails in the back country around Dummer, NH, with Ruger .44 carbines. I've hunted off and on with a .44 International over the past 50 years using 240 grain semi-jacketed HPs and SPs with good success.

Thank you. I troll up in there. Love Richardson. And Rangely.
I’ve been told the Win Trapper (from a guy who is an unabashed win hater) and the Henry (which I don’t want either) both. Sounds like the Early eighties Marlin is what i’m Looking for. This site is great. Thanks all.

I guess you cannot read.

This bullet is any deer’s worst nightmare inside 75 yds out of a long gun.

Can't thank you enough for the kind words.

Yes indeed, I hunted the Pine Ridge area for several years. My BIL was the District Ranger. I used a CZ550 in 9.3X62. All shots were in the "woods" 50 yards was a long one. Now if you get towards the fields then some long shots can present themselves. In a carbine the 44Mag can hold it own, but not a longer range proposition. Ideal as a woods gun.

Big deer? Hell, I know a guy who killed a Moose with one. 240 JSP's to boot. Marlin 1894 rifle.

I've done some Moose hunting with a Winchester 94 Trapper in 44 mag with 300 grain Hot-Cors. Never got a Moose with that gun though.

Just bought a Rossi .44 model 92 for the same purpose of OP. Also looking for ammo factory ammo suggestions.

You can kill all the deer you want with American Eagle or Winchester white box 240's.

I killed a lot of things including a raft of northern MO corn fed deer with a lever 45 Colt for years. 255 cast swc over 4.5 gr. of red dot. Worked like a charm from rabbits on up. Small stuff got head shot. Cheap load for the only rifle I had. Killed one doe with the Cimmaron Peacemaker in the same caliber. Only two guns I owned, and I kept the rifle loads to pistol level so as not to mix up rounds and ruin my revolver.

I did later acquire a Winchester Trapper in .44. It was a killer as well. If a 255 swc over 4.5 gr. of Red Dot can do it all, your .44 magnum won’t even break a sweat.

Im hoping to find out this year in Ohio. I been hunting up there with a .444 Marlin. But this year I am planning on using my Ruger .44 mag carbine.
240 gr. Fastens nicely to my pack for the walk up the hill the the big timber. Shots there are 20-40 yards. We call a 75 yard shot a hail mary.
Im not crazy for lever guns so this might be the ticket for that hunt. Im not worried the least about it on any sized deer at those ranges.

Have killed several deer with the .44mag in both rifle & handgun. I used 300 grain soft point in the handgun because of outstanding accuracy. They do not appear to expand very much but they penetrate easily through deer. My rifle load is the 240 grain soft point & they expand and also penetrate easily through deer. I have never recovered a bullet, just the deer. At rifle velocities the .44 mag is a great deer cartridge.

Most of my 44 magnum kills were made with revolvers. But I did own a Browning M92 years ago and I killed deer, bear and antelope with it. It did just fine. The 92 would not feed the very wide bullets like the LBT 300 and 320 grain WFNs, nor would it work with the Keith SWCs because the cartridge length was too long. So I ended up using an LBT 265 grain WFN gas-check bullet, and a Hornady 265 grain jacketed for that carbine.

I can tell you from experience that the 44 mag with proper bullets is ok for big deer because I have personally killed them with 4 inch, 6.5 inch, 7.5 inch, and 8-3/8" barrels on revolvers.

I have used 44 magnum revolvers to kill 3 bears, several elk, about 2 dozen deer, 4 antelope, one bison, and several horses as well as about 3 dozen cattle. With hard cast bullets of 240 to 320 grains I have never seen a single problem killing any big game or domestic animal with a 44 magnum.

I had a stainless marlin about 18 years ago, whenever they first came out. It was a 38 twist but it seemed to shoot 300s. I used the speer 270 goldl dot sp in it a lot and it shot well enough.

It got stolen when the house was robbed and later recovered in the possession of a meth dealing illegal alien or undocumented immigrants or whatever they call them these days. The guy had it and a bunch of meth but they let him go. I got the gun back but it was a bit beat up and always reminded me of the burglary so I sold it. I bought a 16" rossi stainless 92 to replace it. I haven't shot the 92 much. Guess I just haven't learned to like it yet.

I also picked up a stainless plastic 77/44 on a half price sale but I haven't shot it yet. I'm excited about it because it points like a 10/22 and has the same sights. I grew up with 10/22s.

For factory ammo the 240 sp American eagle does good in a rifle and isn't too expensive.

Bb

I have 3 ruger 44 carbines and a marlin 336 in 44. Since Iowa went to straight wall I have been using the 44 in the big river bottom lands. 125 yards and in is the shot you get. 240 xtp hammers them the rifles I have are handy light and accurate

I'd go ahead and buy the gun you want. There is a bullet out there that will do what you want it to do. There is no certainty that the 300s will not stabilize in a 1-38" twist. I had a Winchester 94 trapper that handled them just fine. In those days I preferred the now-discontinued Speer, but it shot the Hornady very well, too. If your gun won't handle them .. and you won't know for sure 'til you try .. then try Speer's 270 grain flat point. I think Hornady's 265 grain flat point interlock will seat to an OAL that will fit through a marlin but I'd check on that before buying. Hell for stout bullet and a good choice if it will.

There is nothing wrong with a 240 for deer. My preference would be one of the flat points instead of a hollow point. Might also consider Barnes X bullets in the lever action.

We don’t have huge deer in Florida, but we do have some big hogs. Marlin 1894 .44 magnum kills them pretty dead. I load the Speer 270 grain SP Gold Dot bullet over a stiff amount of H110. The 1:38 twist and MicroGroove barrel give excellent accuracy. Most hunting here is short range.

All helpful info. Perhaps this should be the topic of another thread, but could someone school me on the differences between the Ballard and the Micro groove rifling, and which is ‘better’ or more desireable; if one is something I should seek out in one 1894 over another?

Microgroove is 12 shallow grooves and Ballard is around 6 deeper grooves. Some cast bullets don't work well in Micro groove. Ballard really has no downside and MG is mostly a gimmick but it does work great with jacketed.

Heard. Perfect. Thank you.

For a factory load I can speak to the Speer 270gr Gold Dot/Deep Curl. We've used it, or handloads, on 1 pig and several whitetails. Pig was the biggest and my wife shot it in TN on a ladies hunt. Around 300 lbs and it went down with one shoulder shot from a Ruger Deerfield. Biggest buck I shot with it was 150lb ish. Shooting down thru the right scapula thru the rib cage and found it under the skin at the rear bottom of the left rib cage. He made it about 20 yds.

The question isn't would a .44 Magnum kill a big deer, it would be can I hit a big deer with a .44 Magnum? You can kill a close deer with a rifle that shoots far, but you can't kill a far deer with a rifle that shoots close. One year my buddy showed up with a Ruger .44 carbine and I still remember the look on his face when I suggest that he post overlooking an expanse hundreds of yards long while I drove out the adjoining woods. The next year he showed up with a .300 WSM. I shoot close deer too, but they do show up far away now and again and having a 7mm-08 seems a better choice.

On another hunting forum I asked the question once, "What centerfire cartridge kills a deer out of proportion to what the paper ballistics say it should?" There was a tie for top honors between the .44 Magnum and the .257 Roberts. I once asked a guy at the range how the Ruger .44 carbine he was sighting in worked on deer and he said that the one the year before just fell over like a rabbit. Pretty effective within its range limitations I'd say. I just don't like its limitations.

szihn: Marshall Stanton of Beartooth Bullets has an article on his web page about how to modify the cartridge carrier to feed a little longer bullet. It is easy to do. Taking apart a lever action not so much.

I haven't found out yet, hoping to see it for myself this fall.

I tested several factory loads in my B92 and one thing I found going under 200 grain was that the bullets became wildly inaccurate. The 225g Lever Revolution stuff shot great and I used it on some pigs and a very close shot on an axis deer but I never got quick kills. I gave them up and went to the 240 grain XTP. Have yet to nail anything with it but fully expect more agreeable results.

Your statement about difference s in groove depth between Marlin's micro-groove and ballard rifling is not correct, as I understand it. The GROOVE DEPTH of BOTH rifling systems on a Marlin are the SAME, which is 0.0025" or so. The LANDS are wider on ballard-rifled Marlins, the only difference.

A key detrimental accuracy issue on Marlin 1894 44 mag carbines is the groove diameter, which is ~0 .4315". Most 44 mag jacketed bullets are .429"-.430", which is too small, and a major reason for poor accuracy. SAAMI has different groove diameter specs for 44 mag pistols (.429"), and rifles (.431+"). Pretty stupid if you ask me. People complain about the slow 1-38" rifling twist of Marlin 1894 44 mag barrels for poor accuracy, but the biggest contributor to lousy accuracy in 1894 Marlin 44 mags is large groove diameter, and small bullet diameter. Both large groove diameter and small bullet diameter together, hurt accuracy.

I wish Marlin would correct these issues, and make a 44 mag barrel with 0.429" groove diameter, a 1-24" rifling twist, AND groove depth of 0.004". If they would do that, they would sell a bunch of them.

Fwiw, I own a JM-stamped, Ballard-rifled 1-38" twist Marlin 1894 44 mag. Its groove diameter is about 0.4313". My best accuracy is with a 240 grain jacketed bullet by Zero Bullets, 0.431" diameter ( from Roze Distribution). McGowen barrels will make a 0.429" groove, 1-20 to 1-24" twist barrel for the Marlin. May go that route and rebarrel my Marlin.

IMO, there are no universal "best" rifle/cartridge combinations for hunting deer and elk in North America.

A golfer doesn't expect to play 18-holes with 1 club and a serious hunter shouldn't expect to hunt all wildlife habitats with 1 rifle.

When I still-hunt tight cover where shots come quickly and are mostly measured in dozens of yards, I prefer to carry a cut-down Winchester 100 in 308 for deer or a Remington 760 in 270 for elk.

When I over-watch over areas where shots are mostly measured in hundreds of yards, I prefer to carry a bolt action rifle that has proven to shoot MOA or better.

Why would you recommend that your buddy who was equipped with a short range rifle/cartridge combination take an over-watch stand unless you wanted to see him fail?

I've shot a bunch of deer from 15 yards - 100 yards with my Ruger Deerfield. Hornady 240 gr XTP's have been perfect so far. No tracking has been required, they hit like Thor's hammer.

A friend back in Ontario has had one of those original .44 mag semi auto carbines since 1968 or so.

He only uses factory ammo, Norma is most accurate in his rifle.

He is one of those guys that simply can't sit still on a pass, so he is always moving: thus, most of his shots are fast and under 50 yards.

He has killed about 20 deer and 3 moose with the little rifle.

John

I have killed elk with one so I figure any deer would be easy ,no matter how big they are.

My mentor taught me quite a bit
And I believe most was right on

But he poisoned my mind on deer hunting with a 44
Most experiences here fly in the face of his experiences

Sounds like many here have had much better results with 44s

One thing I wonder if he helped do a lot of tracking from family members with poor shot placement

Maybe?

Makes me want to try it and find out for my self but I sit on the edge of a field a lot so I personally need that gun that can shoot close but also reach out that was previously mentioned


If I could only harvest 50 a year I would know so much more
Hank

Understood. The feud edges I might shoot over are generally pretty short. Still, there are Swamps and rarely bottoms to be shot over. I find .308 to be more effective for that. But bumping around In the timber, still-hunting, tracking in snow; how far is the shot gonna be? 50 yards? Really even that?

What did your mentor learn you on it? I would not have asked if I was not open to listening...

Having personality seen what my son has done to some pretty decent sized pigs with his Marlin .44 Mag, there is not a deer on the planet I would hesitate to shoot with one.

John

Good to know, thanks. Because that would be another purpose-minded task I did not mention. Have a close friend inTX who has been able to buy himself a nice, smallish property in Franklin. Hog clearance is at the top of the list. Sounds appropriate and fun to me.

I think my point was he felt like he did a lot of tracking of people that shot 44 Magnum during deer season. He was not necessarily a big gun guy because when they made the 223 legal here with Barnes Bullets he was deadly. He just felt like he did a lot of unnecessary tracking with Wounded deer in 44mags. But as I read the comments on this post with great interest that is not everybody else's experience it seems some people are very happy with the 44 Magnum. So again it may be people taking potshots at distances they should not or not well-placed shots the tainted his view. Most information that he handed down to me I found to be very valuable but I also as someone who likes to try my own stuff too and at times I find my results could be a little different but I still value his Insight very much God bless him.

I think with quite a few of the long time campfire members SSB had pretty good credibility

Hank.

But as I said in a previous post killing a deer or two a year ain't never going to make me an expert. So I have to rely on what I've seen first-hand which is limited but then also learn from credible sources and when you couple that all together I think it's a good way to expand your knowledge. But nothing teaches you like first-hand experience
Hank

+1 on the Hornady 240gr. XTP's, I'd limit my shots to 100-150yds. especially on big whitetails.

I've been on more tracking parties for 30-06 shot deer at my camp than 243 victims.

If you can deal with only having one shot, the Henry Single Shot is handy at 37.5" and under 7lbs, has a 1-20" twist 22" barrel, and will "feed" anything that will fit in the chamber. Under $400. Might be hard to find a blued one, most appear to be the brassy Pimp Special model.

To scope it you need the base and a hammer spur extension, both available from Henry. A lighter trigger spring may also be in order. I know a guy (me) who'll sell you one at cost.

My .44 is a Browning Low Wall; 24" 1-20 twist barrel, tang and barrel sights. Haven't had it d&t for a scope yet, and now the Henry can be purchased for about the cost of the mounts and labor without futzing up the collector value, so likely won't. Hasn't gone afield yet, but doe season is coming up.

Pretty late to be thinking about a new rifle; not that I haven't done the same.

Lung-shot deer, in my experience, hump up at the shot and run off. Usually not far, but rarely DRT.



P

I wouldn't hesitate to shoot the biggest deer that ever walked with a 44 carbine - as long as the distance was within 100 yards. Most 44 Mag bullets are about as aerodynamic as tuna cans and trajectory and velocity suffer much past that.

Exactly the opposite at my deer camps, the 243 is responsible for far more tracking issues than all others combined including the 223. I think the problem is the guys use them as real deer rifles instead of stunt shooters.

I'm having computer problems, and can't get this link to work, so maybe someone will link it here. Google the story of legendary Kentucky whitetail Big Red. The buck was killed in neighboring Todd County in 1964, and was at one time the whitetail with the greatest antler spread, of 34 1/2 inches. I knew the man who owned the farm he was killed on, as well as some other hunters who were also hunting the buck. Also, I happened to meet the hunting companion of the man who killed the deer. The hunter was using then then new Ruger 44 Carbine, and fired 14 shots that day. He hit the deer numerous times. The original story was in Outdoor Life magazine, which I had the copy at one time, and not a word was mentioned about how many shots were fired. I was told by what I considered a very reliable source, that either Remington, which was the ammo he used, or Ruger, paid the hunter not to mention that he fired 14 shots.

Why would they pay him not to reveal he was a poor aim?

One thing to remember is that the 44 mag is a whole different animal in a carbine than it is in a revolver in which it is most familiar to most hunters. For example, average, white box Win 240-gr loads that leave my Smith 329 4” at 1200 fps exit my Marlin 94 at 1750 fps, a whole 500+ fps increase.

44 Mag Buffalo Bore Deer Grenades do even better at 1950 fps. They are loaded hotter, as they say, ~ 1500 fps from a revolver. And that’s not to mention other BB or Grizzly ammo loads, not to mention hand-loads if your carbine shoots them well. And we make a great distinction between a180 30-06 and that from a 300 Win Mag, a difference of maybe ~ 200 fps +/-.

So, yeah, for a woods’ deer cartridge, and paying attention to your bullet, the 44 mag out of any carbine, is really a very good choice and not at all a barely sufficient one assuming correct placement per usual. Compare for instance to the new Win 350 Legend load which gives a 150/180-gr bullet 2300/2100 +/- fps. And it was created primarily for deer/hogs. It’s basically just 357 Mag “Long”. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Thanks for the real world numbers, I've been meaning to shoot mine over a chrono but haven't gotten around to it yet. I was assuming a 400-500 fps increase.

Love my Browning B92 .44 Mag. A .44 Mag carbine will take down any animal in NA, just not at the ranges some others will.

Finally got to try out my Ruger 77/44 yesterday. Shot this buck at 30 yards with a federal 240 grain JHP. He was slightly quartered away and I put the shot just behind the shoulder taking out the top of the heart and breaking the off side shoulder. The deer reared up on his hind legs and jumped straight up before taking off. He went about 25 yards before he started plowing snow, about 35 yards total. As far as I can tell the bullet didn't exit but I haven't skinned him out yet, hoping to find the the slug when I do.

Winchester white box 240gr. JSP will ruin any deer’s day out of a rifle, 100 yards and under. They usually pass through on a lung shot and expand very well.

I was grown and married before I got to hunt anything other than squirrel or rabbit. After borrowing this and that, my husband decided I needed a rifle that fit me, and that I would be happy with. Down to the pawnshop. I looked at this and that, and then pronounced, I like that one, there, with the gold trigger and the golden deer engraved on the trigger guard. Yes, a monster was born. I still have that Browning 92 44 mag from 37 years ago, and it still kills everything DRT within the ranges of the Arkansas piney woods. I have other rifles now, both from husband, and from an inheritance, and my own purchases, and one that was one from a lottery. The little 44 is still a joy to carry and shoot.

Had a Marlin .44 mag.
It shot the Hornady factory stuff under 2" at 100 w a low power scope.
No deer to shoot that yr.

Did kill one w Norma factory ammo in a Ruger fingergroove.
D was 65 yards. DRT

Trigger sucks, front bead is big (peep sighted). It's a 75 yard and in rig.
Cool little rifle.

My dad won't let me drop a Leupold 1-4X on it

Have killed a few w .44 mag wheelguns, farthest 150 yards.
Went a ways. Like a big fat pencil poked a hole through him.

Won't do that again.
Maybe w rifle, 150.
Handguns is 100 and in for me.

We have a 44 mag H&R Handi Rifle. It is really my wife's gun, but I start all my kids out with it. We like it because it is simple for a new shooter to use, its ambidextrous (Wife and #1 son are left eye dominant), and the recoil and noise are tolerable.

Wife's buck, Hornady 225g FTX, H110. 30 yards quartering to. Found the bullet under the hide after penetrating diagonally. The deer dropped at the shot.



Wife's buck, 240g (I think) factory load. I don't remember the brand, but it was solid copper and the recovered bullet looked like an advertisement. Quartering to at 30 yards. I found the bullet in a hind quarter, I think. The deer wiggled in place for a few seconds, then fell.



#1 Son's first deer, a button buck. Walking right at him at 10 yards. The deer fell at the shot. Hornady 225 FTX and H110. I think recovered this bullet, too. Pictured with all of my kids.



#2 son's first deer, a very small doe. Same Hornady 225 FTX and H110 load, same blind, same presentation as his big brother the year prior. 5 yard shot on a trotting deer into the center of the chest. We recovered the bullet under the skin between her hind legs. The deer ran 20 yards.



We all love shooting this Handi Rifle. Recoil is not bad with hot loads, and very light with light cast lead practice loads. The Best part, to me, is the lack of noise, which I think helps new shooters even more than the low recoil. Two of us shoot lefty, so I switch the hammer spur as needed.

Nice!

You can kill elephants with a 44 Mag in a handgun, but in a rifle it's only good for woodchucks...

Nice Bucks SnowboardGuy and BJA

From the above deer. Exit broke the off side leg, took off the top of the heart on the way through.