.45 long colt or .44 mag?

[grundy53]

What lever action would you rather take into the brush after deer? A 45 long colt or a 44 mag?

[mattaylor81]

Either one would work out of a Marlin.  Do you have a revolver in either of those calibers?  That would make my choice for me since I have a 45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk. Another thing to consider is if you don't reload good 45 Colt ammo will be expensive.

[Kola16]

I would say 45 long colt, but like mattaylor said, if you have a 44 mag, go with that 

[Wingin it]

As already mentioned, 45 colt ammo is expensive and can be tough to find.

[grundy53]

Thanks guys. Also I will throw .45-70 into the mix.

[JackOfAllTrades]

If you're thinking 45-70, the you would certainly think about 444marlin.  -That would be my choice as it would be good for deer/bear/elk.  If you're thinking Blacktail on the west side in the brush, then I'm a 30-30 guy, with a 44mag as second choice.  The Marlins in 44mag are cheaper than the other calibers listed. Reloading or not, 44mag is plentiful and cheaper than all but the 30-30.

-Steve

[JimmyHoffa]

Also, if you are looking for .45-70s, there are still many older ones available--so there is ammo made specifically for the old ones.  If you get a newer model, you can shoot new and old without any problems. 

[grundy53]

If you're thinking 45-70, the you would certainly think about 444marlin.  -That would be my choice as it would be good for deer/bear/elk.  If you're thinking Blacktail on the west side in the brush, then I'm a 30-30 guy, with a 44mag as second choice.  The Marlins in 44mag are cheaper than the other calibers listed. Reloading or not, 44mag is plentiful and cheaper than all but the 30-30.

-Steve

Thanks for the tip. After I read this I started researching the .444. I looks great. Definetly at the top of my list. Today I stopped by a gun store and they had 2 calibers I knew nothing about but seamed interesting. One was .375 remington and the other was a .450 Marlin. I've never really been into lever actions so I don't know much about their calibers. I've always just used my .300 win mag for a brush gun but now I've decided I want a true brush gun with no scope and a large bore.... I appreciate the help while I research this.

[FC]

I would leave the pistol cartridges for pistols but that .444 and .450 both look like great cartridges although much more limited for ammo (hard to find) than the 45-70.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Don't forget about the relatively new 308Marlin... Basically a 308win in a light weight short barreled,  lever gun. A pretty sweet round with the Hornady Leverevolution bullets. A 30-30 on steroids.  Tops a 30-30AI in a lever gun.  If you can shoot peeps, then extend your range over buckhorn irons by at least 50yds with more knock down power than the 30-30.

-Steve

[grundy53]

Don't forget about the relatively new 308Marlin... Basically a 308win in a light weight short barreled,  lever gun. A pretty sweet round with the Hornady Leverevolution bullets. A 30-30 on steroids.  Tops a 30-30AI in a lever gun.  If you can shoot peeps, then extend your range over buckhorn irons by at least 50yds with more knock down power than the 30-30.

-Steve

Thanks that looks like a great round. When I went to Marlins web site to look at it I saw they did the same thing with the .338 too. That sounds interesting....

[hillbilli]

if it is about a pistol caliber lever gun.. unless you already have a .45 and reload for it already, then get a .44 magnum. Magnum ammo is way more available. Most .45 LC loads are loaded to about 850 fps.. and those loads dont gain much out of the carbine barrel. not a stellar deer load, and the few places like buffalo bore that load it hotter are hard to find and expensive. The magnum can be loaded to .44 special levels, on up through my plinking load (200gr@ 12000) which duplicates .44-40 levels, or to full house loads.. and some of the magnum .44's out of a 18" or so barrel are significantly ( as much as 400fps) faster than out of a pistol.. bullets from 180grn to as heavy as 300grns are common. I also have to .45-70, so if you have questions about that let me know..

[grundy53]

Thank you! Doesn't have to be a pistol round. Really I'm just looking for a good open sighted brush gun/round.

[ldjbuff]

I was in the same situation. I ended up getting a Ruger SR40. its hold 16. I figure with 16 shots I should be ok

[grundy53]

I went to several stores today and had a hard time finding any lever actions that weren't 30-30's. I found one .444, 2 .44 mags, one .450 marlin, 2 .375 winchester's, and 1 .338 Marlin express. I really liked the .338 marlin express. It feels really good when I shoulder it. I did some quick online research and for the most part people like it. The one question mark with it is if the round would last. Or if it would be really hard to find ammo in a few years. I'm not too concerned though. It would be a good excuse to buy another gun. I think I'm going to pull the trigger on this one.