Ruger 77/44 carbine

[Thebear_78]

After picking up the 96/44 for my son earlier this year I have become so impressed with the merits of a handy 44 mag carbine that I couldn’t pass up this Ruger 77/44 carbine.

Stainless and synthetic so it should handle the weather well and short enough to fit across the front rack of my wheeler. It should be just the ticket for a knock around rifle and do double duty as close range big game and bear defense.

After an exhaustive search for the last several months I have finally found some powder to load the 44 with. I picked up two pounds of IMR 4227 yesterday and have a pound of 296. It has been surprisingly difficult to find handgun powder up here lately! I have some 240 and 300gr Hornady XTP AND SOME 300gr Caste performance WFNGC. I’d like to pick up some 320 LFNGC to try also as I think they would penetrate like crazy at carbine velocities. One of these @ 1600fps or so should have little trouble going end to end on anything in alaska.

I have a 3-9x33 leupy compact on it right now but think a 2.5 or 1-4 would be a better fit in the future. I think something like the heavy german #1 reticle would be ideal. Sadly they don’t offer that reticle any more in anything other than the custom shop. I might have to get a VX2 1-4 from the custom shop here in the future.

 

[Guy Miner]

Looks great. Agree with your ideas on scopes.

Custom shop prices seemed pretty reasonable to me...

I think that very compact 2.5x scope, about 8 ounces, would be dandy on your little/big rifle.

Guy

 

[Darkhorse]

I really like the way that stainless .44 looks. Back when we bought our Ruger Carbines stainless and synthetic were not even options.
I still have one of them and it used to wear a 3X9X40 Leupold which I still have also. It has the regular Plex crosshairs and they are not thick enough for low light woods hunting. Right now though it's wearing a Aimpoint 9000SC Camo.
For hunting I load only 240 gr. softpoints and either max. 296 or 2400, though 2400 is a little dirty for the carbine.
But it is a real short, light, handy rifle for short range.

 

[JD338]

bear,

Nice looking rig!

Darkhorse,

That rifle is exactly what I am looking for. Wish I would have bought one back in the day.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

Very nice rifle. Looks like it'd be a slick rifle for knock around sorta duty.

Yeah, I'd think a 1-4 like you mentioned with a thicker reticle would be real nice on that rifle.

 

[Darkhorse]

Darkhorse,

That rifle is exactly what I am looking for. Wish I would have bought one back in the day.

JD338

There are a few around though often they want a premium price for them. Sometimes they are sold because they won't cycle and cleaning the bore & chamber doesn't help. I'd look for one of these.
When this happens break down the rifle to remove the bolt and the parts under the barrel. Clean the gas port real well with a pipe cleaner (important) then clean everything else while it's in pieces. A lot of people find this difficult so they don't do it. But it is neccessary.
Unlike Bear's rifle they don't make parts for the auto carbine anymore, so that's a consideration.
To keep it running just remember; Bill Ruger designed this gun to work with 240 gr. bullets and a max charge. So I'd shy from the heavier bullets which are now the rage. A 240 gr. softpoint at 1600 to 1700 will give you all the penetration you need for most anything except maybe a Brown Bear. Too much slower and the gun won't cycle.
The trigger is absolutely horrible. Back in the early 80's I talked to a few gunsmiths bout smoothing up the trigger. None would touch it, said it was like working on a swiss watch. It was my wife's gun and she couldn't hit a cardboard box at 50 yds. So using the exploded drawings I tore down the trigger group and smoothed it some. Just enough to make it shootable. Never again. I don't even remember exactly what I did it was so long ago.
This rifle has taken a lot of deer and hogs for us though I seldom use it anymore. We bought one for my stepson and put a 3X9 Leupy on it. He doesn't hunt anymore and the rifle hasn't had 100 rounds through it, but I can't talk him into selling it to me.
Maybe one day. But it's likely a rust bucket by now.

 

[Darkhorse]

Here you go. Unfired so they say. Gone up since we bought ours, about $600. is the lowest price I've found up to $2,000.

http://www.gunsinternational.com/RUGER- ... 521EBB2DF9

 

[Thebear_78]

Well it got out and shot it. Winchester white box 240 gr JSP print nice little 1.5" clusters at 100 yards. It's amazing how fast you can chew the center out of your target backer when punching such big holes!

The winchester white box 240gr JSP are clocking right at 1780fps out of the 77/44s 18" barrel. I'm betting they will do nicely on blackbear and moose out to 150 yards.


I was having too much fun making a bowling pin dance off hand from 75-100 yards. My only complaint is the magazine only holds four rounds so you are constantly reloading! [emoji6]

 

[Anonymous]

Oh man... I gotta look for one of those. I'm thinking it might be perfect for TN deer hunting... about 100yd max and a .44 at 1700fps would flatten Bambi.

 

[JD338]

Thanks Darkhorse.
Bear, sounds like you have yourself a shooter.

JD338

 

[Thebear_78]

Davidsons had a few hodgeman
http://www.davidsonsinc.com/consumers/s ... &item_num=

 

[Darkhorse]

Well it got out and shot it. Winchester white box 240 gr JSP print nice little 1.5" clusters at 100 yards. It's amazing how fast you can chew the center out of your target backer when punching such big holes!

The winchester white box 240gr JSP are clocking right at 1780fps out of the 77/44s 18" barrel. I'm betting they will do nicely on blackbear and moose out to 150 yards.

The ruger .44 carbines are all surprisingly accurate. I always sighted ours in at 50 yards due to the thick cover limiting shooting distance. At 50 yards that big slug would shoot the center out of the target. Often most of the shots would be touching.
Even with the 1X power aimpoint 4MOA dot it still keeps them in the 10 ring.
If you can find any try the old Speer Gold Dot 240 SP. I have just a handful left and I'm hoarding them.

 

[Woodycreek]

Those 77/44 are some kind of fun to shoot. Messed around with a suppressed version using 200gr JHPs. The only thing you heard was the firing pin strike and a little poof. No recoil and was good to 100 yards.

I have found that the Nosler JHPs hold up really well but, still prefer Gold Dots.

 

[Wincheringen]

I have the 99/44 Deerfield. I just had it out to the range a few weeks ago for the first time in 5+ years. They are a lot of fun.

 

[Thebear_78]

I’d love to pick up one of those 99/44s but haven’t seen one at a decent price in a long time. I really like the clip fed feature of the 99/44 over the original 44 carbines. One of these days I might run into the right one.

 

[Guy Miner]

You guys like these Ruger .44's better than a Marlin lever action?

 

[Darkhorse]

Never had a marlin .44 so I couldn't really say. The reason we have the Ruger in the first place was because my wife looked one over at deer camp one day then insisted that I buy her one just like it. I was real familiar with the Ruger as several friends had them so I had no problem getting her one. Ended up buying a couple of them.
Ours is a safe queen now. The wife doesn't hunt anymore. And to be brutally honest, I personally prefer a high velocity centerfire as it transmits more shock to the animal.
I say this after killing a good number of hogs and deer with both the carbine and my Super Blackhawk pistol, plus being in on the kill of many others.
Just my personal preference.

 

[Wincheringen]

You guys like these Ruger .44's better than a Marlin lever action?

The only Marlin I have has an extra 4 in it. I really like it, but with more guns than free time it doesn't get shot much. I loaded some ammo up for it yesterday as a friend wanted to shoot it.

 

[Thebear_78]

I got the perfect Christmas present for the little 77/44 today.

A custom shop 1.5-5 VX-III with a german #1 post reticle and alumna caps. Thanks to my parents for hitting this one out of the park, home run!

Even some snow for a white christmas. Although that's usually not a problem in Ak.

Hope everyone else is having a wonderful Christmas!

 

[DrMike]

Sweet rifle, my friend! Santa was good to you; you must have been a good boy! :grin: