Russian M44

[Centauri]

Are they any good for deer hunting? I saw one at Gander Mtn. The price is perfect and it looks pretty cool too!

[Briman]

They're cheap. They're are fairly heavy, unless you remove the bayonet. They are about as powerful as a .308, wolf makes soft point ammo for them.

Downsides- they were put together by communist labor- which is about a half a step above or below slave labor,depending on your point of view. Quality is pretty low for a military rifle, accuracy ranges from good enough for hunting at 100 yards to shotgun-like patterns at 25 yards.

If you buy one with hopes of using if for hunting, it might meet your expectations, or you might be sorely disappointed.

As for price, I wouldn't pay more than $70 for one. The local GM has them for $149. For $50 more than that, you could find a swiss K-31 which would make a superb hunting rifle (I use one myself).

[kodiakhuntmaster]

A lot of people in my area use the M44 for deer hunting. The 7.62x54 round has fair range and power.Like the previous poster said, it's about the same as the .308.

You can find really good deals on the M44, but you have to take a good look at the bore before you get one. Make sure the bolt moves freely and the lands and grooves are still sharp. Don't worry too much about what the stock looks like, you can always sand that down later, like most Russian rifles the M44 is about as smooth as a brick.

The sights are fairly crude, but there are plenty of kits you can order to put a scope on one. Accuracy is largly dependant on the type of ammo you get. Most people I know that hunt with these take the bayonet off, as that helps keep the weight down and balance the rifle out better. You can even get synthetic stocks for them too.

I saw a few of these still being used in Iraq (but the Mosin Nagant model 91/30 is more popular there) when I was deployed, and the people I talked to over there said they were made to be shot with the bayonet extended unlike most other military surplus rifles. Hunting accuracy seems to be about the same as a 30-30.

In short from what I've seen is that the accuracy is fair, price is good, they are heavy, unusually loud, the fit and finish is fairly poor, but they can be worked on and improved very easily. They are a good deal if you can find one for under $100. If nothing else, sporterizing one makes a great inexpensivewinter project.