longcoldwinter
New member
I inherited a 44 Mag Marlin and I am curious just what kind of animals you hunt with 44 Mag. It seems too big for small game and too small for big game.
Hunt with a 44 mag Marlin?
- Thread starter longcoldwinter
- Start date
Swampghost
New member
Good hog gun too! With solids it probably would be good for Black Bears and similar sized game. 240 gr. JHP's will go through an oak 2X4 edgewise @ 100 yds. so there is still a lot of energy left at that range.
I don't know what you mean by small game but if we're talking rabbits and squirrels, you're right, it's a bit much.
I don't know what you mean by small game but if we're talking rabbits and squirrels, you're right, it's a bit much.
chrisp0410
New member
This was my very first hunting rifle and has taken several whitetail deer and wild boar. A decent 240 grain JHP was all I ever used but now there are several dedicated bullet designs to hunt deer, boar, black bear, etc.
Best of luck.
Chrisp0410
Best of luck.
Chrisp0410
44 Magnum
What you as a shooter and hunter can get out of a 44 magnum is directly related to whether or not you reload your own ammunition(and cast your own bullets).
I have gallery loads for small game that are almost totally silent when shot-Then all the way up to hard hitting rounds that are easily elk medicine at reasonable distances.
My 44 magnum Marlin 1894 is my favorite rife to hunt with. It is not my long range rifle. But for hunting at 200 yards and in. It handles extremely fast, and the open sights are more than what is needed out to 200 yards.
The trick to the 44 magnum is simple. I can cast, load, and shoot well over 500 rounds for less than $100. Practice with a rifle is what makes you good with the rifle. I can shoot my 44 all day long. Recoil is manageable, the 44 magnum round will not wear out a barrel. And the more you shoot a lever actiion the slicker the action gets.
There really is something to a lever action 44 magnum.
I do not suggest one to a shooter who is going to shoot a box of shells every two or three years. But if you want to be a serious shooting rifleman then a 44 magnum or a 45-70 is the way to go. As I said earlier if you reload, you can shoot all day on the cheap. Tom.
What you as a shooter and hunter can get out of a 44 magnum is directly related to whether or not you reload your own ammunition(and cast your own bullets).
I have gallery loads for small game that are almost totally silent when shot-Then all the way up to hard hitting rounds that are easily elk medicine at reasonable distances.
My 44 magnum Marlin 1894 is my favorite rife to hunt with. It is not my long range rifle. But for hunting at 200 yards and in. It handles extremely fast, and the open sights are more than what is needed out to 200 yards.
The trick to the 44 magnum is simple. I can cast, load, and shoot well over 500 rounds for less than $100. Practice with a rifle is what makes you good with the rifle. I can shoot my 44 all day long. Recoil is manageable, the 44 magnum round will not wear out a barrel. And the more you shoot a lever actiion the slicker the action gets.
There really is something to a lever action 44 magnum.
I do not suggest one to a shooter who is going to shoot a box of shells every two or three years. But if you want to be a serious shooting rifleman then a 44 magnum or a 45-70 is the way to go. As I said earlier if you reload, you can shoot all day on the cheap. Tom.
Swampghost
New member
If you just want to play around with it buy the .44 SPL Cowboy Action rds.(240 gr. @ around 800 FPS) recoil is a joke and if you can get head shots on those rabbits and squirrels inside of 50 yds...........
I've shot mine @ 200 yds w/240 Mag's and the drop is about 18"s. I'll post more after the next trip to the range.
I've shot mine @ 200 yds w/240 Mag's and the drop is about 18"s. I'll post more after the next trip to the range.
bottom rung
New member
The 1894 is one gun that I can truly be a "rifleman" with. In other words, give me my Ruger M77 MKII in .30-06 and watch me make terrible groupings, wabble, and flinch. Give me my 1894 in .41 Mag. and I will hit soda cans at 100 yards with irons offhand. This is the one gun that I can impress folks with. The beautiful thing about these heavy hitting pistol calibers in rifles is that are very shootable. I am planning on taking my .41 Mag. out for deer this year. I would like to take a bear with it someday. .44 Mag. is plenty for deer and black bear. So is .41 Magnum.
longcoldwinter
New member
Good to know its a versitle round, I like having at least one gun I can take deer down with if I decide to go hunting in the future. Most of my guns are either target type or self defense
George Hill
Staff Alumnus
26 out of 28 of my White Tail were taken with a .44 Magnum 336 Marlin. (Yes, a 336 not an 1894)
The other two were taken with a Bow and a .30-06.
The other two were taken with a Bow and a .30-06.
Ben Shepherd
New member
With proper slug selection the 44 mag will cleanly take anything in the lower 48 states assuming the shooter can do his/her job. For most folks 200 yards is about the limit. After that, trajectory really comes into play due to the bullets low BC numbers.
azredhawk44
Moderator
Hard-cast, non-expanding lead roundnose flatpoints.
Unless your Marlin has a MicroGroove barrel, then stick with jacketed stuff.
But... I think the .44 really shines with hard-cast lead bullets.
Unless your Marlin has a MicroGroove barrel, then stick with jacketed stuff.
But... I think the .44 really shines with hard-cast lead bullets.
crowbeaner
New member
You can shoot a black bear in the butt and the bullet will come out his nose with a 44 levergun and stiff hardcast loads. My 1894 SRC would shoot inch groups with an RCBS 44-240-SWC over 18.5 of WW630 or 17.5 of 2400 at 100 yards with a 3x9 scope. It would kick you right out of a treestand with 25.0 of WW296 and the same bullet. Your rifle will down anything under moose with 1 or 2 well placed shots and a good hard bullet. You can also load 300 grain hardcast and shoot Bullwinkle if you place the bullet right where it needs to go. Thousands of game animals have fallen to the 35 Remington, and the 44 will stay right with the 35 out to 150 yards.
Somehow I ended up with three 1894 Marlins in 44 Magnum.
16-inch carbine
20-inch carbine
24-inch octagon-barrel rifle.
Somehow they got peep sights mounted on the receiver top.
No troubles with any of them on deer size game or even lighter African plains game in the low veldt. Some Boers really like little lever action carbines.
16-inch carbine
20-inch carbine
24-inch octagon-barrel rifle.
Somehow they got peep sights mounted on the receiver top.
No troubles with any of them on deer size game or even lighter African plains game in the low veldt. Some Boers really like little lever action carbines.
countryrebel
New member
Just got mine all sighted in today ready to hunt deer,elk and bear. They are very fun guns and very rewarding to shoot something with them.
g.willikers
New member
For longer range and flatter trajectory, check out the new Hornady Lever revolution ammo in .44M.
Info at the Hornady.com site, under Ammo, Rifle, 44M.
It looks very neat.
Info at the Hornady.com site, under Ammo, Rifle, 44M.
It looks very neat.