Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire .44 Magnum

Killed my first deer ever with a .44 mag Ruger carbine. Shot it at the base of the tail from around 40 - 45 +/- yards. Bullet lodge just under the hide at the front if it's right shoulder. 240grain Winchester factory load, semi-hollow point. First shot put it down taking out it's hind quarters, finished it off with a second shot through both lungs and out the other side. Didn't make it more than a couple of yards from 1st shot.

Took one deer with a 30/30 out of a Remington 788 at about the same distance,150 grain Federal factory loads. Standing quartering toward me, bullet struck high on it's left shoulder and exited just behind last rib on off side. Bullet just 'penciled' through though and never expanded and it ran off. I found it dead around 125 - 150 yards away. It was full of blood. Apparently it bled out internally on the run like it was arrow killed. The bullet had passed through one lung, cut a groove in the heart and punched through the liver.

Didn't find any blood until just a short distance from were it finally dropped over dead and then it was just a couple of drops where it jumped a fence.

Only two deer with my 44 Mag Ruger pistol. 7.5 inch barrel. One deer at 50 yards and one at 25 yards. One bang flop and one ran about 50 yards. I have taken 4-5 deer with the 30-30. Again, good results there as well.

If I had to pick one for a rifle next deer season, I would pick the 30-30. I am just more familiar with it. It’s a weak argument but all I got. Never hunted with a rifle in 44 Mag.

I think either will do the job. The heavier 44 bullets could have some advantages in other scenarios.

All our game experience has been with the 270 gr Speer Gold Dot, either factory load or max charge of H110 hand loads in a Deerfield carbine with a Bushnell 3200 1.5-4x32 Firefly. First was by my wife on a NRA women's hunt for hogs in Tennessee. 300 poundish pig at probably 20 yds or so. Shoulder shot dropped & dead. Bullet not recovered. I then used it on a 150 something whitetail buck. Less than 15 yds down thru the right shoulder blade and recovered at the bottom rear of left rib cage. Buck went around 20 yds and dropped dead. Speer bullet was advertisement quality. I next shot another buck same body size but broadside as he turned. Bullet entered low left shoulder, destroyed heart plumbing and exited right shoulder. Traveled maybe 50 yds. Shot an120 lbish doe at over 75 yds bullet hit neck just ahead of left shoulder and exited. DRT. Son shot a coyote about 3 times rapidly as it spun. Dead coyote, no bullets recovered.

As a short range weapon our .44 carbine with the 270 Speer has proved to be deadly in our usage. If I had an offered shot at say a 400 lb black bear with this bullet I would be totally confident of the outcome. Low recoil deadly performance.

My big score:

In 1997 I walked into a small gun shop that was a mobile home. It was operated by a man and woman not on speaking terms.

I peered into the display case and saw a like new in box S&W 29-4 for $200.

Without asking to touch it, I said, "I'll take it!" and started pulling out money.

Once form 4473 was being filled out, I asked, "Why is it so cheap?"

They said the consignment seller was just there and wanted the price lowered, as he wanted it to sell soon.

I asked why the gun store did not buy it.
They said they did not have that much cash.

30-30 for me, a little longer range.

Ruger with 5.5" barrel in 454 casull does a fine job too.

A Yankee's input: dunno' exactly what you're asking, brother, but I can say that both will lay hogs low...

I've killed, and seen killed, animals with a lot a stuff, but not a .44 (except humans,that I recall) and have never had a chance to autopsy one. I was just kinda curious if the bullets performed well.

you can always add a few grains of viagra to the load Pat.

Gee Jim,

for some reason, I thought you were older....

and taller.....

Silly me...

Here in Indiana cf rifles have only been legal for deer the last 5-6 years.I have lots of "better"deer rifles-6x45,.243's,25-06,creedmoor etc.but the last 3 years have always used a Marlin 336A 30-30 with a 4x Leupold.8 shots from 50-221 yards,using 130 grain Speer sp starting at 2500, have taken 6 deer and 2 coyotes.This years buck scored 174".Just put a 77/44 in the classifieds-acquired after season was over or I'd try it out.

I've killed 2 big E Texas stud bucks and two medium sized. All except one medium one were well hit and required some focus and effort at tracking up through the thick stuff though they probably only went 80-120 y.

The one that didnt came by at a run and I emptied the gun, shooting until it fell. One hit at leading edge of shoulder, one behind shoulder, one in liver and one through the base of the tail. I was fairly young and had always heard to shoot until they fall. Not knowing the location of the first 3 shots, I did.

240 gr hp hand loads of my brother and really no pass throughs on body hits. I like the semiauto aspect for sneaking in the thick stuff, but would use a SP in the future.

Things are different back then. Uncles and us kids camping out in the winter. If you saw horns you needed that deer.

I've got exactly one datapoint. My best friend died last winter and I took it upon myself to take a deer with his Ruger Model 44 that I inherited.

I've taken deer with the 30-30. It is not my favorite by a long shot. I much prefer the bigger 30's. My GOTO gun for many years has been a Savage 99 with a slightly downloaded .308 round. The majority of my kills have been with 30-06 and 35 Whelen.

My load was a 240 grain Hornady XTP over H110. It wasn't MAX

I shot a nice buck at last light from a new elevated stand. The distance was 50-some yards. The buck ran about 50 yards and piled up. I'd taken out both lungs and the top of the heart. Terminal performance was in keeping with all my good whitetail guns in 30-06, 308 WIN, etc.




Bob’s Model 44 and the Buck


Will I use it again? Yes. This is a good rig for still hunting and for treestands in deep woods where the shots are going to be relatively short. Recoil was minimal.

The way I understand it, the 44 MAG is equal or superior to the 30-30 WCF out to about 80 yards, where the 30-30 has superior performance from 80-150 yards. My experience is that the 44 Mag did a better job at 50 than I ever saw out of a 30-30.

Round #2:

I've killed most of my deer with a M94 Trapper and have zero complaints about the effectiveness of a .30-30. As suggested earlier it likely has the edge for longer shots when compared to the .44, but that's somewhat of a hypothetical in the woods/brush country I hunt. Also have a Contender Carbine in .30-30 and it shoots quite well.



I don't know the .44 is quite that precise, but it is no laggard in the precision department. I don't have any problem with its recoil but some of my buddies whine a little when they shoot it. They whine about the .30-30's also.







Don't think a fella would be doing wrong either way, but my experience has been the .44 anchors deer and hogs pretty much on the spot.

When using a 30-30 and I want the deer DRT, I counterpunch the shoulder from broadside.. Normally I put the shot through the ribs because I like shoulder roasts from the oven and get an exit with a good blood trail, the only caveat being if you jump a buck and shoot it running and angling away, you are unable to get perfect broadside shot placement and even a great shot through the chest cavity may not end up with an exit wound resulting is a less than desirable blood trail.

The only deer i ever trailed up to find leaning against the side of a tree trunk to keep from falling over was one I had shot with a 44mag.

I would still consider the 44 mag for tracking up bedded mule deer in thick, low mesquite but have also considered using a shotgun with buckshot for the quick follow up shots.

I would prefer a Browning short-track, light, well balanced, and short in 243 or 308 due to the possibility of the vegetation opening up and possibly needing to take a 200-300 yard shot.

I've shot close to 20 deer, here in Indiana, with a .44 mag. A few with a Marlin 1894, and several with a CVA Scout rifle. None ever got away. My go to load has been the 225 gr. lever/evolution.

Killed one with a 225gr Speer HP out of a 6" 629, and one with a Federal factory 240gr HP, the one with the post, from a 77/44. The first was spined, but the second was chest-shot, and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the wound cavity from one made with an '06 or .270. Writer Brian Pearce has compared the effects of the .44 from a rifle to a .30/06, and while we're at it, the .357 to a .30/30, within their ranges of course.

Carried my little Low Wall one morning this past season on a doe day, but no luck. It'll go again next season.

Some years ago I was scouting for a place to put a treestand on a local WMA. Found a locust tree with considerable bear claw marks, and right in the midst of them, a jacketed .44 slug stuck in the heavy bark. Don't know if the two were connected, but it makes for interesting speculation.

How's that Contender balance, and what's the length and contour of the barrel? I signed up for one of the new ones by Lehigh Defense/SSK and am still thinking about what my first barrel will be, assuming they ever actually get to market.

I should mention that I do own both in lever action carbines. I have made more kills with the 30-30 but have more confidence in the 44.