Ruger 77/44

Dixiedog1

Dixiedog1

Active member
I picked up a new Ruger 77/44 camo/stainless rifle yesterday and figured I'd give a little range report since I haven't really seen much feedback on the more recent rifles. I know a lot of folks on the forum would most likely just say "why a 77/44"? If you've ever deer hunted in the Maine woods you'd understand, the cover is thick and your shots are generally within 50 yards let alone 100 and the .44 magnum is a deer hammer.

So today I got to try it out and see how it shoots. I was shooting some handloads using 240 gr Hornady XTP's and Lil' Gun powder. This combo has worked well in all my .44 magnums and has proven to be great on whitetails. The first shot woke me up a bit, this little bugger bites with a stiff .44 mag load.....it's under 6lbs with the scope so I was expecting a bit of recoil but this one is stout. The accuracy is good printing 2" groups at 100 yards which is excellent for a compact carbine like the 77/44. The trigger is decent, it's heavy at almost 6lbs but it's crisp and doesn't seem to hinder accuracy any. The magazine is typical Ruger rotary so it's dependable and easy to load. The safety is great, you can slowly let the safety down without making a racket which is very good for a hunting rifle. The ejecting was positive, there was no fear of a spent casing not clearing.



Overall I give the 77/44 an A+ for a lightweight hunting carbine for ranges of up to 125 yards or so.....you can lug it all day without noticing it's there and when you shoot anything with a .44 there generally isn't a whole lot of tracking in my experience.
 

I have the same gun and I love it. Very easy to carry due to the weight and what seems to be a short gun. Easy to shoulder in a hurry and shoots lights out. I use Hornady 225 grain FTX bullets.
 
Originally Posted By: Dixiedog1The first shot woke me up a bit, this little bugger bites with a stiff .44 mag load.....it's under 6lbs with the scope so I was expecting a bit of recoil but this one is stout.


Not an unusual reaction, either. People think, "Awe, it's a handgun cartridge" ..... until they pull the trigger and get a decent pounding.
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I had a Ruger 96/44 lever gun that never seemed to recoil much. I've also got a Ruger 99/44 Deerfield that is a [beeep] cat because it's an auto....the bolt gun surprised me a bit. It's not an abusive rifle but I would say it has as much perceived recoil as my Model 70 30-06
 
Originally Posted By: Hidalgo

Not an unusual reaction, either. People think, "Awe, it's a handgun cartridge" ..... until they pull the trigger and get a decent pounding.
lol.gif


Shot a Ruger Number 3 in .454 Casull once upon a time. Don't remember the bullet weight but it was over 300 grains. Recoil was certainly a lot more than comfortable. They guy that owned it shot .45 Colt loads in it almost all the time. Was much better that way.
 
Right after I picked up my 77/44 I won this fine Ruger 96/44 on an auction sight





I've been looking for one for years and finally got one....I had one in the 90's when they came out and ended up trading it because it shot so poorly. This was the first good opportunity for my to get another. The stock was beat up so I put a brand new Ruger factory stock on it...they are by far my favorit lever gun.
 
Originally Posted By: Dixiedog1Have you tried any 300 gr bullets with yours? I'm thinking heavyweights would shoot pretty well with the twist.

I shot some two weeks ago made by Black Hills. Ran out of scope adjustment vertically, couldn't dial high enough. Shot them out of my other 44 which is a Cva and they shot as good as the rest. My 77/44 with factory ammo will only turn 4" groups with 240 grain at 50 yards. Even though I ran out of adjustment in scope I was hitting paper with groups under 2" at 100
 
Yeah, folks don't realize how much more pop the 44mag can gain in a rifle length barrel, and how LITTLE more a 44mag rifle weighs than a 44mag Revolver! If you really think about it, 300grns at 1450fps or 240grns at 1800fps is no joke, especially in a 5-6lb rifle!

The recoil energy and recoil velocity on a 44mag 240 or 300grn load in a 5.5lb 77/44 or 6lb leveraction 1894 is greater than that of a 7.5lb bolt rifle with a standard 30-06 150grn load!!!! PLUS, the 240grn pill at 1800fps has a higher TKO at 100yrds than the .30-06 has at the muzzle!!!

I run a few Marlin 1894's, foolishly sold a Ruger Deerfield almost 10yrs ago, for which I kick myself on a monthly basis. I keep telling myself I need to scoop up a 77/44, it just never quite seems to find it's way to the top of my "buying list".

Rusty, I picked up a Rossi M92 454C last year, some loads exceed 45-70 factory loads!! And the M92 only weighs 5lbs flat empty, it's a shoulder bruising machine with the crescent buttplate!!!
 
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Originally Posted By: NeverNoLuckOriginally Posted By: Dixiedog1Have you tried any 300 gr bullets with yours? I'm thinking heavyweights would shoot pretty well with the twist.

I shot some two weeks ago made by Black Hills. Ran out of scope adjustment vertically, couldn't dial high enough. Shot them out of my other 44 which is a Cva and they shot as good as the rest. My 77/44 with factory ammo will only turn 4" groups with 240 grain at 50 yards. Even though I ran out of adjustment in scope I was hitting paper with groups under 2" at 100

You may have the rings on wrong.
 
Originally Posted By: willy1947Originally Posted By: NeverNoLuckOriginally Posted By: Dixiedog1Have you tried any 300 gr bullets with yours? I'm thinking heavyweights would shoot pretty well with the twist.

I shot some two weeks ago made by Black Hills. Ran out of scope adjustment vertically, couldn't dial high enough. Shot them out of my other 44 which is a Cva and they shot as good as the rest. My 77/44 with factory ammo will only turn 4" groups with 240 grain at 50 yards. Even though I ran out of adjustment in scope I was hitting paper with groups under 2" at 100

You may have the rings on wrong.





The 77/44 is a bit different than most 77's, both the front and rear rings are the same height.
 
Several years ago I picked up an early Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum. I slapped a cheap scope on it and went to sight it in. I was shooting Winchester 240 grain PSP's. By the time I had the thing sighted, my shoulder was aching and I was flinching like never before. I quickly replaced the hard plastic butt plate with a Limbsaver recoil pad. That rifle is joy to shoot now. I was very surprised at the amount recoil generated by those 240 grain 44's.
 


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