salty

I was just reading another post where someone said that the 44 magnum rifle was nearly the same as a 410 shotgun slug (ballistics)..... is this true? I bought a marlin lever action SS rifle 44 mag for my wife but I have recently taken a liking to it and carry it hunting behind my house since the most I can shoot back there would be 100 yrds max. There are some large black bears in the area and I would rather not tick them off with a 44 mag. I think I will go back to my ruger m77 300 win mag

DM

.410 shotgun shoots a 95 grain soft lead slug at just over 1,000 fps. 44 mag. shoots a 240 grain jacketed bullet out of a handgun over 1300 fps... (depending on the load and bbl length of the gun)

I think that right there tells you the power difference, and don't forget the .410 isn't going through a rifled bbl. so accuracy won't be good at any longer distance...

The problem with 44 handguns is they are hard to shoot, not that they don't have any power. 44 rifles fix that problem and also push the bulleteven faster because of the longer bbl. that a rifle has.

"Properly" hit, a blk bear hit with a 240 grain bullet out of a 44 rifle at 100 yards is a dead bear... Personally, i'd like a bit more gun, but the 44 WILL do the job if needed.

DM

HEAD0001

The two may be comparable on the charts? But i do not believe there is any comparison in the field. My 1894 Marlin is an effective, and accurate deer rifle out to 150, maybe 175 yards. I have shot a couple of deer at 135 to 140 yards with it. No problems at all. I do not think I would have taken those shots with a .410 shotgun.

I will admit that I would rather have my lever action 45-70 over the 44 mag for bear. But I would not feel undergunned with the 44? I would rather have 2 or 3 fast shots from a 44, than 1 shot from a bolt action 300 magnum, if I needed it in a hurry. Are you allowed to hunt these bears? Sounds like fun to me. There are alot of bear hunters here in WV, and the lever action 30-30 and 44 Magnum get alot of carrying time. They are lightweight, fast handling, accurate to hunting distances, and give fast follow up shots. You see alot more levers, and pump shotguns, and very few bolt actions. Tom.

TUK101

Really though it depends on if you are comparing the 410 shotgun slug to a 44 magnum pistol, or a 44 magnum rifle? Sure, ballistically the 410 may give similar #'s on paper to a 44 mag from a pistol, but out of a rifle barrel you pick up 200 fps+ and more accuracy. Plus a .44 bullet makes a helluva hole lol. Thats one of the things that people rave about with the .44 magnum rifle is that it is a great bear gun. I own one and cannot tell you how effective it is on game yet since I didnt have the opportunity to find out yet this year. But there is next year and I am excited as heck to find out.....

salty

ok thanks.. just want to make sure I am not undergunned if I happen to run into Boo Boo the 600 pound boar.... And YES, there are alot of bears in my back yard... and it is legal to hunt them.. Honestly, I'd rather let them walk than shoot after my experience with my 360 pound black bear I got during the 2000 archery season.

James B

I like the 300 grain XTP from Hornady for big game in the 44 Magnum. JMO

HEAD0001

The 300 grain XTP is a fantastic bullet. Problem is that in alot of the 1894's they will not feed. Too long. They will not feed in mine, or I would be shooting them. Tom.

James B

According to Hornady, when crimped in the outer crimp ring, the 300 Grain properly seated has the same over all length as the 240 XTP. Both are 1.600. They feed through my Marlin when loaded to that COL.

DANTHEHUNTER

I like the 275 gr. out of my RSRH 7.5 in barrel. They will remove the finger prints!!!!