Opinions on a new 44 Mag levergun purchase

[georgerkahn]

I have two .44 Remington Magnum rifles in my safe. To wit, a Harrington & Richardson Model 155 Shikari, S/n AH213xxx, 1971 Mfr; and, a Henry Model H006 Golden Boy .44 Remington Magnum S/n BB15xxx. I'm pretty much in concert with other posters -- the ONE and ONLY thing I'm not fond of is the Henry "is heavier than a dead minister" . On the other hand, this feature really shrinks affects of recoil. Shooting with sand bags on the bench this is my certain choice! I only shoot my own cast bullets, and I am by no means a champion shooter -- but, at 75 yards I seem to get most in an acceptable to me group.
For carry/field, though, I am still in love with the 1971 Harrington & Richardson Shikari. A single shot, with a built in ram-rod attachment, it seems to exude "class." The price I paid was most fair/reasonable at the time, and it is quite accurate. And, again, it is most pleasing to the eye. Sadly it obviously is not a lever gun; but, it may provide an option you had not considered.
geo

[racepres]

I have two .44 Remington Magnum rifles in my safe. To wit, a Harrington & Richardson Model 155 Shikari, S/n AH213xxx, 1971 Mfr; and, a Henry Model H006 Golden Boy .44 Remington Magnum S/n BB15xxx. I'm pretty much in concert with other posters -- the ONE and ONLY thing I'm not fond of is the Henry "is heavier than a dead minister" . On the other hand, this feature really shrinks affects of recoil. Shooting with sand bags on the bench this is my certain choice! I only shoot my own cast bullets, and I am by no means a champion shooter -- but, at 75 yards I seem to get most in an acceptable to me group.
For carry/field, though, I am still in love with the 1971 Harrington & Richardson Shikari. A single shot, with a built in ram-rod attachment, it seems to exude "class." The price I paid was most fair/reasonable at the time, and it is quite accurate. And, again, it is most pleasing to the eye. Sadly it obviously is not a lever gun; but, it may provide an option you had not considered.
geo

Yes... Options are good...had I Not been a bit open... I would Not even consider the Ruger...and I have given the single shot types some Thought...good to have a Report!!

[Bad Ass Wallace]

double post.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

If you can find one, the Browning 92 made back in the 1980's is an exceptionally nice rifle. I have the Marlin now and it is decent but nowhere as nice as the Browning.

+1 for the Browning B92 in 44 Mag. I have used mine for cowboy shooting for over 25 years. At a match per month and separate championship matches, that's about 20,000 rounds without a malfunction or fail to feed! For the last couple of years I have swapped to a Pedersoli 44/40 Lightning pump, again over 2,000 rounds without a malfunction.


Hold Still Varmint; while I plugs Yer!

[Jeff Michel]

Henry, heavy but well built. I have two, very accurate. Rossi, have one .357.......... People say they have got the bugs (rough) worked out since they went to CNC manufacturing. Mine is about two years old, light weight, handy, shoots good. Not near the quality of a Marlin or a Henry but not near the price

[racepres]

Short update... Function tested the Ruger
turns out Ruger wisdom does Not include SWC boolits!!! They just sort of feed... RF??? Like it was Made for it!!
Next... because I have ready access to the Ruger, I will experiment with them SWC's... Now I wonder how the "others" handle SWC's???
I am Increasingly afraid that main stream MFG, lean heavily toward Condoms!!! But, Not Me!!!

Edit; Turns out there are zero, Jacketed rounds on the farm!!!

[JFE]

SWC were designed for revolvers. A lot of rifles won’t feed them smoothly. Really with the way SAAMI has different specs for 44 mag pistol and rifle they are effectively two different cartridges.

If you want one load for both firearms you likely need to start with a bullet design that feeds well in levergun - that is RNFP and TC styles. If you need to go large diameter (say 0.432-0.434) for your levergun and this is too large for your revolver’s throating, then consider having the cylinder throats opened up to match.

[Dan Cash]

I doubt I would want Brass nor Octagon... but... Great Information!! Thanks


Me Thinks no Marlin, simply because of the Micro Groove, and I will shoot Cast almost exclusively.

Any one who tells you that a micro-groove barrel won't shoot cast is full of crap. As with any cast bullet shooter, the bullet must fit. But don't buy a Marlin; that leaves more for me.

[Pereira]

SWC were designed for revolvers. A lot of rifles won’t feed them smoothly. Really with the way SAAMI has different specs for 44 mag pistol and rifle they are effectively two different cartridges.

If you want one load for both firearms you likely need to start with a bullet design that feeds well in levergun - that is RNFP and TC styles. If you need to go large diameter (say 0.432-0.434) for your levergun and this is too large for your revolver’s throating, then consider having the cylinder throats opened up to match.

I have a Henry steel model in 41 mag., this thing cycles and feeds anything I have fed it.
SWC's WFN heavy, RFN, XTP's, no problems.

As for another choice I see Ruger is planning on bring back the 1894 in 44 mag.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yfl4UqN2kl4

RP

[racepres]

SWC were designed for revolvers. A lot of rifles won’t feed them smoothly. Really with the way SAAMI has different specs for 44 mag pistol and rifle they are effectively two different cartridges.

If you want one load for both firearms you likely need to start with a bullet design that feeds well in levergun - that is RNFP and TC styles. If you need to go large diameter (say 0.432-0.434) for your levergun and this is too large for your revolver’s throating, then consider having the cylinder throats opened up to match.

Good enough reason to Shoot before ya Buy!!!

Any one who tells you that a micro-groove barrel won't shoot cast is full of crap. As with any cast bullet shooter, the bullet must fit. But don't buy a Marlin; that leaves more for me.

Good info...How does your 44 marlin do with SWC's please??

[Jedman]

I just watched a YouTube video by an older man who reviews guns and he was testing the NEW Rossi M 92 in 44 mag. The one negative he found was he slugged the bore and reporter it to be , .429 bore - 434.5 on the grooves. He was testing it along side of a marlin M 1894 in 44 mag and shooting the same loads the Rossi had much lower velocities even with a 24” barrel. The extra large bore on the Rossi was definitely letting gas blow by the undersized bullets. He also claimed that the chamber was a bit oversized also. I have not heard this being a problem on older Rossi 44’s only their 45 Colts having sloppy chambers. If their bores are that large it would be a problem with cast bullets as you would need something around .436” dia.

The Henry is a good gun if the look and the price suit you. For a little more you get, checkered walnut stocks, a gun that you can easily mount an optic on, a great warranty, and a standard bore size that is proven to shoot good ?
I have only owned a Rossi 92 in 357 mag and it was a good gun but with their iron sights it wasn’t a gun I would shoot much so it went down the road. I currently own a Henry BBS in 45 Colt and it suits me well.

Jedman

[yeahbub]

One caveat on the Rossi's chambered in .44 Mag; For whatever reason, there have been times when Rossi manufactured their .44 Mag barrels at maximum SAAMI bore dimensions and it played hob with accuracy for people who didn't handload. Some years ago, one fellow had one with a .428 bore, .434 groove and he was pretty mystified that his .429 jacketed bullets couldn't be relied upon to go where he aimed. Rossi then corrected the problem and things went well. I haven't handled or shot one of the more recent examples, so I don't know what dimensions they slug at these days. Were I in the market for a '92 in .44 Mag, I'd be sluggin the bore before I layed my money down, but that's me. Nate Kiowa Jones, aka Steve at Steve's Guns is a recognized '92 expert and he stays on top of what's happening with them. You could give him a call and get the skinny on how they're doing these days.

Interestingly, a Rossi 92 in .44-40 had a precise .428 groove and shot very accurately.

[JFE]

Read the sticky below about a simple mod that will enable SWC’s to feed in Marlins:

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...lin-1894-rifle

I’d imagine that process might work with any rifle in 44

Whether a rifle feeds SWC easily or not (and some do), you can only find out by trying them in the rifle. I’d suggest trying SAAMI loaded length.

Aside from the sharp edges of a SWC that make feeding difficult, the loaded length might be too long for cycling in a rifle. Some rifles can be altered to take a longer OAL.

I wouldn’t discount microgroove Marlins as they can be made to shoot cast nicely. They need fat bullets to ensure the shallow grooves have something to hang on to. Slugging the barrel will determine what diameter bullet you need. Marlins can also be easily modified to feed a longer shell.

I would also suggest you talk to Steve Gunz as he is a Rossi expert.

[racepres]

Really great stuff especially the piece on chamfering the chamber mouth...
Keep it coming folks!!!

[jstanfield103]

Later Marlins went back to Ballard rifling, Remington and sure Ruger will when they bring theirs out. A steel Henry with the side loading gate and round barrel would be what I would be searching for after reading your requirements. But that steel Henry are not the cheapest. For me definitely the Steel Henry would do the trick and the Support that Henry provides would be well worth the extra over the Rossi.
https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/big-...eel-side-gate/

[murf205]

I have a Henry steel model in 41 mag., this thing cycles and feeds anything I have fed it.
SWC's WFN heavy, RFN, XTP's, no problems.

As for another choice I see Ruger is planning on bring back the 1894 in 44 mag.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yfl4UqN2kl4

RP

That did it! I gotta' have one of the 44's even if I have to pawn my wife's jewelry.
I'm already looking for a RF mold.

[Rrusse11]

murf,
Take a look at the Lee handgun moulds, their double cavity moulds are cheap, and will get you started. Are there better moulds,
Sure! I'd recommend their 240gr RF or the 2R. Either will do just fine in any 44Mag, and will keep you in your wife's good
graces by not breaking the bank.

[FergusonTO35]

Until Ruglin brings back the new 1894, Henry all the way. Basic blued models are not much more than a Rossi these days and you get Henry's awesome customer service with the deal.

That being said, I recently bought a Rossi .357. I like it quite well for a casual use rifle that will only shoot one boolit design and I won't cry if it gets scratched or anything. I was able to inspect it in person, the price was alot less than everybody else, and my dealer will take care of me even if Rossi won't. He simply couldn't get any Henry .357's at the time and the Rossi was available so I rolled with it. So far it is just as accurate and functional as my Marlin, which I want to keep in as good shape as possible.

[FergusonTO35]

murf,
Take a look at the Lee handgun moulds, their double cavity moulds are cheap, and will get you started. Are there better moulds,
Sure! I'd recommend their 240gr RF or the 2R. Either will do just fine in any 44Mag, and will keep you in your wife's good
graces by not breaking the bank.

Don't overlook the little Lee 200 grain RNFP. Buddy of mine took two deer with that boolit this year in a sabots from his muzzleloader and it knocked 'em dead no problem.

[TomAM]

My Henry 44 all weather weighs 7lb, 0.8 oz.
My all time favorite lever, the Henry X weighs 6lb 13.4 oz.
My objection to the 92 is that painful steel but plate.