Before settling on the 44 Special cartridge, Elmer Keith had tried hotrodding the 45 Colt. Due to the design of the 45 Colt cartridge, and the weakness of available guns chambered in 45 back then, Keith blew up several guns and decided to go with the 44 Special. Keith’s story is pretty incredible and it’d be interesting to see more time dedicated to him.

Many deer have fallen to my Ruger Super Redhawk. In northern WI your longest shot is 150 yards, and a .44 mag is all you’d ever need. Thanks Vortex for giving it the credit it is due!!!!!!!!!

I remember a story from a Vietnam vet, he was an advisor in 1963 and was told to provide his own sidearm. He took his ruger super Blackhawk and got into a fire fight with and let a shot off. He swears that there was a 5 second loal in the shooting.

One point that was not brought up, but should be in any discussion on the .44 is how well it and especially the .44 special work with cast bullets. With the .44’s you really can shoot less expensive cast bullets and not loose any effectiveness on game. And it’s and ideal cartridge to start casting your own bullets for!

My grandfather passed down his 1976-1977 (ish) .44 Ruger Carbine to me Thanksgiving of 2020. Took that beautiful rifle out and shot an 8 point 2 weekends later. It’s my go-to stand rifle. Hunting whitetail on the east coast I’ve never set myself up in a scenario where I’d have over a 150 yard shot. Just my style I guess. Love my .44 Ruger Carbine!

It's always interesting to see how younger folks react to the things us old bastards have been using for decades.

I’m a late onset hunter here in southern Michigan. After “experiencing “ a 12 gage slug gun I went and bought a Marlin 1894 in .44 and shot a nice buck with it. 240 XTP Hornady destroyed both shoulders and dissolved the lungs. Unfortunately that was a Remlin and I had no end of mechanical issues with it so it was replaced w a Henry single shot. I paired these w a Ruger SBH Hunter Bisley and I can attest to the fun shooting and good effect on deer sized critters w this load. Happy New Years boys!

I live in Pennsylvania. Things were getting too easy for me using my 30-30 a few years back. I wanted to challenge myself. I started carrying a .44 Ruger Super Blackhawk (open sights). I have killed a dozen+ deer with it ranging from 15 yards out to 80 yards. They drop the same as using my 30-30. I have never in my 25 years of hunting had to track a deer and I shoot a minimum of 2 each year. (I only shoot neck or head). I reload my own .44 using Hornady 240 gr XTP. I am looking into getting a "companion gun" as you would call it. There is just something about shooting that large cal. wheel gun and I would recommend it to anyone. Great show guys! Very informative. Keep up the great work.

“Cardio is NOT its thing” fantastic synopsis Mr Muckenhern!

For deer and black bear, with the right bullets, the .44 Magnum is a good 150 yard cartridge. It is probably our most useful big game carbine/revolver combination in general.

You guys should do a talk on the old 41 mag sometime. I would love to see it since it's a relatively unknown cartridge, but it kicks butt

I liked hearing a conversation on this cartridge. I have a Ruger Model 44 Carbine my dad purchased for me in 1984 when I was 7 to use as my deer rifle as I got older. Still have it to this day, and seems like people are always trying to buy it from me, but I'll never get rid of it.

Ryan has taught me more about different cartridges than probably anyone. And he’s sent me down more rabbit holes than most.

Would love to hear about the 41 magnum or 30 carbine. Both straight walls.

I have a Ruger 44 carbine and love it. It is fun to take to the range and watch people's faces when It goes off, because everyone just assumes that it's a 10/22. Looking at the current asking price for them I got a heck of a deal on mine when I paid $400 for it 5 or 6 years ago.

1956 was a very very good year. I was born and, 5 days later, my wife was born. Then, secondarily, many good cartridges came out in that year as well.

my daughter is 12 she got her first deer last year. about 100 y away with a 44MAG love it

Yes, I was so looking forward to seeing this one. Thank you! It's probably my most reloaded cartridge.

Went deer hunting on the coast of NC few years back with buddies. One didn’t have a rifle, 1sr timer, I let him use my REM 700. I borrowed my hosts Ruger carbine 44 mag. I feel in love with it. Smoked a doe at 300 yards with it using the lever rev rounds. One of my favorite rifles of all time

.44 magnum is probably my favorite pistol cartridge. I own three revolvers chambered in the cartridge and they are all smith and wesson double action revolvers. S&W model 29-2, 29-10, and 629-1. I go to the pistol range once a month and every time I go I bring one of my .44's to shoot. The recoil can be stout but it is perfectly manageable. Even my wife can shoot them. Honestly it is probably the report of the shot itself rather than the recoil that gets people nervous about it. Every time I take one of them out to shoot I always get looks from people going "what's that?". It's always a fun time.

A 10 minute talk on the 44-40. The first cartridge that was chambered in both the rifle and handgun.

I possess a single action, a semi auto, and a big boy lever action; you just gotta love the roar!

Henry makes a very nice 44 magnum ,I have one in a lever action and a single shot ,the single shot is perfect for a first time hunter

Growing up, my Dad had (well, still has) a Ruger Redhawk 7.5" barrel .44 mag. I've always loved it. Now, I currently own 3 of my own. A Taurus Tracker, an old Herters Powermag, and lastnight I just picked up a Ruger Super Blackhawk 7.5". Hands down one of my favorite cartridges. Love watching yalls videos. God bless!

Interarms single action in .44 mag was the first pistol I ever bought. 40+ years later I still have it and use it for hunting with my Marlin lever action in .44. Always been a great combo for deer.

I bought my first rifle this year, a Henry Big Boy Classic in 44 mag just before deer season started. It’s definitely a cowboys gun with its octagonal barrel, brass receiver and yes a brass buttplate. I knew I was going to handload my deer hunting ammo but needed some brass so I bought a box of 240gr hollow point fed American eagle($72 a box ouch) I hunt from a tree stand in the THICK woods so I sighted in at 25 yards. Just to see how it would do I lined up 6 one gallon water jugs at 10 yards and it went through 2 and landed in the third, I weighed it and it was now only 120gr that was not going to cut it for me. So to the hand loading books I went and found a load that used a 265gr atop a charge of 19.5-21.5 grains of h110 (now we were cooking) I found that 20.5 grains seated to 1.630 had the best accuracy and would put them in one BIG hole with open sights, I tested this load with another 6 one gallon water jugs at 10 yards and to my amazement it went though all 6 and keep going till it hit the base of my 25 yard target 😮 it had expanded more than I expected but it sill weighed 228gr now I was ready to hunt. Opening day was the 13th but temps were in the low 70s by 10am so I waited till it got a little colder, and when it did I got up in the tree stand around 6am and waited for them to roll on in. I could see a group of deer off in the distance about 7:30 and by 8:30 they gave me a shot, 2 of them walked down to about 25-30 yards from me, I was with my dad and told him here we go I lined up the buckhorn sights on the first one to go broadside and… BOOM it dropped so fast neither my dad or the other deer knew what had happened, the second deer jumped back about 10ft but didn’t know what happened and went broadside, so I said to my dad do I shoot again? Hem thinking I missed it the first time said SHOOT EM!! Boom down it went and the others ran off. After getting down from the stand my dad walks up to the first and says I thought it fell over there? That’s when I walked to the 2nd and said it did but I shot that one first, let’s just say he was shocked. So after all of this what I am trying to get at is, 44 MAGNUM need more be said?

Still my favorite rimmed pistol caliber. Like it in a revolver and love it in a rifle. An old Ruger Deerfield is without a doubt, at the top of my list of guns I regret letting go of. Have had 44 Specials, Magnums and the God Father 444 Marlin. One could say I am fond of this diameter bullet lol

I use a .357 Mag for deer hunting and have been exceptionally pleased with the results. Very accurate at 100 yards. Love to hunt with it.

I have a Ruger Deerstalker 44 mag carbine and I love it. I am still waiting for a deer to step out when its in my hands.

Ruger! Please bring the Deerfield .44 back! (And release it in .357 also!)

Elmer Keith once was out with a friend hunting deer. His friend wounded one and it was about to go over a hill. Elmer took a shot with his 44 to help put it down. It disappeared over the hill but they found it dead on the other side. Elmer's shot prevented it from getting away. They walked off the distance and it came to 325 yards. Elmer knew that pistol/cartridge better than anyone in the world.

The ruger deer field is the one that got away and the 77/44s are crazy expensive.

My favorite combo, Remington 788 bolt action carbine and Ruger Redhawk both in 44 Mag!!

In spirit of this episode, we need a 10+ min talk on the 500 Magnum

Happy new year boys. New Zealand is in 2023 already. I've been drooling over the 77-44 for years now. Maybe this year?!

I’ve taken deer with the .44 Mag in both a Marlin 1894SS and a Ruger 44 Carbine. Very impressive round within reasonable range.

Best podcast for gun enthusiasts. Keep it up.

Taurus raging hunter .44 is perfection. No recoil almost.

My Dad had a Ruger Super Black Hawks in 44 mag. I still have it. He was a big time reloader. He got a Deer hunting load in the 1980's with 240 grain bullet at 1500 fps. He never went over what the reloading manual said. He had a 6 inch barrel on it. I have it today, my Dad passed away in 2003, 20 years ago. It still shoots great groups at 50 yards and 100 yards. In 1981 He shot a 3x3 mule deer the first year they allowed 357 and up hand guns in Nevada for Big Game.

I love my JM stamped 1894 in 44 Magnum!

Ruger still produces the 77/44 bolt action .44 mag rifle, I have the stainless “all weather” version with a 2-7x scope mounted. With Hornady LeveRevolution ammo I’m sited in 1” high at 50 yards, dead on at 75, and 1.5” low at 100 yards. Overall length of the gun is only 38” and just over 6 pounds to carry. Perfect Pennsylvania big woods deer gun.

Hunting in the heavy woods of northeastern Minnesota where a 40 yard shot is normal and a 75 yard shot is a LONG shot, the .44 Mag is really an ideal cartridge. I shot a Ruger .44 autoloading carbine for many years, and switched to a Ruger 96/44 lever gun about 30 years ago. A 240 grain jacketed soft nose with a good load of 2400 powder does the job just fine.

The 44 mag has to be the best all around “medium small” cartridge, plenty of power to kill deer at realistic ranges, not a ton of recoil even in many revolvers very gentle in rifles. Probably won’t let anyone down who plans to use it for anything they want to use it for.

One of my favorite #10 MinuteTalk episodes yet. I had a 16" Winchester Trapper 44 Mag many years ago and still feel a pang of regret when I think of getting rid of that fine little rifle. It was pure poison on deer or hogs in the woods. Now your episode has me thinking I need to find another carbine to pair with my Super Blackhawk! BTW the Buffalo Bore 340 grain round you mentioned is rated out of a pistol. They list it as 1478 FPS from a factory stock Red Hawk, it falls about 30-50 FPS short of that in my Blackhawk depending on batch, temp, etc though. Great episode!

I have a Henry (non-side gate) Big Boy Steel 20” barreled rifle in .44mag. Love that gun. Only reason why I would part with it is for the side gate version.

I worked in a gun shop in the mid 80's. Most guys that carried 44 magnums kept them loaded with 44 special hydro shocks .

I took two deer this year using a Henry lever action in 44 mag with the 240g Hornady XTP. Where I am in Ohio, there really isn't anywhere you can safely shoot over 100 yards. I have been very happy with the results out of it. Great episode!

In the 90s my father was big into reloading and designed a deer cartridge especially for his Ruger .44 magnum carbine. It shot pistol rounds "OK" but he wasn't happy with the accuracy and how the bullets would fragment apart. After a lot of experimentation he came up with one that was both incredibly powerful and accurate. 300 grain Hornady XTP, I personally put 3 in the same hole at 50 yards while sighting it in. Still use this round in both the carbine and my Super Blackhawk which I can put a decent group with open sights in a 6" diameter at 50yds and I"m sure would be in the kill zone further out than that but haven't tried.

Winchester mod 94 top eject in 44mag is my choice for fellow deer in Australia in the scrub open sights fantastic

Michigan hunter here... I've got a 44 mag cva, i shoot the lever evolution 225fxt which is that bullet they have. it's single shot and cheap... I've shot 17 deer in 4 years with this gun which is now my favorite. EVERYTHING that this bullet touches dies. Some deer run but most drop where they stand. It doesn't miss, great expansion on bullet and I've shot and killed deer as far as 165 yards. I love this bullet, and I love my cva scout 44 mag

One of my Favorite calibers of all time, hands down. Its one that has been in my collection since the early 80's

Have a Ruger no. 3 in this caliber. Absolutely love it!

Buffalo bore’s velocities for the 340 +p+: •1,401 fps -- 5.5-inch factory stock Red Hawk •1,478 fps -- 7.5-inch factory stock Red Hawk I’ve chrono’d them out of my 4.2” Red Hawk and I’m averaging around 1,380fps. Ferocious recoil.

Get one! Sad it’s the last talk for a bit. Still hoping on 300 Savage in the future

Fantastic work this week gentlemen! Happy New Year!

Don't forget the odd 96/44 Ruger, cool looking leaver action carbines

Chiappa still makes the 1892 in 44mag. In a takedown. And threaded for a suppressor. I pair mine with the 329pd.

This is a fantastic cartridge for deer hunting in MI straightwall cartridge area . I love my Ruger 44 carbine. I reload and hunt with Hornady 240gr XTP ammo. Shoot most of my deer between 20-100 yards. Longest shot opportunity I have ever had was 135 yards on a doe, she didn't go far.

I have one of those ruger deerfield, and I love it. im just waiting for Pennsylvania to allow semi-auto for big game

I have a Henry big boy in 44 mag. Used it on a buck, less than 20 yards heart shot. Blood exploded from entry wound onto the brushes and tall grass, deer didn't go 20, dug the bullet out on the other side of the torso, was caught in the skin. Definitely a interesting event.

I have a S&W 29-5 Classic. 5" barrel. I put a Burris 2-7 power scope on it. I've only shot targets with it so far, but it is outstanding!

I bought the Ruger Super Redhawk with a 7 1/2” barrel. Absolutely love shooting that revolver. Not very good yet but still fun. Jim must have

Love these cartridge talk videos

I've liquidated most of my older rifles, and the one I will forever miss the most was my Browning Model 92 in 44 Mag.

Just used my Marlin 44 Mag for black bear on a September hunt in New Mexico. Worked perfect using Hornady factory 240 XTP.

I love these cartridge breakdowns. I would really like to see one on the 458 Socom.

The first gun I ever bought for myself was a 44 Magnum Ruger RedHawk. I later got a Super RedHawk, a Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter, and a Model 29. And, those numbers are possibly out of a longer barrel pistol. I have shot those BBs as well some Garret Hammer Heads. They are all you need for anything that walks. The 44 special is also a wonderful cartridge in its own right. It was magnificent to shoot in the Model 29 with a 4 inch barrel. Just as pleasant and accurate as a 45ACP out of an all steel 1911. Just pleasure with power. Those Dinosaur killers…not so much but they are spectacular for what they are intended to do.

I have owned a slew of .44 Magnum firearms over the years. Double action, single action, lever guns. I shot cowboy action with a pair of Super Blackhawks and a first gen. Rossi 92, 200 gr. hard cast lead loaded to about 800 fps. I still have my companion gun set, that Rossi 92 and a 5.5” Super Blackhawk. GET ONE!

A Thompson Contender 14” .44 Mag is my pet for whitetail deer hunting. Topped with a Vortex Crossfire Red Dot.

I see you jumping around 41 rem mag like I haven't been asking for a couple years

Happy new year 💥💥💥💥 keep the cartridge podcast coming 😀💥💥💥

i have 2 44's a lever action and a ruger blackhawk hunter, ive shot 1 deer with the blackhawk works fantastically. living in PA revolvers offer some usefulness in the deer woods

I love the .44 mag! I live in a "straight wall case" state for deer and it has been my go to since they first let us use them in handguns only. My first deer I killed with a gun was with my Super Redhawk. Since then I have added a TC Encore Pro Hunter with a .44 mag barrel from MGM and my pride and joy is my Ruger .44 carbine. She takes no prisoners.

I run a 44 mag out of a contender pistol,super 14 barrel, at carbine velocity! The 44 is a handloaders dream, from mild to wild

Love the 44 I've got 5 guns in 44

I've got a 329pd, and that is one nasty recoiling sun of a gun. At times, depending on loading, it's harder recoiling than my 500.

I shot a whitetail at 104 yards this year with my .44 mag Marlin 1894. Complete pass through both sides with excellent lung destruction. Ran maybe 50 yards and DRT. One of these years Ill take one with the Ruger Super Redhawk….

Henry model X 44 MAG is my dream lever gun for deer and as a compact and hard hitting truck gun. Deer hunting with it, it's a bang flop program. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I have a Winchester 1892 in 44 mag 20" barrel. Skinner peep sights. Such a sweet shooter

Not only due I live in OH where I’m limited to straight wall cartridges for rifles, I’ve been hunting with a .44mag for years. I was using my S&W 629 when we were shotgun/pistol only deer state, but the first year (2014/2015, can’t quite remember off top of my head) that we allowed straight wall rifle, I went out & got me a model 92 carbine in .44mag that year and been using it ever since. I hand load my own pills 240gr Sierra JHC for the wheel gun and 200gr XTP for the carbine, both under max load H110. I find that the lighter/higher velo out of my carbine works best. I keep my shots under 100yds though. In the thick NE OH woods this isn’t a problem. .44mag is great whitetail medicine if you don’t like to track.. with good shot placement of course. Thx for showing the .44mag some love guys.

I have been shooting .44 Rem Mag since the early 80's and love it. I have four firearms chambered for it. My first revolver, Ruger Super Blackhawk. A bazillion rounds through it, still shoots great. Also have a Taurus Tracker in .44 that I carry when backpacking. Bout a .44 Magnum barrel for my Thompson Encore and finally I have a Rossi Puma chambered for .44. The revolvers are a lot of fun to shoot with lighter handloads and if you need the power, then shift to a full leaded version. The Thompson is a tack driver with 180 grain XTP's, but it took a lot of testing to find a recipe that the barrel liked. The Puma is my baby! Living in a rural area with livestock, it found its niche as our ranch rifle. The Magnum cartridge in its intended loadings is plenty for any predators we have here and it is accurate, so less chance our livestock is harmed if we need to dispatch a bad animal. Hope you all get as much enjoyment from the cartridge as I have! Happy New Year!

I’m currently looking at getting a .44 Magnum levergun-probably a Henry. A cousin of mine deer hunts with a Ruger Deerfield carbine-the one that looks like a 10/22. My dad has a Ruger Redhawk that he first got when they were introduced in 1979. With full-power .44 Magnum loads, it recoils less than my Colt Python with full-power.357 Magnum loads. There’s a lot of metal in a Redhawk.

Bought a 44 mag revolver the other week. Personal defense while camping. Possible hunting. Just a beautiful firearm. The past of that round and of big irons in general should be cherished. It's America's 2a history.

My uncle lived in the Washington Cascade mountains. He claimed the Ruger deer field was the best elk rifle for his area.

A healthy scoop of 300 M-P underneath the hornady 225 gr took our rifle to the next level. A true deer slayer for sure.

Shot a .44 mag the first time a couple years ago. Never felt anything like it its the biggest handgun cartridge I've ever fired. Would definitely get one if my priorities weren't elsewhere but its on the list of future buys.

I had an 1894 many years ago. It had a bit of recoil with 240gr factory loads, and I didn't want to shoot lead bullets out of it. I started shooting Trail Boss under a 220 Sierra FPJ (no exposed lead at the tip, so they feed smoothly every time). This load had no recoil and still hit plates like a 10mm. I don't remember the velocity, but it was around 975. This cartridge is also easy to load, because resizing straight wall brass requires little effort. The caliber is very versatile, and those who experience it with only full power factory loads are missing out. Plinking with a thumper that has very low recoil is so much fun!

Great episode. Happy New Year everyone!

More people need to try out suppressed lever-actions in 357 and 44 mag. I've been shooting 200gr 357mags as close to the sound barrier as I can get, and it's awesome.

Love my 44 I’m from Canada and have a ruger super Blackhawk as well as a Winchester 94 love them both for so manny reasons

I've had a Ruger Super Redhawk for decades. I love the gun and I love the round. Now that Ruger is making Marlin I'm entertaining getting an 1894 Classic.

44 mag is my go to hunting handgun . Works awesome on deer !

Thank you. Gotta love the 44 mag.

I have a Super Blackhawk, a Taurus T44 and a Marlin 1894 in 44 Magnum. The T44 works very well with lighter loads that are still quite potent. A 200 gr bullet in the 1894 is pushing 1900-2000 fps with devastating effect, including punching holes easily through 1/4" steel plate.

Don't forget the Ruger 96/44 and the #3 in 44 Mag. Also fantastic rifles.

I have a .44 mag carbine (Henry) and absolutely love it. Like they say about the .44 mag…shoots like a rainbow, hits like a pot of gold.

My favorite caliber. It does everything. I also own a .454 Casull, along with two .480 Rugers. I can spend hours shooting the .44 magnum, practicing with it, without feeling terribly beaten up at the end of the day. I can't do this with the other two, and ammo prices are outrageous for them. Several years ago I had the opportunity to hunt boar and chose to use 300 grain, Hornady XTP's. Shot my boar broadside through both lungs. It ran 40 yds. and toppled over dead with no fight. Same trip my father shot his with a Marlin levergun in .44 magnum. Extremely versatile caliber!

Y’all should do a 10 minute talk on 32 h&r magnum or .327 fed. I feel like they are under appreciated self defense rounds in 6 shot snubbies as well as a great small game cartridge in a single action 6.5 inch revolver

In the spirit of lever guns, I'd love to see a .35 remington 10 minute talk, especially since the new .360 buck hammer is coming up soon

I've got a Henry in 44 mag. It. Is. AWESOME.