Marlin Level action 44 mag or 45 colt.

[jmarriott]

Been doing a bit of research on the lever action pistol cartridge rifles from marlin and have a couple of questions.

Th 44 mag has a 1 in 38 right hand twist, the 45 colt has a 1 in 16 right hand twist. Since this is for deer hunting in Indiana, would not the 45 long colt be the better of the two for 100 yard shots?

I think the 1 in 38 would have some problems stablizing larger bullet weights. The 45 would not and I believe the two are about the same power with the proper loading.

[Contenderizer]

A general rule of thumb is that (for a given bullet weight) the higher the velocity the slower the twist rate should be for proper stabilization. Given that the 44 Mag has approx 50% greater velocity (for a given bullet weight) than the 45 Colt, it seems logical that the twist rate would be slower - 1 rotation in 38 inches vs. 1 rotation in 16 inches for the 45 Colt. The other way to look at this is: If the velocity is the same, a heavier bullet should benefit from a slower twist.

The 44 Mag is built to withstand 40,000 CUP pressure level, substantially more than the 45 Colt. While some reloaders have beefed-up the 45 Colt considerably and they may disagree, I don't recommend trying to match the 44 Mag in terms of velocity - even in a modern gun.

Either should serve you well in terms of deer hunting at 100 yards. I have heard that the 250 Gr XTP works well in the 45 Colt for such animals. In either case, at that distance, if you achieve groups smaller than 4" you are doing well. I like both rounds, but I never ask too much of a handgun load.

[Catfish]

Win. runs the same twist rates, so I would guess that these are the best for the respective cal`s with the most popular bullets. I`ve always been a .44 mag. fan., probibly just because my first big bore was a .44 mag. I really don`t know how many deer I`ve taken with a .44 mag. revolver but a handgun is all I`ve ever carried since they made them legal here in Oh., and a .44 mag. is what I carried most. My longest shot was at 135 yrds at a 10 point buck that was quartering away at a trot. I hit him in the left rear quater and recovered the bullet just under the skin of the right shoulder. The bullet was a 240 gn. Serria HP. I was pushing the bullet at abt 1,250 fps. Form a rifle you will be able to push that same bullet to abt 1,750 fps. I really don`t think you could make a mistake with eather round though.

[popplecop]

Buy the .44 mag and never look back. Have had 4 different rifles, some foolishly got traded away. My current one is a Marlin from 72, just love it. Will put 240 gr. Hornadys in 2.5"s at 100 yds. from the bench. I have a Williams Fool Proof receiver sight and a fiber optic front sight. Can carry it all day, and it kills deer within 125 yds with the best of them.

[Contenderizer]

I agree with popplecop and would favor the 44 if I was starting from square one. However, if I had a handgun in 45LC, well, now I'd have to think about it.

[GoodOlBoy]

One thing to consider is how much gun do you need and if you are going to be reloading. A 44 mag is pretty much at its limit and you can't push it much more when reloading. a 45 colt on the other hand can be loaded to well surpass the 44 mag in a good quality gun like the marlin or in Rugers. The flip side is with the 44 ammo is actually easier and cheaper to find nowadays. I shot a deer a few years back with a 45 colt cowboy load at around 40 yards. Just a plain old 250gr Lead RNFP. Nothing fancy. He dropped like I had hit him with a cannon. What more do you need? It will do that with cowboy loads out to 70+ yards easy. With hotter loads it will surpass the 44 mag at 100+ yards. With a 45 colt Hornady 300 gr XTP mag at even moderate veolicties will stop a rabid mutant whitetail like no tomorrow. I still prefere lead.

If reloading 45 Colt will give you much better power and variation for hunting.

If not 44 mag.

Both are great rounds in that gun.

GoodOlBoy

[jmarriott]

Thanks for the input.

This whole idea might be put on hold for a bit. It seems every single 44 mag 1894 in Indiana has been bought up. The 45's are available in big old barrels in the cowboy mold. Puma's abound but they seem to be a bit not my style. I guess the current lot's of 44's is about exausted, I can order on from a dealer i have purchased several items from and get it a "bit before november".

Since none are really going to be available I am checking out some alternatives untill i get a marlin.

1: Borrow a 1894 357 from a non deer hunting friend. Open sights and old school.

2: Set up a contender carbine with a barrel purchase. Never can have to many contender barrels.

3: Get out the contender pistol and hunt this year as i always have.

4: order a custom from wild west guns in 454 casual with all the bells and whistles. Wait time about a year.

[Hawkeye6]

Jm,

did you figure out a solution to your deer season? I really got lucky on that. I obught a Model 94 Trapper in .44 Magnum a couple of years ago, just b4 Winchester decided to clsoe the plant. I'll be trying that out in the woods the next couple of weeks!

Our DNR change in policy has heightened my interest in a Henry Big Boy in .45 Colt. (Maybe a SAA too?) Too bad Ruger dropped several of their .44 Mag offerings a few years ago. I have a nice Ruger 77-22 and the first thing I did when the ruling came out was look at Ruger for a 77-44. Too Bad!

Hawkeye

[jmarriott]

Well I got a used 1970's 1894 marlin microgroove for just under 300 bucks with a scope. 20 bucks to ship it out of penn state to my ffl and 15 buck to the ffl dealer for the transfir.

Action is smooth as silk. Groups 3 bench shots in just under 2 inch at 100 and touching at 50. the scope is a 3X9 illumanated that makes the outfit not seem right to me but it came with it and sighted in so she stay's on this year. I am shooting it again tomarrow and will post if shes still doing well.