Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 44mag Ruger 77, serious gun or only for fun

Fellas whats the viewpoint on these? Serious hunting guns or just for fun and young hunters? Anyone here using a 44mag in carbines or leverguns to take game?

I have one set up with an aimpoint and I really like it for close quarters hunting spots. It's light, compact, and easy to tote around.

I've shot 2 deer with it using cheap federal 240 grain hollow points. Both were heart shots that hit the off side shoulder and neither one produced an exit or much of a blood trail but they also both dropped in sight. A different bullet might produce different results but this was by far the most accurate I've found so far.

Many years ago, I killed a little blacktail doe with the Federal American Eagle 240-grain JHP from a 20" Marlin lever gun. I think of that load as good for revolvers--the extra 300 fps that it gains in a carbine barrel it ruined a lot of meat on that 15-yard shot. I'd go with a heavier or slower bullet, but the 44 carbine is a proven deadly setup for the woods.

The 180- and 240-grain bullets are fine for deer. I'd use it on bigger game IF I knew that the shots would be within 100 yards and was using 265- or 300-grain bullets.


Okie John

Had one for a bit. Certainly any .44 rifle is an effective woods rifle, but the balance of mine with a 2.5 Leupold was bad, making it hard to shoot accurately offhand, and the trigger sucked. Tweaking the trigger is an easy job. The balance problem might improve with a heavier scope, might not. That barrel is pretty light and short.

My brother in law, his son and nephew have killed car loads of whitetails with his Ruger 77/44. I shot a button buck at 30yds. with his rifle and Winchester white box ammo from Wallyworld, bullet stuck right below the spine needless to say it was a bangflop !

I had an H&R trapper in 44mag. Killed a pile of deer with it. My niece now has it and has stacked up a few with it.

I replaced it with a CVA Hunter that is getting chopped to 16" and threaded.

44mag has been outstanding on deer with 240g XTPs over W296.

Have a mental hangup with guns that aren't easy 300 yarders.
Most of our hunting is under 125, but 200 pops up, and I might
go somewhere else where range can exceed what I'd try with anything.
Dont even like to carry my 30-30 in the woods.

Just me, can't help it.

That said, it would seriously work for the vast majority of
shot I take. Just not willing to concede the rest.

I used to poopoo the .44 mag carbines in my youth, probably because of some outdoor writer saying they didn't work. Several years ago I traded into a Ruger 96/44 and when they legalized that cartridge in my area I started carrying it. I don't poopoo it anymore, with cheapo Win 240Hp it's done a number on the local cervids!

My only complaint with the Ruger carbines is that they were never offered in Left Hand. Had a 77/357. Set it up with an NECG rear peep and red FO front sight. Fairly accurate at 50 yards. Fun to carry. But eventually gave it to oldest daughter because of RH action. My first deer rifle was a Rossi 92 chambered .44 Magnum. I took several deer with it. My Dad took several deer with it. Would have no concerns using a LH 77/44 for most of my deer hunting situations...

Love that camo pattern and with the stainless, great looking rifle

I had a 77/44 Stainless/Synthetic. It was a joy to carry in the woods, and the load I used, a 300 grain hardcast WFN at just under 1600 fps was good for more than deer, but that's all I ever ended up shooting with it.

I liked the rifle, but it had its peculiarities. I reduced the 14.4758 pound trigger pull with a Volquartson, floated the barrel, and shimmed the two-piece bolt. Accuracy ended up around 1.5 to 2 MOA, but with the OEM setup and 240 grain jacketed bullets, it was a stellar 4 MOA performer.

Magazine constraints dictated a 1.6" OAL. Had I been able to use the same length OAL as I could in my Redhawk, I could have probably gotten past 1600 fps fairly easily and accuracy could possibly have been improved.

But it was a woods rifle and 2 MOA was enough.

A friend who is a fan of anything Ruger wanted it for a project, he is now the happy owner of it.

Dillonbuck, I understand how you feel. I once watched a deer watch me at just over 300 yards. That sumbish knew I was carrying a Win M94 .30-30....

Edited to answer the OP's question:

I would consider it to be more than a "fun" rifle as long as you are aware of its limitations.

If somebody was shootin' at me with one inside 125 yards it would be extremely serious!

I had a 96/44 for quite a few years. It wasn't particularly accurate, but good enough for short woods work. Thing kicked like a mule on crack compared to any other 44M rifle I've ever shot, though.

I popped a couple whitetails with 240 XTPs, and one with a 240 Speer flat nose with it in the early 2000s. The XTPs were very effective, but I got tired of picking shrapnel out of my meat, because they exploded like a dang nailbomb inside both deer. The Speer wasn't as devastating in the boiler room, but still left a big exit hole and made for a quick kill.

Interesting... I have to admit I never knew there was such a thing from Ruger...

They made 2 different semi-auto 44s. The old ones were tube fed and sort of looked like a giant 10/22. The newer one was more akin to a Mini Thirty.

The 96/44 was a weird looking thing. Like a big 10/22 with a real short throw lever, fed from a 4 shot rotary mag.

Question is about the bolt action 77.

5 1/2 lb 44 mag would be a very very nice woods rifle. They need to chamber that in 350 legend or 357 maximum.

I always figured the 357 mag in the bolt would be a handy rifle.

My current deer rifle is a blued/synthetic M-77/44. It’s not a tackdriver, getting 1-1/4” groups @100,but my hunting property would only allow a 140 yard shot.
In this use most shots are 50-100 yards. Every deer shot with it has died after a short run. This is with factory 240 XTP Loads.

I had both the semi auto carbine and a 77/44 and with the Winchester white box 240 jacketed soft points they will lay down some deer. I have also shot some lighter 180 grains out of them and it’s a pup to shoot for youth hunters but still some serious deer medicine.