New (to mee) bang.. BANG!!

rolling18 · Feb 9, 2011

Greetings peoples,
Freshly back from the gun show I walked out with a very old Ruger .44 mag carbine.

I have long wanted a small/ short auto-loader rifle that could shoot the same ammo as my pistol and can easily re-load. :s0155:

This rifle just "spoke" to me of the ones I could find they were WELL over $500
even on line nice shape ones were over $600 :s0112:

I hope i didn't get taken when I paid $450 for the one I got. definaatly in "shooter" condition (has a lifetime garruentee from dealer) this is my first purchase from a gunshow:huh:

Also bought a new Buckmark ultragrip target Bull barrel

but my main concern is the .44
what are your thoughts?
experiences?
mods?
advice?
thanks!!

salmonriverjohn · Feb 10, 2011

I love my super Black hawk in .44 mag. Also have a .41 mag that's great. The magnums are not much of a combat weapon,,, unless you connect first! Lots of buck with the old three screw. Im sorry, but I don't have any long guns to draw any experience from. Enjoy!

Spitpatch · Feb 11, 2011

I've had a Ruger .44 Carbine for about 20 years. Originally called the "Deerstalker". It is an ideal choice for Coastal blacktail deer hunting, and a buddy borrowed mine for a hog hunt and said the guide wanted to buy it (a fine testimonial). Very reliable, and the only drawback I've ever experienced is when a friend gave me some "mild" .44 Mag handloads. The gun would cycle them most of the time, but not all the time. Fed stout loads (no hitches at all with anything factory, or handloads at least of midrange power), it functions flawlessly. There are also reloading manuals that have a seperate section for rifle-power loads in the .44, including the Deerstalker. You can really stoke them up if you want, but don't put these in a weak pistol.

Old load I used for years: Speer 240g HP, 24.0g IMR4227
Newer load that increased accuracy significantly: Hornady 240g XTP, 24.0g WW296.

As always, start milder, work up, and verify these loads in the book before you toss them into a weak pistol!

I have a gool ol' 2.5x Weaver on mine with a post reticle. Fast on the target.