Best pistol cartridge/rifle combo for IN deer?

[kludge]

Well, as things narrow down it seems that the .44 mag is coming out on top in the popularity contest. It makes sense too in that it is pretty easy to stop in pretty much any place that sells ammo and buy a box of .44 mag ammo if necessary. I love Marlin lever action rifles, but the slow twist is a deal-killer for me - I like big fat cast bullets.

If that's the case go heavy with the .45 Colt and Ruger loads. It just gets better as the bullets get bigger.

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[M4Madness]

My wife just traded in her Ruger 99/44 Deerfield Carbine in last month for a new Ruger 77/44 -- she prefers the lightness and all-weather durability of it. What I think is cool is that it is functionally identical to my suppressed Ruger 77/22 pictured above it, so I'll be able to train her with the 77/22, then turn her loose in the deer woods with the 77/44.

 

[jim7310]

M4 - that is interesting as the Ruger 99/44 Deerfield was about the only autoloader I was considering. I did not care for the older Deerslayers but thought the Deerfield looked like a nice compact carbine. I had kind of ruled it out simply because there are rarely any available for sale. Was the weight the only thing your wife did not like?
Jim

 

[Leadeye]

Tough to beat the Marlin's in 44 mag and 45 lc. I use a 25 year old Marlin 1894 microgroove for hunting. The old Ranch Dog 265 grain cast bullet performs very well out to 100 yards which is a long shot in the southern Indiana woods. Look into the Wild West trigger if you buy a Marlin.

 

[M4Madness]

M4 - that is interesting as the Ruger 99/44 Deerfield was about the only autoloader I was considering. I did not care for the older Deerslayers but thought the Deerfield looked like a nice compact carbine. I had kind of ruled it out simply because there are rarely any available for sale. Was the weight the only thing your wife did not like?
Jim

The weight, and the fact that it had a wood stock -- which is a bear to keep dry in a treestand when the rain starts falling.

 

[philagothon]

The new 44 mag Pumas (made by Chiappa in Italy) have a 1:18 twist that should be great for stabilizing heavier rounds. They also have case hardened receivers and better wood than the old Rossi built Pumas. The price is also substantially higher (roughly double). I've done a lot of research trying to find the best 44 mag (for me) and this one seems to have all of the right specs, but I've not found one in-store yet to put my hands on it. I also scored a great deal on a 44 NEF handi-rifle, so I'll probably just try single shot this year.

 

[dtkw]

I'd like to hunt with my AR 458Socom somedays.

 

[kwatters]

I love the .44 for deer. I use a single shot and what more do you need? I would like to have a .458 socom but the ammo issues keep me away.
The longest shot I have taken is 75 yards, closest was 10. Strange thing about a 44 magnum is it doesn't seem to alarm the deer, I can shoot one in a herd and the others stand around. Maybe that is my ninja gun...

 

[jim7310]

I had a chance to handle the Puma and marlin bot

 

[pricedo]

You know, in over 30 years of deer hunting I can count the number of deer I have taken at distances beyond 200 yds on one hand (with some fingers left); including hunting regularly in a wide open state like Kansas. The vast majority have been taken between 50 and 100 yds. My concern has always been with accurate shot placement with a heavy enough bullet to penetrate at range and kill cleanly. I have favored large-bore cartridges pushing heavy bullets at moderate velocities.

After hearing folks so far and doing some research it seems to come down to a lever gun in 44mag, 45LC or 454. The 480 ruger looked interesting but seems unavailable now. So, of the three 44/45s - does any one have a significant advantage?

Jim

In the thick stuff where my ground blind was this year I could have hunted deer with a hammer and a head of lettuce for bait.

Any of the short range pistol caliber carbines (Ruger 96/44. Rossi Puma) in .357, .44 or .454/.45 LC would have been just fine.

They do the job without demolishing too much meat.

It's not too expensive to get lots of practice in with the pistol caliber carbines because many of them have cheaper-to-shoot "parent" cartridges like the .44 Mag./.44 SPL, .357 Mag./.38 SPL, .454 Casull/.45 LC and the better you are with your gun the better your chances.

 

[builder_one]

+1 for the Ruger 77/44 bolt action rifle. I have one and love it, it's very accurate with the full .430 diameter jacketed bullets (especially likes Winchester white box ammo). The 77/44 barrel has a 1:20 twist so it can handle the heavier bullets just fine, another good selling point for it.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I've seen reports of .357mag taking elephants and rhinos with a single shot.

 

[nsenneking]

I've seen reports of .357mag taking elephants and rhinos with a single shot.

in my personal preference i wouldnt use a 357 mag on anything bigger than deer, let alone elephant. i think someone is blowing smoke up your rear

 

[bstewrat3]

in my personal preference i wouldnt use a 357 mag on anything bigger than deer, let alone elephant. i think someone is blowing smoke up your rear

The elephant nowadays are not as hard to take down as they used to be. True trophy 100lb ivory elephants are very rare. I took my last one with a ballpeen hammer and an apple. The zoo was not happy.

 

[Sgt Rock]

You want "Hands down"? My money is on the .44 Mag. I bought a single shot, break open for cheap, put a good scope on it and I love it. It's light, easy to carry and I've used it for deer and on wild hogs in Texas, Great gun and ammo.

 

[speedsix]

Do you want the pistol to share ammo or are you just looking for a rifle that shoots pistol ammo?

 

[nsenneking]

i shoot a h&r handi rifle in .44 mag. 250 grain winchester platinum tips seem to do the trick

 

[troutline]

I use the Ruger 77/44 with handloaded 300gr XTP. They dont go far.

 

[troutline]

The deer dont go far. Sorry

 

[jsharmon7]

I've been thinking about going to a pistol caliber rifle for deer hunting over my current shotgun. Thanks for all the input so far in this thread, it's been a great read!