Use the 44. If you haven't seen it work on deer, you need to. DP

 

Use the 44. If you haven't seen it work on deer, you need to. DP

+1 I loved this response.

I don't have a .44, now I want one more than ever! :biggrin:

 

I would be comfortable using either on deer but I'd grab the .30-30 myself because I'm partial to that caliber.

 

flip a coin, personally within 100 yards i'd grab the 44....

 

I have the little brother, the 1894C. I'm in a part of the country where 1894's are hard to come by for some reason.

So many guns... so little money.

 

Both will work just fine....

 

Agree with DP. If you havn't shot one with 44 take it. You won't be dissapointed.
Craig

 

At your posted range........... no real difference. JMO.

 

.44 magnum

I would grab the .44 mag. I just think it's a cool caliber & gun...

 

I've got a Ruger 44 Magnum carbine (4+1) and let me tell you folks, you don't want to be on the business end of this thing. I also have a 336ER in 356 Win and a 336RC in 35 Rem.

 

Like the others have said - - out to the range of 50 yards, as you mentioned, the only difference between the two on deer sized critters is the size of the leaks they make. And, if you haven't had the opportunity to whack a deer with a .44 from a carbine at 50, 75, 100, or 125 yards - - you owe it to yourself to witness that performance.

Same, same for deer sized critters out to 100 yards. Once you get past the 125 yard mark, the .30-30 has the benefit of a better trajectory, but that's about the only advantage.

Beyond 150 yards, the .30-30 will also have the benefit of retained velocity, and pay off in terms of trajectory and (to a certain extent) energies on target. The .44 caliber bullets just don't have a ballistic coefficient that can compete with the .30's very well past that range.

 

il Padrino, at the range you are shooting I would say.44 Mag. The .44 Magnum, it bucks, it roars, it kills decisively! Take care, good luck hunting, John.

 

I would go with the 30-30. The only deer I've seen killed with a 44 mag was this year by my grandson. The bullet entered behind the rib cage and never touched a bone, blew up the liver, and was an instant kill. The winchester white box 240 g did not pass through. The deer only weighed 95# and I thought that the bullet would have penetrated better. If the bullet had struck some bone or the deer quarter to him instead of broadside it would have penetrated less. The bullet did mushroom nicely. It was lazered at 60 yds.

 

I'm old and set in my ways, I use my .30-30, but the .44 is just as good at most hunting ranges for deer in woods, flip a coin.

 

The 44 magnum. 30-30 will bounce off the deer at that range. Ask anyone who hunts whitetail with a 30-06.

I use my 1894C if I'm sure the shots will be no longer than 125 yards. The 357 magnum is devastating. The 44 mag must be even more so. 44 magnum ammo is slightly more economical than 30-30.

The 30-30 is my favorite round but it's just not necessary at that range. If you think you might have a shot longer than 125 yards then use the 30-30.

 

You can hunt deer at 50 to 100 yards but deer don't know what distance is until they detect you. Go with the 30-30 they have an edge on range, power and accuracy. Before anyone gets up on my statements I have owned four .44 mags and made them shoot well with my hand loads. Ditto on the 30-30 but I have never shot a deer at over 300 yards with a 44 but have with a 30-30

 

I've shot a few deer with both, most within 50yds. I've never seen any advantage with the .44, if one exists, even at that range. Past that the .30-30 looks better fast, and drops deer with more authority. At closer ranges, I've had the best terminal performance with Sierra 210gr HP bullets. Most exit on a double lung shot, but quartering shots, even at closer ranges, not. 300gr bullets penetrate well, but expansion is minimal. I've never seen a deer drop on the spot with a double lung or heart shot with either round, unless a shoulder is hit. Wasted meat.

Shot placement is everything, until penetration falls off. The longer bullet in the .30-30 will shoot through more deer stuff most of the time, although the 265gr Hornady FP is pretty good at that too.

Not sure how many deer I've shot with a rifle, maybe 75 or so. Everything from a .243 to .375 in that mix. Far more with a shotgun, at least a hundred of those on crop damage permits. Another couple hundred with a bow. Quite a few with a black powder rifle and .44 bullets in a Sabot, velocities are the same as a .44M rifle. The .44's are certainly effective within their limits, devastating, not really. On average, a well placed arrow is usually better at getting deer down than a .44 or .30-30. The .357 in a rifle, devastating? I gotta wonder how. Even foxes and coyotes can run a bit with a double lung "hide shot". I'd use one if I was hungry and had nothing else, but otherwise, not.

 

The .357 in a rifle, devastating? I gotta wonder how. Even foxes and coyotes can run a bit with a double lung "hide shot". I'd use one if I was hungry and had nothing else, but otherwise, not.

You have a lot more experience than I do but have you shot a deer or seen a deer shot with a 357 magnum rifle? I have and I have absolute confidence that within 125 yards with a correct shot I will get large wounds on both sides and I won't have to track the deer. The wounds are substantially more than what I see with the 30-30.

I'm not sure why you're seeing such different results with rifles than I see. Every deer shot with my 1894C using XTP hollow points or 336W using 170 gr PowerShoks has died withing a few feet of where it stood when shot with no tracking required. Most were DRT. A few took one, to a few wobbly steps before collapsing. The shots with the 336 were fairly long ranging from 140 yards to 220 yards with an average of about 180 yards.

 

I think that either one would serve you well....good luck on your hunt!!!!

 

30-30 or 44? I would say yes.:biggrin:

 

30-30. It happens to be my favorite caliber.

 

I will be heading to the woods later today. I am taking 3 .35's the 44 mag. The 30-30's are staying home.

 

Does not matter --- result the same----- venison for dinner!!:marchmellow:

 

I pick .30-30, better all around caliber, up to 190 grain load for bear from Buffalo Bore, but that's just me, the .44 has done the job for many, flip a coin.

 

I personally prefer 30-30 over 44 mag.

I think bullet construction, distance, and shot placement are more sensitive with 44 mag whereas 30-30 works across wider range.

 

Bring both. Use the second one up close and personal. You don't want one pretending to be dead, cause they'll jump up while your posing for the camera shot, and kick you silly in the head.

 

I'd grab the .30-30.