I have been looking at these since seeing one at the 1976 Saskatoon Gun Show. I finally found a good price on one and it is in the mail as we speak. I know it's not a big bore in energy but I figure it will make a good family rifle for canoe trips into bear country. Short, light and recoilless enough to be shot by the entire family except maybe my 5 year old!

Any experience with these?

No experience with it, but if you survived 32 years without having to buy one, you must not have had much use for one.

George

Yes..I survived, after a fashion, but is mere survival enough? These are the existential questions I try to ask and answer when explaining the new purchase to my wife.

Why explain? Does she check with you on every purchase she makes?

Just buy the damned thing. If you don't like it, sell it off.

George

Lotta fun to shoot.

...........North 61 ;;I got one for my wife in 01 , I was very unhappy with it as it jammed quite often ......With only a 4 shot clip it wasn,t any great shakes as a rifle ............Got rid of it and got her an 06 which I figure is similar in killing ability on a bear ......Both are nice girls guns but the 06 was a bolt Ruger so it fed like a hungry wolf ... .It had a bit of a problem in other areas and so I got my wife a 308 Ruger Compact ....Perfection at last .......For a girls gun any way ........with 165 gr Federal Nosler Partitions in the High Energy loading it is quite close to the 06 ballistically anyway ......She loves it and that is pretty much that ...

I have two but mine are the earlier model which had the tubular magazines. I never had a failure to feed due to the mechanism. I did have a failure when I tried to use 44 Special ammo. There was not enough gas pressure to fully operate. Aside from that, never any problems.

I never killed a bear with my 44 Ruger Carbine. I did kill three elk with it and it was very effective. All three were in oak brush, one at 20 yards, and the other two about 50 yards.

Since I have been hunting bear, I went to a Marlin 1895 Stainless GG in 45-70. I believe that it is more suitable for a bear confrontation and is still convenient to carry and use quickly.

Good luck with your 44 Carbine.

Thanks guy's. I have many rifles for bear. A Rem 660 in 350 Rem Mag a Ruger 77 in 358 Norma and a 450 Marlin are all up to the challenge. Problem is my wife/ daughter aren't able to shoot them very well. I can download the Marlin to standard 45-70 ballistics and a 405 Rem at 1300fps would do the trick but the Marlin is a bit heavy. My wife shoots her Rem 600 in 6mm Rem well but I'd prefer something with a tad more authority though loaded with 115 Barnes bullets (I have 300 left) performance is pretty good.

The 44 Ruger is 5.75 pounds and should be easy to handle. 240 bullets at 1700fps ought to penetrate very well. The one I have coming also has the tubular magazine.

........North ... I think that is a better rifle as far as feeding goes ... a hunting buddy of mine used to hunt deer all over Kruzof Is. with the same tubular magizine model and had great success with it ....
The one I got for my wife was the Deerfield and it wasn,t too great ...

Thanks...boot. Fellow I knew in Iqaluit had a couple of these old tube fed Auto Rugers and he seemed to like them very well. I never saw them shoot but always really liked the size. A lot like the M1 Carbine ergonomically but with twice the punch.

I'll know first hand soon enough.

I like both the old tube fed Ruger 44 and the new clip fed one. They are fun 100 yard deer gun.

quote:

Originally posted by North61:
Yes..I survived, after a fashion, but is mere survival enough? These are the existential questions I try to ask and answer when explaining the new purchase to my wife.

In the USA we simply note: "It's not the Bill of Needs. It's the Bill of Rights."

I have a Marlin 1894 carbine in 44 magnum. It's a great all-round caliber in a nice package.

North 61

My first centerfire rifle was the Ruger 44 Deerstalker [the old model with tube mag].

I killed many a deer with it. I always shot 240gr bullets, first factory then reloads.

Did not have the heavyweight bullets back then.

Wish I still had it.

I have had 2 other 44's a Marlin and I now have a Winchester 16" bbled Trapper.

I killed a pig the other day with a 225gr hornady Leverevolution with good results.

My Winchester also shoots the 270 speer factory load real good. It shoots Federal 300gr Cast Core loads great too, but i would not recommend lead bullets for the Gas operated Ruger.

The 44 Mag rifles I have fired all have had the 1 in 38" twist.

They shoot in almost one hole out to 75 yards, but start to open up after that.

The heavier bullets shoot best in my Winchester.

I killed deer out to 125 yards with my Ruger.

I never had any problem with it shooting factory or handloads with 2400 or H-110 powders.

I shot it a lot.

Good stuff. Thanks so much!

North61

Let us know how the Ruger shoots.

I have one I'll sell if anyone is interested

quote:

Originally posted by bradhe:
I have one I'll sell if anyone is interested

Is it a stainless 77/44? If so, I'll buy it.

I’ve had a mental list of sorts of the guns that turned my head as a kid growing up in the 1970’s and that I plan to own before my time is up. Many have no specific use nor do I have a need, just a want ...all that to say that the Ruger Deerstalker was on the list (as was a Browning Sweet 16, Ruger # 1 and 3, etc)

I’ve got mine (a Deerstalker and a 77/44 to boot) They are fun guns to shoot.

BTW, That Ruger .44 will take a big deer. Here is an interesting story from the Kentucky county I grew up in:

THE STORY (from http://www.huntstats.com/whitetail.deer.records.html)

1964 was Kentucky's first deer hunting season in 40 years and the season was only one day long. C. W. Shelton was going to make the most of this one day hunting season, even though it was raining and miserable. About mid afternoon C.W. climbed up into a big old tree to watch a well used game trail. It wasn't long before the buck named 'Big Red' was trotting down that same game trail and stopped in an opening only 50 yards away. C. W. pulled up his .44 magnum rifle and got off 4 shots as the buck turned to flee. The huge buck was hit hard and was struggling through the trees and brush with C. W. in hot pursuit firing many more shots as he went. As the huge buck struggled to get up the last time, C. W. fired two more shots for a grand total of 14 rounds. He finally had to finish the job with his knife. Big Red field dressed at 260 pounds and his antlers had an incredible outside spread of 34 4/8 inches. The gross score of this very wide rack is 201 3/8.

Hunter C.W. Shelton
Harvested: 1964
Location: Todd County, Kentucky
No. of Points: 16
Score: 185 2/8 Non-Typical

NE..I thought you still had that gun???

I have had two of the older tube feed models. The first was a Deluxe with the built in Williams peep sight, white ramp front and sling swivels. Put a 1.5-5 Leupold on it and it shot well with 240s but down right MOA with 180 Sierra JHC bullets and 30 grains of H110.

Bob

Bob I wish I still did. I have almost bought another one several times. My brother has one and I hope to shoot it side by side with my Winchester Trapper 44 this weekend.

Let me know what you think...KTP has at least 10 of them and I'll take a look at them should you decide you can't be without one. They ran from $300 to $650.00...

I'm sticking with my 77/44 All-Weather. Very accurate and makes a great rainy day rifle...

Bob

I've owned several of the older Ruger 44 Carbines and still have 1 of the mannlicher stocked 44 Internationals. I've shot several whitetails and a couple of hogs with with this rifle, mounted with a Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-4.5x, and using Remington 240 grain factory loads.

Jeff

Thanks Bob I will let you know.

I see thay have a H&K 91, suprised you have not jumped on it.

I wonder it Mr Shelton was having a twinge of buck fever ??
Understandable

The original ones with tubular mags were popular with southern hunters in the thick bottoms here. They pitch a 200 or 240bullet that will well and truly anchor a deer and they are light and easy to handle. I think every man in our family has one and won't part with them. Kudude

It arrived...It is a 1962 build and works very well with 240 Remingtons. Very fun to shoot, nice size holes in the paper and bullets hold together well in wet clay. The 60's vintage 1.5 Weaver post/crosshair fits rather nicely.

My new canoe gun for sure.