Would you make this trade?

[TedH]

Might have an opportunity to trade a 1977 Marlin 444 for a Ruger Deerstalker 44 mag. Carbine. The Marlin is real nice and a good shooter, the Ruger Is 98%, super clean. The main thing holding me back is that I've heard varying reports on the accuracy of the Rugers. Some say 4-5" at 100 yards is the norm, which I wouldn't want. Others say 1.5-2" isn't hard to get. Which I'd be perfectly happy with. So what's the deal?

[Blaine]

Personally, I'd stick with the .444..... The .44 magnum +P

[jnyork]

I would stick with what I have.

[Pete44ru]

.

The Ruger .44 Carbines are about the sweetest-handling deer rifle I've ever had the pleasure to own/shoot/hunt. (I've owned several old models and one newer Deerfield)

I always got minute of deer ear with my Ruger .44 Auto Carbines, both the old tube magazine model and the Mini-14 style .44/99 Deerfield's.

If the .44 Ruger is the Mini-14 based .44/99 Deerfield, there's little to worry about except a caveat to use JSP or JHP boolits in it. (likewise the older tube-fed .44), unless you like frequent complete disassamblies to chear a clogged gas system; BUT, if it's an older tube-fed .44, there one very important part that MUST be OK, since it's both unrepairable, and a replacement is made of unobtainium. (Ruger does not support the gun for either parts or service)

The part I'm referring to is the trigger housing, which also carries the cartridge feed mechanism, and is connected to the bottom of the receiver via a set of interference lugs.

The lug(s) can either crack or break off, allowing the forward end of the trigger housing to "float" under recoil/cycling, leading to jamming, (which makes it a single shot rifle).

If you decide that you might like to trade, there are two ways to find out if the housing is trashed:

* 1st/best way - remove the barreled action from the stock, and physically try to move the front of the trigger housing, up/down/sideways/whatever - any movement at all is unacceptable.

* Alternatively, hold the assembled Carbine upside-down, with the buttstock firmly under one arm and the hand of that arm firmly holding the stock and receiver from their top sides.

At the same time the gun is held securely, insert the thumb/finger of the other hand into the rear of the magazine tube far enough so the bottom metal of the housing can be grasped between the inserted digit and another digit on the outside of the lower metal.

Try to move the metal a bit, up/down in relation to the stock & receiver - as before, ANY movement is unacceptable.

Caveat Emptor, Ted - & good luck.


.

[Stan in SC]

Four years ago I went thru 7 .44 Magnum rifles in an attempt to find one that shot accurately.None did.They were three Ruger carbines(one a lever action),a lever Winchester,an NEF Handi,a Ruger bolt action model 77 and a Rossi single shot.I never could get decent accuracy from a .44 magnum rifle.My Ruger Super Redhawk outshot them all.I gave up.
If I were you I would keep the very desireable .444.

Stan in SC

[Griff]

No.

[Sixgun]

No.

Griff said it right. I've had two of those old Ruger 44's and they don't cut the mustard. Not bad, but nothing to write hone about.

Unless......you want a new toy to play with. Either one is easily replaceable.----6

[AJMD429]

If I were you I would keep the very desirable .444.

Me too, except I would consider a Ruger 96/44, just because they are a handy, detachable-magazine, easily scoped, one-piece stocked (easier to clean if you get rained on), carbine that is 'reasonably' accurate. However the 444 Marlin is going to be very predictably powerful, and probably pretty accurate once you find its pet load; the semiauto 44's would be perhaps less predictable, but more interesting, if you want some novelty in your gun collection. As for the 96/44 Levergun, I wish they'd bring them back, and make them in 45 Colt and 480 Ruger and 44-40 and 357 Mag and 44 Bain/Davis, and 32-20, and about a dozen others.

Four years ago I went thru 7 .44 Magnum rifles in an attempt to find one that shot accurately. None did. They were three Ruger carbines (one a lever action), a lever Winchester, an NEF Handi, Ruger bolt action model 77 and a Rossi single shot. I never could get decent accuracy from a .44 magnum rifle. My Ruger Super Redhawk outshot them all. I gave up.

If that Ruger lever action is the one I bought from you, I'd say it is accurate 'enough' (minute of whitetail-heart). I'm not all that hot with big bore handguns, so I probably couldn't shoot my Redhawk as well as the 96/44. I briefly had a Handi-Rifle in 44 Mag, and it was super-accurate.

Bottom line - if you want predictable power, stick with your 444 Marlin, but if you want something new and different, go with the Ruger carbine..................

[TedH]

Well it seems the jury's decision is unanimous, and I better hang on to my 444. I actually was fondling the Ruger at my friends house a while back and tried to talk him out of it with cash, he declined and said if I found him a nice 444 he might trade. He's retired and on a fixed income, so his new guns must come in the form of trades. That was my intent when I got this 444, but I made the mistake of shooting it and putting some TLC into it, and I really don't want to part with it now anyway.

I also wasn't aware of the problems with the Rugers that Pete brought up, so thank you for that Pete.
I might keep an eye out for another 444 to make the trade deal, but for now the deal with be on hold.

[mikld]

Not sure I'd do the trade either, but I sure do like the carbine (ain't owned one yet). FWIW, I have a .44 Mag. Rossi Puma, and with patience and working up loads I can get 3"-3 1/2" at about 100 yds (on a good when day my eyes are working right). My best groups were with Ranch Dog's 265 gr. RNFP, over some Bluedot. Biggest hurdle was to get bullets to fit (I customized a Lee sizer to .433"). So I believe decent accuracy is attainable with a .44 Mag. long gun...

[TedH]

I've always wanted one of those little Rugers, and this was the first one I've ever had my hands on so I was enamored from the start. They aren't common around these parts.

[Old Savage]

On the subject of 44 Mag rifles. One group through a B92 with Winchester white box factory 240s - a clover leaf at 50 yes. Stopped there.

[superchicken]

It's all personal choice, but I'm not the sort that would trade a lever for an auto. They just don't talk to me. I have a Belgian A-5 that I keep threatening to trade. I bought it when I was 10 years old because that's what my grandfather hunted with. That's the only thing that has kept it around. I have not hunted with it in years. They are great guns, but auto's are not my thing.

[Paladin]

Trade No, In .44 Mag rifle try a Marlin 1894 if it shoots as well as the one I bought for my daughter you will be happy with it.

[6pt-sika]

Well I have a couple 444's and a Ruger 44R carbine !

Well that's actually the third Ruger 44R I've owned . Got the first in about 1973 for Xmas when I was 12 . Sold that one to a friend when I was 20 or so . Later got a used one and eventually broke it so down the road it went after I got it fixed . My present Ruger 44R carbine is one my maternal grandmother gave my maternal grandfather for Xmas in about 1976 , he wanted one after I got the first one I had .

While I am a confirmed 444 user and shooter , the present Ruger 44R carbine will be with me after all the 444's are gone . But it ain't a matter of which is better it's a matter of it belonged to my grandfather PERIOD .

[TedH]

Trade No, In .44 Mag rifle try a Marlin 1894 if it shoots as well as the one I bought for my daughter you will be happy with it.

Got one of those already, but there is something about the little autoloader that has appeal. I'll wait till another one comes along, or I find another 444 to snag and trade my buddy.

[bigfred44]

my experience with 44 mag is when they are loaded hot like you would want them accuracy suffers, I have killed a good few deer with a marlin 44 the last one I killed with it was about 70 yrs aiming at the boiler room I hit it in the neck not where I was aiming but dead as a doornail