Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Ruger 44 MAG

This carbine went out of production but is still a reliable deer killer within reasonable distances. Anyone else have a love for this model?

Sherwood

Always wanted one. As with everything, it seems the better off I get the more expensive they get. I can't see spending what they want for one now. Maybe I'll find a deal and have extra money at the same time. Doesn't seem likely though.

My father had a Ruger Mannlicher, it shot bugholes, he killed one deer with it and then sold it because we like to shoot Browning BAR's in New York. Same place in New York a friend of mine used a Marlin Lever in 44 Mag and killed quite a few deer with, never lost one either.

A good friend of mine has had one for years. It is quite accurate. His wife and both sons have also used it to kill deer. Neat little rifle for sure.

I've had one of the 44 Internationals since the late-1960's and like them. My Father bought the 44 International for me to use while still-hunting and a Remington 660 in 6mm to use while over-watching open areas in northern New England. I've also owned a couple of the regular 44 Carbines and all have been more accurate than most folks think that they are. My 44 International was made in 1967 and has a Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-5x20 installed with Redfield turn-in bases.

The men who were member's of the Maine deer camp that my Father belonged to from about 1950 to 1980 were all WW2 veterans who were almost all semi-auto shooter, mostly Remington 740/742s in 30-06 and Ruger 44 Carbines. I have a framed picture of my Father and Bearrr264's Father posing with a couple of nice whitetail bucks on the top of a green Jeep Wagoneer and their Ruger 44 Carbines in their hands on Main Street in Colebrook, NH, in either 1967 or 1968.

I'm with you there. The Ruger ads were very compelling as was the price (not that I had it). Now I just think there are better options in .44. The cartridge, based on the couple deer I've whacked with it, is a good killer.

Almost all the Rugers I've seen in the used rack have been used hard, apparently.

Anyone have experience with the Deerfield carbine?

Yep. I picked this one up at a Houston pawn shop for cheap about ten years ago. It shoots both the 270 gr GD and 250 gr Partition pretty well. That said, I have yet to kill something with it.

My dad has one and Im pretty sure He will take it to the grave with him. He absolutely loves the thing and has tons of parts for it. Its one of the few that he wont even loan me.

He also has an old 77/44 thats pretty cool as well.

I have always liked them, but never owned one.

I bought one in the 80's and did not own it long. I understand parts are hard to find

If anyone needs a Ruger 44 Carbine worked on, the guys to call are the Rody brothers, Bill & Henry, at Rody's Gun Shop in Newport, NH, 603-863-3356. Bill & Henry know more about Ruger firearms than most other living people and if in the rare instance they don't know, they know who to call to get the answer.

I have one that I bought 10+ years ago at a pawn shop for $450. Not quite beat to hell, but it was hunted with. Functions fine, not overly accurate, 2.5-3" at 100yards, with Winchester white box .44 mag 240grn jsp. I've never shot any other loads through it, If I needed more accuracy than 3" @100, I'd use a different rifle anyway. Never had any trouble with it, and my wife loves shooting it. It has a long drawn out recoil like an auto shotgun.

Good to know if I get the itch again ...I was looking real hard at a 77/44

I have three o them. Great little guns. Decent hog guns down here

I got my ruger 44 carbine for $50 from a guy who I worked with about ten years ago who was liquidating everything he had to buy a sailboat and cruise the world. He bought it new back in the 70s and was tired of dragging it around. He claims he ran about a box and a half of rounds through it. Planning on using it in Ohio this year in the big timber. I just scoped it with a leupold 1-4 x20 pig-plex I had on the shelf. Havent shot it with the scope on it yet but it had ok accuracy with the irons. I never shot anything with it past 50 yards and it was grouping a bit under 2 inches with three shots. Im not a master with irons so i cant judge a rifle on my shooting.
Dang right about parts I waited about 3 months for some weaver bases.
So far Im doing pretty good with rugers I gave my brother $100 bucks back in the mid 80s for a like new ruger tanger in 3006 so he could take his new girl friend out. One of the best shooting rifles I own.

I worked with a guy that owned one and only hunted that carbine. That is why I bought mine in the 80's just to see. He killed 30+ bucks with it in the adjoining states and was all the gun he needed.

Parts are hard to find, My dad has been collecting parts and pieces for these things for like 30 years, He could probably build another one with all the parts her has. The local LGS where he lives knows he has all these parts and occasionally calls him up because they have customers looking for parts and offering top dollar. He passes every time and keeps the parts in the family. Its hilarious how much he loves the 44 carbine.

I dig them. Handy little things.

I've owned three and none of them worked well. They jammed with every kind of ammo I tried in them. A nice idea poorly executed as far as I am concerned.

I've owned five of them, I keep them for a while then ask why I need it, sell it and then miss it. Go figure. All of them worked well when kept clean and used with full power loads. Most were accurate enough (2 MOA with a low power scope) but with two of them it took some work to get there. They like to have the recoil lug bedded so the action is suspended tension free. I'm a fan, and the next one I buy will probably stay. However, recent law changes allowing their use for deer in a formerly restricted area of MI has made them hard to find and expensive.

Never had a problem with mine. Only ever shot factory JSP's.

Always minute of 12 pack beer box.

I've had a couple. One was a standard and it worked well for short distance hunting. Never had any problem with it. Somebody came along and wanted to give me silly money for it, so I sold it and got a like new, rare peep sight model. Now that one is worth so much I don't hunt with it any more and use a beat up Marlin 1894 instead. Great little guns.

The Ruger is a fine little carbine, and I have owned one. I switched to the Marlin 1894 though, because I wanted to use heavier bullets. With the 270 grain Speer GD SP, it's a killing machine for Southern swamp deer.

What is their twist? will 300 gr fly well?

Oh!! My baby!! A few years ago I was a friggin' nice guy to a so called friend. Loaned him my Ruger 44 carbine so he could hunt. Turns out he loans it to his buddy to use. Dropped it. Busted the rear sight off it. Cracked the stock. I called Ruger and they sent me a replacement sight for free. An exact replacement. I went to shoot it and.... It doesn't work. A part is missing. Thanks 260Remguy, I am gonna call that gun shop and send them the rifle to figure it out. Who makes replacement wood stocks? Don't EVER be that nice guy when it comes to loaning a backup rifle out. I hope that scumbag gets cancer.

I bought one new when they came out, seem to remember it cost $150, which was quite a bit of cash then. Reloaded for it with a old Lee Loader, using Speer half-jacket bullets. It was light and handy, accurate enough, and mild mannered. Forgot what happened with it, but probably traded it in on something completely forgettable. Too bad they don't figure a way to bring them back, I'd pop for another.

Have any of y'all ever used a suppressor with one of these, I think that would be neat.

Depends on the length of the bullet and the velocity you push it to. With Max charge of H110 under a 300 gr. XTP, mine does OK out to about 75 yards. Beyond that there was obvious keyholing on the paper target.

I bought my wife one several years ago to hog hunt with, as she wasn't doing to well with her .243 on the pigs. She killed two the first weekend we tried the Ruger .44, and I shot another that was father than she wanted to try. Wonderful hog rifle for thick woods, never had a problem with ours. I have only shot factory ammo, but thought about trying sub sonic hand loads to see if it would cycle to possibly consider suppressor use.

Mike

My dad has had a few, still has one.........a '66 fingergroove that's minty.
I filled a bonus tag when IN first allowed PCR.
236gr Norma factory load.
65 yards, iron sights.........saw a white flash above the gun. Was the deer doing a backflip.
DRT (angled down and quartering too..........nuked spine and off shoulder).

Cool rifle!

But I was hunting a rough place and I was constantly worrying about putting a scratch or dent on the stock.

Put 2 little dings in my #1 RSI last yr pushing a creek bottom. Eh, it's got crap wood anyway, plus it's MY rifle so don't care (most boring stock ever seen on a #1).
The .44 fingergroove isn't figured, but it's spotless...........and not mine.

He offered it for use last deer season, and I declined. It;s just too nice!
Accuracy? Not all that great. Trigger? Sucks.
But usable within 75 yards as is and the cool factor is super high IMHO.

Fetch a good penny in these parts, since PCR was allowed.

If I end up with that rifle, will put in a new aftermarket stock.
Would not run over 240gr even then.
Supposedly they split stocks pretty easily, dunno if shrinkage over time, some buffer a prob, design flaw evidenced by heavy shooting?
Not gonna chance it.

I have the Ruger 44 mag lever. Great rifle, never fails to bring home the meat at 100 YDS.

Got one as well.
I really want to load up some hot 300 grainers and take it elk hunting.

Picked up one last week from a widow selling off her husbands collection! Working in a scope and rings for it now. Has always been on my bucket list.

I keep mine stoked with Hornady 265 grain flat points over 21 grains of H110 and topped with a Leuold 2.5x. It shoots right at 1.5 inches at 50 yards with that load. I tried everything from 180 to 300 grain bullets when I first had it and it shot them all from very well to reasonably well - one inch on the small end to 2.5 inches on the large side. The 300 grain Hornady and Sierra bullets both ran right two inches.

We keep it in the camper for bears and I still hunt with it occasionally in heavy timber for moose. Haven't gotten a shot at a legal moose with it yet but have no doubt it will do the job.

Mart
It ought to shoot better than that... mine will group 2" at 100 with IRON sights. Try another load.

I had one in the late 70's/early 80's that I bought from a kook at work for $75. That little bugger would tear my thumb up pushing shells into the loading gate. Another guy offered me $150 for it so I sold it. If only I'd known....

Yep, on my Bucket List too. Had a #3 but let it get away. Another I'd like to find is a Rem 788 44Mag.


DMc : )