.44 Magnum Rifle
 

Been thinking about getting a .44 Magnum rifle, for my youngest to deer hunt with.
What are your thoughts?
Sure its good to about 75 yards.
She has to be with me within arms reach for the first few years. So I can help her stay inside that range.
I've only ever fired a 44 handgun. So I know there is significant recoil with that, but the rifle should be more manageable.

A lot of "felt" recoil can be diminished by use of a properly fit stock as well as proper shouldering form. As long as both of those criteria are met, the .44 mag lever gun is a real puppy to shoot. My longer barreled .44 mag pistols are puppies unless I have a really heavy bullet and heavy powder charge loaded up. Even then they aren't unmanageable. The real kickers are the short barreled little monstrosities. I am assuming you live somewhere that a rifle cartridge has to be of a straightwalled design or a pistol cartridge or some such? If not, I would say go with a nice .243 with a junior stock and let her rip!

The .44 mag is a good option. I'm with SH tho, if a .243 is an option I'd go with that. Nothing wrong with the .44 though. I'll be carrying one in ohio this season.
-Jake

Nah, we live in WI. In the upper NW corner. I can shoot anything I want. I personally hunt with a 7MM Rem Mag.
I was just looking for something that a smaller girl can shoot, without too much felt recoil. And that I might take along myself. (I admit this might be more for me than for her).
I already have (2) .243's but they are too much for her yet.

Thanks.

How old is she? I bought a .243 for my grandson and when I shoot it I don't even feel recoil using 100 grn rem coreloct rounds.

I've always wanted a lever 44 for short range work. Some day I'll decide I've been a good boy and get one. Or maybe I'll look around for one of the semi-autos Ruger used to make but discontinued. I've done some hunting with a T/C Contender in 44 and it untracks deer pretty impressively.

Ruger used to make a 77/44 not long ago. They sure were tempting. I wondered if the 77/357 could be rechambered to 357MAX. Now that would be a sweet little rifle.

http://www.realguns.com/articles/326.htm

I need some more details then. If the .243 is unmanageable for her, most any .44mag rifle will be as well. MOST, not all, the .44mag rifles are in a lever action configuration and are fairly light so there will be around the same recoil, maybe even a bit more, than a .243 bolt action in average weight configuration. I don't know if you reload or not, but if you do, then the .44mag has a pretty nice range of manageability. Light load a 200 grain HP XTP and gradually work her up in powder to a full power load. Then you can bring the bullet weight up to maybe a 225gr FTX, lighten the powder a grain or 3, and work her up again. But again I will state this, stock fit is of UTMOST importance! She probably can't handle your .243's because they are not built for her! If LOP is too long and she is stretching out to reach the trigger and line up the sites, then the felt recoil will be almost DOUBLE in perception.

Only 44 I've shot is the ruger carbine, compared to my wifes 7mm-08 I'd say it kicks harder than the 7-08. Might want to check into that.

She's 9 right now, so its not going to be of use for a couple years yet anyway. I'm looking for something I MIGHT get now. To have for her when she's big enough to handle it.
She really likes shooting right now, and I want to keep it that way. Not scare her off.....which is why she doesn't shoot MY deer rifle.
I may stick to the 243, and get the 44 for myself.
I just don't want her and her sister to fight about who is shooting who's gun.
That's part of why i want a different caliber, that isn't so close to the 243 that one of them might confuse it for the other before reading the stamp on the end of the casing.