.44 Mag Lever Action for Small Cats/ Antelope

[jpr9954]

I know you just bought a Henry. So I probably should not tell you that I got an email announcement from Ruger today saying they have just released the Marlin Model 1894 Classic in .44 Mag. MSRP is $1,239. Street price is probably a bit less.

https://www.marlinfirearms.com/s/model_1894Classic/

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

I know you just bought a Henry. So I probably should not tell you that I got an email announcement from Ruger today saying they have just released the Marlin Model 1894 Classic in .44 Mag. MSRP is $1,239. Street price is probably a bit less.

https://www.marlinfirearms.com/s/model_1894Classic/

Well dag-nab-it! That is pretty piece for sure! Hopefully more rifles released means there's a growing market for this sort of thing!

 

[RIDE-RED350r]

Picked it up in .44 Mag. I figured "it's Africa, might as well go a little bigger" lol

There are two Henry rifles in our safe. One is my wife's brass Big Boy 45 Colt and the other is my brass side gate 45-70. Both have been great rifles. Accuracy is as good as you can expect from open sights, in fact my 45-70 managed a three shot group at 100yds that would be impressive for a scoped -06. Not saying I can shoot like that every day mind you, I was just having a good day and everything fell into place. Our Henry's have been flawless out of the box. Once in awhile I hear of someone having an issue, it can be expected with anything mass produced. But never have I heard a complaint about Henry's service after the sale should a problem arise.

Here is my 100yd three shot group I made with my Henry 45-70. I know it may be a little hard to believe, but this was done with the factory iron sights and my handloaded ammo. I have the vid up on YouTube also. Lever rifles are capable of pretty respectable accuracy despite what alot of people say.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

There are two Henry rifles in our safe. One is my wife's brass Big Boy 45 Colt and the other is my brass side gate 45-70. Both have been great rifles. Accuracy is as good as you can expect from open sights, in fact my 45-70 managed a three shot group at 100yds that would be impressive for a scoped -06. Not saying I can shoot like that every day mind you, I was just having a good day and everything fell into place. Our Henry's have been flawless out of the box. Once in awhile I hear of someone having an issue, it can be expected with anything mass produced. But never have I heard a complaint about Henry's service after the sale should a problem arise.

Here is my 100yd three shot group I made with my Henry 45-70. I know it may be a little hard to believe, but this was done with the factory iron sights and my handloaded ammo. I have the vid up on YouTube also. Lever rifles are capable of pretty respectable accuracy despite what alot of people say. View attachment 542386

Wow that is amazing! Good shooting! I'm going to scope mine, since it will be night hunting and all, but let me tell you, if I can get mine to group like that at 100 yards I'll be plenty pleased for sure!

 

[RIDE-RED350r]

Wow that is amazing! Good shooting! I'm going to scope mine, since it will be night hunting and all, but let me tell you, if I can get mine to group like that at 100 yards I'll be plenty pleased for sure!

To be fair, my handloads were worked up to max Level II (Marlin lever action) in Hornady 11th data using the Hornady 325gr FTX which has proven to be a very accurate bullet in everything I've tried it in despite it's debatable terminal performance on target. These bullets have better BC than most bullets designed for tube fed lever actions. They were clocking right at 2000fps from my Henry's 19.5" barrel. Stout and accurate. .

I have not been able to duplicate that kind of accuracy with my 45 Colt rifles using the standard 250gr XTP pistol bullet, however that's not to say their accuracy is abysmal. Those usually get groups of about 1.5" to 2" at 50yds when I'm doing my part and I think this is pretty typical for a pistol chambered carbine using pistol bullets. Perfectly adequate for 100yds and in.

I also have a modern Winchester 1886 in 45-90 that has given me nice groups at 100yds using the Hornady 300gr JHP, but not as tight as the group I got with the Henry. I suspect if I tried the 325gr FTX I could achieve similar results to the Henry but I haven't worked up a 45-90 load with that bullet yet.

 

[Challer]

Combination gun is ideal. 22/410, 22mag/410, 22 Hornet/whatever gauge at max 222 Rem/12ga....
I own a few combination guns and am in process of buying a 22lr/410 3"....
African wildcat, small spotted and large spotted genet are small, serval can be fragile.....
22 rimfires wont be legal for small antelope....

I would love a 22 Hornet/410 3" or 12ga but cannot find one.
I also love hunting night critters...

I doubt you will be taking shots past 50m...

Savage 24s in 22/410 are fairly common in the US.

 

[HookMeUpII]

You guys drive me nuts....

Now I have to go and buy this never fired Tikka 512S 222 Rem/12ga combination gun I ran across last week....now that has potential as a night critter and tiny ten gun.....

I didn't even know that existed till today but man that is cool.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

Henry or Marlin, I think you’ll be happy with either!

 

[HookMeUpII]

I know you just bought a Henry. So I probably should not tell you that I got an email announcement from Ruger today saying they have just released the Marlin Model 1894 Classic in .44 Mag. MSRP is $1,239. Street price is probably a bit less.

https://www.marlinfirearms.com/s/model_1894Classic/

The price on lever guns is just out of control. I remember when the Marlin Guide Guns in 45-70 were going for sub $900. Henry's always seemed to be a little more. Times have changed I guess.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Good morning all!

Last night I was playing around with some ballistic calculations and I wanted the opinion of the Elders of Africa here. I'm trying to find a good rifle to take for small cats/ small antelope that won't break the bank, has easily accessible factory loads (since I do not reload and don't have the time to pick up the hobby) and shoots something big enough to kill, but slow enough not to blow something the size of a Serval or Greater Genet in half. The rifle would only be used for the small animals, nothing even the size of an Impala. Pretty much a specialized rifle just for the Tiny Ten and Small Cats, so it's usefulness on larger African Game, or game here in the states is not an issue. After looking at the numbers I think a .44 Mag in lever action might be just the right pill for the job, but I wanted your thoughts. The shots would be no greater than 100 yards at the max, the targets would, as I said, be no bigger than a large Caracal if I got lucky. I cannot use a .375, as I sold mine and don't really want to pick up another one. I also considered a lever action .357 but I wasn't sure if that would have enough "oomph" to kill cleanly at 100 yards, even for these small-bodied animals.

Thank you for your time and input!

@Eventually_Africa_Again
Me thinks the 34mag is a bit much for small game like the tiny ten and smaller cats. That big soft point or hollow point tends to make a big mess of what they hit. I would use the PHs camp gun to save discombooberating Thom little critters.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My experience has been the exact opposite as yours @HookMeUpII ...

A 300 gr 44 Mag shot from a carbine is traveling about 1625 FPS.. roughly 25% faster than it would be from a 6" revolver (roughly 1300 fps)..

That is WELL below most centerfire rifle velocities (62gr 223 @ 3100 fps for example)..

As a result, far more often than not, big, slow moving projectiles tend to cut holes that are roughly the same size going in and going out.. there is relatively little to no expansion (nor is there a lot needed in most situations)..

Whereas faster moving smaller projectiles tend to rapidly expand (especially true in many small bore calibers since most of the ammunition designed for those calibers is specifically designed to expand quickly or even intentionally fragment upon contact)... and are known to create considerable pelt damage..

You get very similar results with a 45-70 shooting "trapdoor" loads.. where a 45 caliber, 300 gr projectile gets pushed about 1550 FPS out of a rifle... I've probably popped a dozen pigs with 45-70 trapdoor loads.. using broadside shots the exit wounds are negligibly larger than the entrance wounds..

There is a reason LOTS of people (experienced hunters and PH's alike) recommend 375 H&H with solids for the tiny ten.. you get the same hole coming out as you got going in..

If expansion is a concern with a 44 mag or a 357 mag out of a carbine (I wouldnt think it would be.. but.. if it is for some odd reason).. simply load up FMJ ammo... and youre going to have roughly the same sized hole on both sides (not nearly enough speed/energy.. or enough bone or body mass to deform those big, slow moving projectiles)..

@mdwest
My experience with the 44mag has been limited to a Rossi carbine loaded with factory 240gn sifts and hollow points. These are designed to readily expand at handgun velocities but when you gain an extra 300fpsout of the carbine they turn into a different beast that expand more rapidly. They do a lot of damage to a pig even out at 100yds. I hit a rabbit with one at around 30 yds and there were bits of rabbit all over the place.
I guess it would depend on the projectile used. A hard cast lead bullet in the Keith style would cut a nice 44 cal hole thru an animal. The 300gn Hornady xtp is designed for big game and 444 marlin velocities so it would be a good bullet as well.
Bob

 

[jpr9954]

The price on lever guns is just out of control. I remember when the Marlin Guide Guns in 45-70 were going for sub $900. Henry's always seemed to be a little more. Times have changed I guess.

My guess is that the manufacturing costs, especially that of skilled labor, are higher for lever actions than for bolt guns.

 

[RIDE-RED350r]

My guess is that the manufacturing costs, especially that of skilled labor, are higher for lever actions than for bolt guns.

There is definitely more to making a lever rifle.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Savage 24s in 22/410 are fairly common in the US.

@Challer
I got my father a Savage 24D way back in '76 in 22lr 20 gauge 3 inch magnum.
Great gun but shit trigger of over 9 pounds. Stupidity I sold it to my mate on the provision I could buy it back. He forgot and sold it.
Bob

 

[HookMeUpII]

My guess is that the manufacturing costs, especially that of skilled labor, are higher for lever actions than for bolt guns.

It's a good question. I think a lot of it is just inflation itself. I know most lever gun manufacturers hold themselves to a high QC standard so you might be right about the skilled labor.

 

[JimP]

All you need to do is to look at what goes into a lever action and compare it to a bolt action. Add all the smaller parts that need to be hand fitted.

 

[JG26_Irish]

I have had a Winchester 94 Trapper model in 44mag for at least 20y. I used to hunt deer sized game with it with very satisfactory results. With a few notable exceptions: It is not a tack driver. You need to limit the range to about 100y. I always had issues with the factory sights. The rifle shot high and could not be adjusted down enough to zero properly. I put a red-dot sight on it with disasterous results. The brass would bounce off the sight and fall back into the action causing slow reloads. I removed it and installed a ghost ring rear sight at the back of the receiver. That one change transformed the rifle. It will now group 3" at 100y where before it struggled to group 6-8". Every animal that I hit with it dropped in its tracks. The trick was to use heavy hollowpoints and avoid the soft point ammo. They are light and handy but might not provide the level of precision you will want for smaller cat-like creatures.

A smallish frangible bullet would do most of its damage after penetrating the skin and while the exit wound might be larger cats especially are very tough animals and blowing it in half is not that likely. Would also offer better range and accuracy if... a longer shot is presented. When I hunt cats (bobcat) coyote or other NA varmints at home, I usually chose a 223 or 17WSM as my tool of choice. But at home, I am not seeking a one of a kind trophy. For Africa, more gun might be better.

 

[jpr9954]

It's a good question. I think a lot of it is just inflation itself. I know most lever gun manufacturers hold themselves to a high QC standard so you might be right about the skilled labor.

I think costs and the need for skilled labor to hand-fit parts is the reason my favorite lever action is no longer. I am talking about the Savage 99.

 

[IvW]

African wildcat is smaller than a house cat both genets are quarter size.....prepare for scull mounts...