Please would you state your experiences with the 44 Magnum for Whitetail Deer especially fired from a rifle like Winchester 94/Marlin 1894.
How does it perform, how far will the deer go after being hit by the bullet. What about the destruction of venison?
What bullets do you prefer? Hollow points or just flat point?

I've shot 6 or 7 whitetail with a 44mag handgun, and one so far with my 444Marlin. Your velocities should be in the lower half of somewhere in between.

I've had very good luck with Hornady 240gr XTPs @ 1300-1400fps out of the handgun, but I wouldn't shoot these bullets out of my 444 into a deer. I have loaded a few in 444 cases for straycats and the likes, they are designed for slower speeds and are very explosive at 2300-2400fps.

I use a Hornady 265gr flatpoint in my 444 and have no complaints in it's performance on the single deer I've killed with it. Very minimal meat damage on the deer that was graveyard dead on impact. It traveled 2 feet after hit, straight down. I've heard the 270gr Speer Gold Dot expands a little better than the Horny bullet I've used, but I have yet to use them on anything other than targets.

The XTP is a hollow point. If shot thru a shoulder it can and will do some pretty severe meat damage. I try to stay back a little and have had good experiences there. As with most bullets travel time will vary after impact. Mine have gone from 2 feet to about 150 yards before giving up the ghost.

This one went about 40 yards after hit.


This one about 150.

Have quite a bit of exsperience with the .44 mag. both in a handgun as well as a rifle. In a handgun the .44 is a very effective on whitetail.....normally kills quickly with the deer running less than 50 yards before giving up the ghost.

In a rifle.....the .44 is simply amazing. It's one of those rounds that seems to perform all out of perportion to their paper ballistics. Although the .44's energy is listed in the same range as other short range "brush" guns such as the .30-30 or .35 Rem......in the "real" world it is much more. I have seldom used any cartridge which gave as reliable a killing performance as the .44. It simply "slaps" the stuffing out of anything it hits. Even if the animal doesn't drop in it's tracks (and that happens much more often than one would think)there is seldom a time when there is not some visible reaction to the shot (staggering, stumbling, ect). The blood trail is most often great and it is rare that any deer is able to travel more than 25 - 30 yards before going down if the shot was properly placed.

The rifle I have used most was an older Ruger 44 carbine but the various lever action rifles should give the same or possibly better performance since they have a barrel some 2" longer. I have found that 240-265 grain soft points work quite well at the velosity level of the .44, but hollow points, while effective, seem to sometimes cause a little too much meat damage.

The .44 is not a long range weapon and performs best at 50-75 yards. If a deer is much over 150, you might as well throw the gun at him because you are just as likely to hit him that way as you would by trying to lob a bullet at that range. However, when I know I will be hunting in the thick stuff and shots might be quick and close......the little Ruger carbine is the first rifle I reach for.

I shot my third largest whitetail buck with a ruger 77/44 about 75 yard loaded with 240gr sierra jhp loaded with 24.5gr of H110 he didn't go more than 50 yards.

I've killed deer with 44 Magnum revolvers and lever guns. Both are deadly and I agree that the real issue is range. For me, that's 40m with a revolver and 100m with a rifle. I can hit fastest with a scoped bolt action, so I use a 308 if the law allows.

The key to the 44 is a proper bullet. I once shot a deer at 30m using factory ammo loaded with handgun bullets. One shot killed it but there was not much edible meat left. Now I use cast bullets at 1,200 fps if I have to use a 44.


Okie John

My wife's uncle has made a nice hunting career out of harvesting deer with his old Ruger .44 mag carbine. The gun looks like crap-all beat up, and very little blueing left anywhere on it. All it does is drop deer like they've been pole axed. Most of the places we hunted together range was never an issue. It is at it's best when used at less than 100 yards. It's very rare that we had to do any tracking. Lots of bang flops.

Shot a couple with my Ruger Bisley. One hit between the eyes with a Sierra 300 JSP from 30 yards. Blew her mind.
_

First "deer rifle" I ever bought was a Ruger .44 carbine back in 1968 while home on leave from the Navy. It's old enough to have a four digit serial number. I've shot a number of deer with it over the years, a couple of nephews shot their first few deer with it. I have also shot a number of deer with .44 magnum handguns. I long ago settled on a 240 grain Hornady XTP over 23.3 grains of H-110. Works really well, rifle or handgun. It's also a favored load for a buddy who uses a Ruger 77/44. Like most any caliber with a proper bullet, hit the CNS you get a bang-flop, hit the heart/lungs they run a little ways and drop. Hit em bad, you got problems.

What kinda of grouping/range do you get with those 240 gr. hornady xt hp ? I shoot a TC contender pistol in the 44 rem mag. Haven't tried Hornadys yet, no one seems to carry them here : (Thanks for any info..........

"What kinda of grouping/range do you get with those 240 gr. hornady xt hp ?"

Normally I can hit clay birds at 75yds, probably 4 or 5 out of 6. I practice out to 100, but it's more like 2 out of 6 from there. I really like the XTP at handgun speeds.

The top deer was shot at just under 75yds, the bottom was a touch over 90.

muleshoe,

Just wanted to comment on how nice those bucks look! I really like that second one!

Muleshoe, those are some very nice deer.

I kill elk with my Model 94 Marlin 44 mag, so I am pretty sure it would kill deer. I use Speer, 240 gr semi jacketed flat nose, H110 powder, heavy crimp. 1 1/2 -2" groups at 100 yds is common with my rifle

Ive used a marlin 44 mag lever action loaded with 300 grain hard cast, gas check bullets over 21 grains of H110 for many years
USUALLY with this N.E.I bullet

it shoots nice tight 1.2"-1.5" hundred yard groups off the bench, or the LEE design

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690858

some deer drop, most run a very short distance, its a really nice , light and effective gun,one I generally prefer over most of my more powerful choices when I know the ranges will almost never exceed 130 yards...WHERE you place the bullet has a huge effect on your results, hit the arteries above the heart and they seldom get far, those hard cast zip thru and exit generally leaving a short blood trail anyone should be able to follow easily, not a few drops but an easily followed short path

http://home.mn.rr.com/deerfever/Anatomy.html

http://www.kerrlake.com/deer/white2.htm

I shot one deer with a handgun it was a 44 it killed it DEAD

Never killed a deer with one. Saw a buddy SMACK a wild hog with a 44 Lever Action though. The 240 grain Hard Cast Slug Broke the shoulder (hog was quartering towards us). The Hog went DOWN. He was head down, rooting when his shoulder was broken.

Then he got up, struggled around a little, and fell over dead before my buddy could get a second shot off. The hard cast slug sailed though, did very little meat damage but did put a hole in the heart and one lung.

Range was 120 yards Velocity was about 1800 fps. (about max velocity and range for the little carbine).

BMT

I have been killing deer and hogs with a Marlin 1894S in .44 Mag since 1994.
I have never had to trail a deer or piggy. Most drop fairly quick, none have traveled over 50 yards.
I use a handloaded Speer 270 grain GDSP, in Starline brass, and 21 grains of H110 powder. The last whitetail I shot with this rifle was a smallish 6 point. The bullet entered through the little white patch in the throat, and traveled through the heart , took out several ribs, and exited just behind the rib cage. The deer was a 'bang/flop'.
Most of my hunting is either in a swamp, or along the feeder/drainage creeks associated with a swamp. Shooting is quick, and the distance is always short.
Velocity of this load in my rifle is a pretty consistant 1575 fps, and the accuracy is less than 2 inches at 100 yards. At 50 yards, it cuts cloverleaf groups.
The longest distance I have killed anything with this rifle is right at 75 yards.
Right now, I have an old El Paso V4.5 Weaver 20mm scope mounted.

I shoot the Hornady 240 XTP's out of my Ruger Super Redhawk and I REALLY like them. I have taken 3 deer here in Ohio with them.

Good bullet, and a good one in the 444 also.

Within 100+/- yards, I have never had a problem killing whitetails with Remington 240 grain factory ammo from my Ruger 44 International carbine. The little mannlicher stocked Ruger has proven to be an excellent choice for stalking whitetails in heavy cover.

Jeff

Hitman whats your average range shooting whitetail ? Also how long is your barrel on your Redhawk? thanks.........

Remington 240gr I'm getting 2" groups at 100yds on a calm day! havent had a deer go more then 30-40 yrds and you know it when you hit-um

A 240 grain Nosler jacketed hollow-point in front of a maximum charge of H110 in my old style Ruger semi-automatic Carbine (1823 fps) hit a Kentucky whitetail buck that field-dressed out at 180 pounds square in the shoulder @ 60 yards.

It was a "bang/flop" kill... the big buck went down and struggled in an attempt to get up for a few seconds, but never made it... and died on the spot.

The bullet went through BOTH shoulders and took out the upper, front edge of the heart with a fair amount of blood-shot meat and a large exit hole in the off-side shoulder.

My Ruger Carbine is fitted with a 1.5x-4.5x variable scope with heavy "plex" crosshairs. I believe the .44 magnum cartridge with a decent hunting bullet in a carbine/rifle is a 125 yard deer rifle. However, if I were to use the Carbine again on deer, I'd probably load 240 grain soft-points rather than hollow-points. I believe there would be less blood-shot meat using soft-point bullets.

Other than the blood-shot shoulder meat, you could NOT have asked for a better one-shot "kill".

With a handgun, a great deal depends on the shooter's abiltiy with the gun and how the sights are done on the handgun. With a scope and a good, solid rest with a 2-hand hold... a good shot could be effective out to 80-100 yards.

Off-hand, 2 hand hold with a low-powered scope, 40-75 yards, depending on the shooter's ability with the gun.

Off-hand, 2-hand hold, iron sights, 25-60 yards depending on the shooter's ability with a handgun.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Marlin 1894 20 inch barrel, WW white box 240grain soft points, Leupold VX1 scope in weaver mounts. Point and click, 1 shot, 1 deer....max range for me is 100 yards tops..

I have been handgun hunting for several years with a 6" 44 mag. I use a 200 gr. XTP and 28.5 gr H110. My son started hunting with me 4 years ago and I started him with a Ruger Deerstalker carbine (20" barrel semiauto) and he has harvested 8 deer over the past couple of years. The performance was impressive. I think this is a great cartridge for deer at less than 100 yards and wonderful for the recoild shy. Less recoil than a 243!

Me too!

Him and a few hundred of my dollars are at the taxidermist's shop right now.

ThePredator

The Ruger Deerfield has an 18-1/2" barrel.

I have shot two deer and a black Russian with the 44mag, the doe and boar were shot with a Win94, and a spike buck was shot with a 99/44 or Deerfield.

I used a Win/Nosler 250gr partition gold on the boar, shot him at 35yds, right behind the shoulder, he dropped at the shot, wiggled some, then died, recovered bullet weighed 231grs.

Shot the doe with a Remington 275gr Core-Lokt and boy did it mess her up, mucho damage, one shot kill. The spike buck was hit with a 270gr Speer gold-dot and it did a great job.

If you hit a deer in the shoulder, or any edible part, kiss it goodbye unless you are using hard cast. I would rate the 250gr partition load as the best expanding bullet with the 270gr gold dot a close second. Would like to handload a 200gr Barnes which would come close to 2,000fps and retain all or most of its weight, and really flatten the trajectory.

I still prefer the Speer 270 GDSP over all other commercial offerings for the .44 Mag.
I have gotten consistant penetration, minimal meat damage, just enough expansion to matter, and one shot kills on the last 7 deer I have taken with my Marlin 1894.
Of the bullets I have tried, the Speer is the most accurate in my rifle, with 100 yard groups always less than 2 inches, and at 50 yards, pretty much just a raggad hole.

I've killed a few with my Marlin lever gun. I have one specific place I like to hunt with it. The farthest shot is 75 yds. I'm yet to have to shoot over 50.

I shoot the 240 gr. Nosler PTHP's. Accuracy is great. They penetrate great and you can usually eat up to the hole. I have several boxes of the Speer gold dot's I plan on using when I shoot up all my Nosler's.

Joseph

I have a Ruger old style carbine I put a bushnell 1.5to4.5 heavy plex shot gun scope on it .I have only shot 1 hog and a couple of strays with it . Rem factory ammo also Federal factory ammo..240 grain jhp.Ireally like the little carbine .Feels good in my hands and quick to mount for me.

Here is one my friend took at about 30 yards. The buck was facing him and put his head down to sniff the ground when he pulled the trigger. Went through the neck and into the body cavity. Dropped him on the spot. He is shooting an NEF.

240gr bullet recovered about 16 inches of penetraton.

Nice enough buck, bad muzzle control...

yea, well it's a single shot and it's empty and it was placed there for the photo so I think we are OK with it.

Didn't mean to make you mad. But.. then why not. What difference does it make if it is a single shot? Only takes one to kill ya right? It's empty? Sure, but then a basic firearms safety rule clearly states to "treat every firearm as if it were loaded." And if you're placing it there for the photo, then why not place it in a safe position? I mean you had to handle the gun and put it down somewhere, so why not somewhere safe? I'm not really busting your chops, but you took the effort to make a "statement" with the second picture, so none of the excuses really cut it. Have a good day.

Understood.

Peace out!

blammer,
Do you know what load and bullet he was using? That's about as pretty a mushroomed bullet as you'll see. For the discussions sake, I have had excellent results from an 8 3/8" S&W M29 with the 250 gr. Nosler on several whitetails.

I will find out the specific load. I do know it was a 240 gr but what make escapes me now....

Here it is 23 gr WW296 with 240 gr Horn XTP.

"Here it is 23 gr WW296 with 240 gr Horn XTP."

Sweet! That's exactly the load that I shoot in my Ruger SRH. I chronographed it at 1380fps out of it's 7 1/2" barrel. I figure it was going a good bit faster out of the rifle in the photo. The only deer I killed with this combo was a complete pass through, did a nice job.

If he'd have shot em broadside I'm sure no bullet would have been found, but a facing you neck shot... Lots o penetration!

I agree 100%. Mine was a 32 yard quartering away shot. Hit a couple inches in front of the diaphram and exited low on the off side shoulder. I have no apprehensions about this load, it'll deliver.

My Redhawk load is 24gr of the WW296. Don't know how fast it's going, just guessed in the 1350 range. Have yet to recover a boolit.

I just picked up Marlin CB in 44 mag. I took my dad to the range with me, he has an old Ruger 44 mag carbine that he swears by(shot many deer with it). We were both pretty impressed with the accuracy. We were shooting at 50 yards, offhand and resting on a side of post and it really was shooting 1-2 inch groups regularly. Did not try at 100 yards, but assume it would do the job. As far as a deer gun, I can't attest, yet, but...I am feeling damn confident this gun will drop one quick. The accuracy realy was much better than expected. Matt.