Cast Boolits in a Ruger Deer Slayer .44 Carbine ?

[umwminer]

I'm looking for a Ruger .44 carbine .
Years ago I had friends that had them and if I recall correctly , they told me that cast boolits performed poorly in them . these guys were fairly savvy .

Any of the Brothers here have CB experience with this rifle ?

[pietro]

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I've owned/shot/hunted with several, and 7 of the 8 members of my annual Maine deer hunting party have owned/used them over the past 35-odd years :Fire:.

They are gas-operated autoloaders that were designed around factory 240gr JSP ammo.

Plain lead boolits don't do well in them because the gas system (gas port in the barrel, the gas cylinder's bore & the gas piston) becomes quickly lead-fouled, requiring a complete tear-down to clean. (or you end up with a tube-fed single-shot rifle)

Used tube-magazine Ruger .44 Auto's (NOT the .44 Model 99/44 Deerfield Carbine) have a single Achilles heel - the lip(s) cast into the forward end of the trigger housings can eventually crack and/or break off, letting the forward end of the trigger housing (which also sthe feed mechanism that moves cartridges from the magazine tube to the chamber) float around willy-nilly, causing failure-to-feeds (cartridge jams).

The only repair to the aluminum alloy housing is to replace it, AND replacement housings are made of unobtainium now.

Ergo, ALWAYS check out a prospective purchase of one of these rifles by inserting the thumb of one hand into the rear of the magazine tube (through the bottom loading gate) while the other hand holds the receiver tightly; then try to wriggle the forward end of the housing up/down.

ANY movement of the housing is a deal-breaker.

Other than those 2 things, the Ruger .44 Carbines are absolutely one of the best deer guns to be had for close range (0-125yds) hunting, from any manufacturer.



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[Uncle R.]

I've had a Ruger .44 carbine for probably about 40 years now. (Cheez - time flies!)
I bought it used shortly after I read they'd been discontinued.
When Ruger was building them I didn't want one. I thought they were a silly idea for a deer rifle. A 300 yard gun will kill at 20 yards, but a hundred yard gun is useless at 300, so why would anyone carry such a thing?

I only bought mine because it was cheap and I figured it would rise in value, being discontinued.
I soon decided it was the best little lightweight, handy deep-woods deer rifle I'd ever seen. It makes big holes, usually on both sides of the deer, and you can get multiple hits with extreme speed if needed.

I know the official line is you can't use cast boolits but mine has gone through hundreds of cast RCBS 240 gr Gas Checked SWCs with full power loads for practice and target use. I cast them very hard and I've never had a problem with lead build up in the gas cylinder, gas port or barrel. I suspect the gas check is the key to those good results. My cast loads are just as accurate as its favorite JHP loads, which is to say roughly 4 MOA. I've never tried to use soft cast boolits for hunting. I've had great results with Hornady 240s on deer, both the old JHP and the XTPs.

I like the gun, it's handy and fun, but I harbor no illusions about reliablity. It's a finicky little devil, and functions well only after a good cleaning and oiling. When the action starts to load up with powder fouling the jams will not be far behind, and it doesn't take many rounds to reach that point. That's not a problem for hunting but can be a pain for a day at the range. Blasting the action with CLP and wiping put what gook is accessible may put you back in the game for a while, but soon enough you'll need to disassemble and clean the action.

They have their limitations, but I like mine a lot and it's not for sale.
After using mine a few times my brother went out and bought a used one for himself. That says something.

Hope this helps.

Uncle R.

[MT Gianni]

If it were me i would look at a 92 in 44 Magnum. I liked my old Rossi 44 when I hinted the thick stuff W of the Divide.

[umwminer]

Thanks to ALL for the replies and info . Really appreciate it !
Bob

[Lloyd Smale]

look into powder coated cast bullets on this fourm. It would allow you to easily shoot cast in a gas gun.

[WebMonkey]

^^+1
:)