Ruger .44 mag camp rifle

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deltahunter

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I recently traded a co worker a bow for his Ruger “camp rifle” in 44 mag. It has a tubular magazine that loads from the bottom. Are these rifles decent, and what are they worth?
 
44 Carbine...is what they were called. Made fron the late 60's till 85. I bought one that looks like brand spanking new off gunbroker for around $550... they ASK from that price on up but I dont think they sell for the inflated prices on gunbroker lately. Fun to shoot. Triggers suck. Stocks are notorious for cracking and it's impossible to find replacements. If it brakes you might as well toss it. Ruger basically wrote the rifle off and dose not make parts for it anymore...just about every part for the gun is obsolete. The gun was too expensive to manufacture and tool. Ruger wasn't making enough money on it so they discontinued it. The gun was designed to shoot 240 gr jacket ammo. Shooting cast will clog the gas tube so it won't function. Bought mine, shot it a couple times and bought a 77/44 which I like shooting better and is way more accurate. I'm shooting .6" groups at 100 yards in my 77/44 with cast Hollow points I casted, powder coated, and gas checked. The early deerstalkers are the ones everyone pays good money for. They were made in the 60's. I believe Ithaca was the company who sued them over the name so they were called 44 carbines after that. They look like twin to the 10/22. If you hate it I'll trade you out of it. I wouldn't be out hammering ammo through it or the gun will end up braking. I got the lecture from my buddy who is smith. He took it apart and cleaned it showing me the 50,000 pieces it's assembled with. It's a pretty little complicated build. I understood why it was discontinued after I watched my buddy dissemble and clean it. A lot of parts equaled a lot of time and money to produce these. Ruger claimed they lost money on parts and labor building the carbines.
 
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I had a friend where I used to live that had one. With a plain $50 4X Weaver scope on it it would shoot the 240 grain Remington soft points about 2" at 100 yards. I thought that was pretty good.
 


I have shot one for years.
It is my go to Ohio brush rifle for deer,now.
They are a good investment to buy.
With Winchester razor 44 ammo, they work well on whitetail.
They were made in a lever action, also.
 
The lever action is/was a 96/44. They also updated it in the mini 14 platform for a few years...I want one. The problem is everyone wants 1,000 to 1,200 for their uses rifles. I'll wait till I can find one for around half.

I did some research when I bought mine. The 44 carbine has some interesting past history. Google the Gabon gorilla. Ruger did some advertising with the little carbine leaning against a gorilla that was shot with it. also there was a shooter I believe back in the Late 60's when it first came out that sat on a roof of a building and killed 40/60 people with one before a chopper dropped a bomb on him. I believe he was dishonorably discharged from the military and a member of the black panthers if my memory serves me correct. It was a race/hate crime against whites. If it was still manufactured PETA and the liberals would be trying to ban this one too.
 
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Lol. I bought mine, had to have it and then never shot it. I might sell or trade mine for a CZ 17 rem or 17 hornet. The stock on mine has a coin in it. It's not the last year of production model but a NRA coin. Doesn't look like someone customized it that way. I believe it was probably a special run as a banquet rifle. Last year of production was 85' and I think mines an 81'? It's a good little rifle for bear or hog hunting with hounds. I have more rifles laying around I don't use now and there is nothing I am loosing sleep over to own so the gun sits.
 
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Originally Posted By: deltahunter...think I’m going to trade it for a bolt action rifle.
My son had one and traded it off as well.
For a little thing, it kicked like a mule.
 
I used to hunt in northern Maine. The Ruger 44 Deerslayer was real popular with the locals up there. Most of the guys put an Aimpoint red dot sight on them.

I bought one for my son. It was an accurate little gun and fun to shoot. He shot a nice buck in Maine with it. I sold his since you could not hunt with it in PA. I regretted it ever since.

If I found another one at the right price I'd buy it just to play with.
 

Makes a nice pair of 44 mags. I got a doe last year with the carbine.
Mine has very little kick. I shoot Winchester razor ammo.

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You have the 44 sickness. I have a colt 8 3/4" ported andaconda, 329 nite guard S&W titanium with a 2" barrel, a 77/44, and my Ruger carbine.
 
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Originally Posted By: willy1947
Makes a nice pair of 44 mags. I got a doe last year with the carbine.
Mine has very little kick. I shoot Winchester razor ammo.

Jmlq9gS.jpg


That hand grip sure is a middle-finger saver!! Couldn't stand
to shoot many rounds with my .45 Blackhawk 'til I replaced the
wood with a Hogue!
 
I had on several years ago, can X2 on it kicking way harder than it should Aalso thatbyiu shouldnt run hot loads through it. No replacement for some of the parts. I only shot it a couple times, no real use for it where I hunted. It sold for around 500. Now I'm in Florida and a brush gun would be nice to have.
 
Nice little rifle.
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I have a pre safety 1894 Marlin with a Williams peep sight in 44mag that I shoot a Deer every year or three with and take along when camping in Bear/Wolf country.
I keep it loaded and easily accessible for home protection....it ain't really "tacticle" but I don't want anyone shooting at me with one.

Enjoy your new gun.


BTW....mine kicks like a mule but I've admittedly become a bit of a recoil wimp in my old age.
 
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Originally Posted By: RePeteNice little rifle.
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I have a pre safety 1894 Marlin with a Williams peep sight in 44mag that I shoot a Deer every year or three with and take along when camping in Bear/Wolf country.
I keep it loaded and easily accessible for home protection....it ain't really "tacticle" but I don't want anyone shooting at me with one.

Enjoy your new gun.


BTW....mine kicks like a mule but I've admittedly become a bit of a recoil wimp in my old age.



That's what I thought...it would make a great front door gun.
 
I took the rifle to the local outdoors store. I traded the little Ruger and gave $100 for a new Remington 5R 308. I think I’ll be happier with the 308 as an all purpose deer/hog rifle for woods and open fields.
 
Originally Posted By: deltahunterI recently traded a co worker a bow for his Ruger “camp rifle” in 44 mag. It has a tubular magazine that loads from the bottom. Are these rifles decent, and what are they worth?

Bought mine in1964. Camp Hanson Okinawa px sold them for $64 if memory serves me correctly. Had a platoon commander that allowed me to carry it in the field, traded it even up for a M1 Garand
 
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Someone mentioned it being designed to shoot 240 HP’s, that’s what I used. At the Mammoth ski lift parking lot, the ski bums would throw out all kinds of trash including food, after a big weekend with all that food laying around it was nothing for 10-20 coyotes to be scavenging the lot. I would shoot them after the swing sift right there in the parking lot, those Remington 240 HP’s would drop them like the hammer of Thor
 


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