Ruger ,44 mag Auto loader Q's...

[hogdogs]

My dad just asked if'n I knew whatever happened to the Ruger .44 auto loader they once had...

Well tickle my toes and make me giggle... I never knew of such a beast. He went on the say... "Back in about '64 I worked for a sporting goods store and we took one out back and run a few dozen rounds thru it, cleaned it and put it back on the rack" He mentioned it had a rotary mag. I wasn't born til 68 and never heard of it...

Any ideas?
Brent

 

[steveno]

if it had the rotary magazine then it was second attempt at a 44 mag auto rifle by Ruger. the first version had a tubular magazine that was loaded in front of the trigger guard. as is usually the case nobody really wanted the rifle until Ruger dropped it. I think the first verson was a better rifle. the first attempt was a very heavy duty 10/22. the second attempt was more of a mimi-14 converted to fire a 44 mag.

 

[hogdogs]

Just called "pops" and he said as he drove home he remembered that the rifle was tube feed and the .22 10/22 had the rotary mag... Can't hold him to too high detail as he just turned 69 a couple months back
Brent

 

[PetahW]

The rotary mag .44 was the 99/44 Deerfield, introduced in 1999 - a few years after 1964 IMHO.
They were basically Ruger Mini-14's on steroids.

A 1964 version would have been a relatively early .44 Auto Carbine (1961-1985) - argueably one of the best short range hunting rifles in the world.

It was dropped because it got too expensive to produce, since the receiver was machined ILO investment cast like most other Ruger arms.

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