Ruger carbine

[caprockhunter]

My dad recently picked up a Marlin Camp .45 and put a Trijicon reflex sight. I have to admit that I really like it. For low light hog hunting, it's easier to pick up than even the white line Williams front post on my .45-70. I just can't bring myself to put one on a levergun though.

So I'm thinking about other options. Does anybody have any experience with the Ruger .44 carbines? How did you like it?

[Stan in SC]

There are basically three Ruger .44 magnum carbines.The original one,the lever action and the Deerfield.The lever action is good.The older original carbines bring good prices but good luck in getting repairs or parts.Ruger will not work on them anymore.The Deerfield is basically a toughened up Mini14 action.These have had mixed reviews.I went thru four different ones last year in a quest for accuracy.I finally wound up with a bolt action model 77/44.I really like it.
In addition to being very accurate it is a beautiful rifle,stainless over synthetic.

Stan in SC

[AJMD429]

Marlin Camp 45's may look kind of 'campy', but are really nice. For true 'camp' use, a Choate Folding Stock makes them more useful, as does a Red-dot or Ghost Ring sight of some sort. They function with the 'extended' single-stack .45 ACP magazines as well, for 15 to even 25-round capacity (I stick with a 10-round one that sticks out just far enough that a clamp accessory I have can hold a Mini-Mag Light to the protruding magazine.

Ruger 77/44 Stainless guns are the same size (actually slightly smaller) than the 77/22 Ruger 'All Weather' .22 LR's, so are very trim. 'Only' hold 4 rounds in the magazine, (but if you shoot the first four hogs, the fifth one usually runs... )

Ruger 96/44 Leverguns are fast (really short and slick lever throw) and accurate enough for deer, hogs, etc. out to 100 yards. Also hold 4 in magazine. (I like the box detachables better than the slow-to-load and slow-to-unload tubular magazines, even though the traditional tubular ones are 'higher capacity').

I never owned a Ruger semiauto .44 Mag, but heard they are finniky and hard to get repaired if they are not working. If I really HAD to have a SEMIAUTO .44 Magnum, I'd just get a Desert Eagle so I could carry it in a holster instead of using a sling.

[CaptainFinn]

I LOVE my Ruger .44 Carbine, and when I lived in Florida I used it several times for hog hunting. Mine was a older model that I picked up in a trade some years back--it didn't have the button/latch to unlad the tube magazine like the later seventies/eighties era carbines, so you had to engage the safety then cycle the action to clear it.

I put Redfield windage-adjustable scope bases on it, and a 4x Weaver scope. With a handload of H110 under a 240 Hornady XTP it would shoot quarter-sized groups at 50 yards and 2" groups at 100 yards.

Heavier bullets are said to not stabilize well in the 1-38" twist barrel, but I never saw the need for 300 grainers, the 240's did the job well.

When I moved to . Virginia I continued to use it for deer and have taken three so far with it. All were one-shot kills, a neck shot on one that obliterated the spine, and two others that were through the front chest/brisket/windpipe area. Haven't recovered slugs from those three deer, but like I said, all three dropped in their tracks.

I've never had issues with cycling, I tear down the action at the end of each season, clean it completely out, and wipe all interior surfaces with Rem-Oil. High-wear areas like the camming section of the bolt and the slide rails get lubed with bearing grease.

[shawn_c992001]

I still have mine that my dad gave me that I used to take my first deer in 1994. I doesn't like anything but 240gr bullets either. It is a great woods and timber gun that packs plenty of firepower in a very light, compact, and maneuverable package. It seems to be great medicine for deer and bear around here. The accuracy is not the greatest with this rifle, it usually shoots about 2" or more at 100 yards. I have thought about floating the barrel and relieving the barrel band around the barrel to see if it will help accuracy.