Ruger Model 44

Last updated

Ruger Model 44
Ruger Deerstalker44.JPG
Ruger Model 44 with scope
TypeSemi-automatic rifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
Designer William B. Ruger
Designed1960
Manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co.
Unit cost$108 (equivalent to $989in 2021) (1960) [1]
Produced1960–1985 [1]
No. builtOver 250,000 [1]
VariantsRS, International, Sporter, 25th Anniversary
Specifications
Mass5.75 lb (2.6 kg) [1]
Length36.75 in (933 mm) [1]
Barrel  length18.25 in (464 mm) [1]
Cartridge .44 Remington Magnum [1]
Action Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Feed system4-round tubular magazine [1]
SightsFolding rear leaf sight, gold bead front sight [1]

The Ruger Model 44 is a semi-automatic rifle chambered in .44 Remington Magnum [2] designed and manufactured by American firearm company Sturm, Ruger & Co. It uses a 4-round tubular magazine and was produced from 1961 to 1985. [3]

Contents

History

Designed as a close range carbine for deer hunting in dense woods, Ruger released the Model 44 Carbine in 1961 as the "Deerstalker", a moniker it used until 1962 after which a lawsuit brought by the Ithaca Gun Company prohibited them from doing so. [3] [4] The design influenced the smaller and more popular Ruger 10/22 model chambered in .22 LR that would debut in 1964. [2] The rifle was discontinued in 1985 due to high production costs. [3] [5] Ruger does not offer any parts support for the Model 44.

The Ruger Model 44 was replaced by the Ruger Deerfield Carbine introduced in 2000 and produced until 2006. [5] The Deerfield is a brand new design and has little in common with the Model 44. While the Model 44 featured a solid-topped receiver, the modern Deerfield Carbine has an open-top design more resembling the M1 Carbine, [6] which offered increased strength and lower production costs. [7] The Deerfield uses a rotary magazine similar to that used on Ruger's .22 LR 10/22 rifle. [6]

Design

The standard model featured a walnut stock and a barrel band similar to the Ruger 10/22 and the M1 Carbine, but using a solid top receiver. [2] The front sight was a gold bead and the rear sight was a folding leaf-type. The receiver was drilled and tapped for scope mounts. The rifle was fed via a 3 round tubular magazine.

The chief complaint of the rifle was that the gas ports quickly fouled when using lead ammunition. This became less of an issue as manufacturers of .44 Magnum ammunition offered jacketed rounds instead of traditional lead. [8]

Ruger offered several variants including the RS model that had factory sling swivels and a rear peep sight close to the rear receiver lug. The International Model was similar, but lacked the rear peep sight and had a Mannlicher-type stock. The Sporter was the same, but made use of a Monte-Carlo style of stock. These three variants were dropped from production in 1971. [3] In the final year of production, Ruger offered a "25th Anniversary Edition" that featured a Ruger medallion embedded in the stock. [9]

Images

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolver</span> Firearm with a cylinder holding cartridges

A revolver is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers for firing. Before firing a round, cocking the hammer partially rotates the cylinder, indexing one of the cylinder chambers into alignment with the barrel, allowing the bullet to be fired through the bore. The hammer cocking can be achieved by either the user manually pulling the hammer back, via internal linkage relaying a rearward movement of the trigger, or both. By sequentially rotating through each chamber, the revolver allows the user to fire multiple times until having to reload the gun, unlike older single-shot firearms that had to be reloaded after each shot.

The scout rifle is a conceptual class of general-purpose rifles defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper in the early 1980s that bears similarities in design and function to guide guns, mountain rifles, and other rifle archetypes that emphasize comfortable portability and practical accuracy over firepower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt AR-15</span> Semi-automatic rifle

The Colt AR-15 is a lightweight, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifle. It is a semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle sold for the civilian and law enforcement markets in the United States. Colt's Manufacturing Company currently owns the AR-15 trademark, which is used exclusively for its line of semi-automatic AR-15 rifles.

The Mini-14 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Introduced in 1973, it is based on the M14 rifle and is essentially a scaled-down version chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., better known by the shortened name Ruger, is an American firearm manufacturing company based in Southport, Connecticut, with production facilities also in Newport, New Hampshire; Mayodan, North Carolina; and Prescott, Arizona. The company was founded in 1949 by Alexander McCormick Sturm and William B. Ruger, and has been publicly traded since 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith & Wesson Model 29</span> Revolver

The Smith & Wesson Model 29 is a six-shot, double-action revolver chambered for the .44 Magnum cartridge and manufactured by the United States company Smith & Wesson.

The Remington Model 870 is a pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. It is widely used by the public for shooting sports, hunting and self-defense, as well as by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.

The Ruger 10/22 is a series of semi-automatic rifles produced by American firearm manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Co., chambered for the .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge. It uses a patented 10-round rotary magazine, though higher capacity box magazines are also available. The standard carbine version of the Ruger 10/22 has been in production continuously since 1964, making it one of the most successful rimfire rifle designs in history, with numerous third party manufacturers making parts and accessories for upgrading and customization. The 10/22's aftermarket is so prolific that a complete 10/22 can be built without using any Ruger-made components.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taurus (manufacturer)</span>

Taurus Armas S.A. is a Brazilian manufacturing conglomerate based in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul with plants in Bainbridge, Georgia, Mandirituba, Paraná and São Leopoldo. Founded in 1924 as a tool and die forging plant, the company now consists of Taurus Armas, its firearm division, as well as other divisions focusing on metals manufacturing, plastics, body armors, helmets and civil construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auto Mag Pistol</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The .44 Auto Mag pistol (AMP) is a large caliber semi-automatic pistol. It was designed between 1966 and 1971 by the Auto Mag Corporation to make a semi-automatic pistol chambered in .44 AMP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMT Hardballer</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The AMT Hardballer is a series of pistols that are part of the 1911 platform made by Arcadia Machine & Tool (AMT) from 1977 to 2002. The Hardballer was the first entirely stainless steel 1911 pattern pistol. Other features included adjustable rear sights and a lengthened grip safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith & Wesson Model 17</span> Revolver

The Smith & Wesson Model 17 is a six-shot double-action revolver chambered for .22 LR. It is built on Smith & Wesson's medium-sized K-frame.

The Winchester Model 1894 rifle is a lever-action repeating rifle that became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles of all time. It was designed by John Browning in 1894 and originally chambered to fire two metallic black powder cartridges, the .32-40 Winchester and .38-55 Winchester. It was the first rifle to chamber the smokeless powder round, the .30 WCF in 1895. In 1901 Winchester created the new .32 Winchester Special caliber with production of rifles starting in 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlin Model 1894</span> Carbine

The Marlin Model 1894 is a lever-action repeating rifle introduced in 1894 by the Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut. At its introduction the rifle came with a 24-inch barrel and was chambered for a variety of rounds such as .25-20 Winchester, .32-20 Winchester, .38-40, and .44-40. Variants in other chamberings remain in production today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taurus Judge</span> Revolver

The Taurus Judge is a five shot revolver designed and produced by Taurus International, chambered for .410 bore shot shells and the .45 Colt cartridge. Taurus promotes the Judge as a self-defense tool against carjacking and for home protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Arms</span>

Freedom Arms is a Freedom, Wyoming based firearm manufacturing company, known for producing powerful single-action revolvers. The company was founded in 1978 by Wayne Baker and Dick Casull to produce the Mini revolver then later a revolver chambered in Casull's powerful .454 Casull chambering. This 5-shot revolver was the Model 83. Freedom Arms currently makes a single-shot pistol in addition to their revolvers.

Nighthawk Custom is an American firearm company based in Berryville, Arkansas, US, that manufactures custom M1911 pistols, rifles, revolvers, shotguns, and tactical knives for competition shooters, military, law enforcement and self-defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt Model 1855 Sidehammer Pocket Revolver</span> Revolver

The Colt Model 1855 Sidehammer, also known as the Colt Root Revolver after engineer Elisha K. Root (1808–1865), was a cap & ball single-action pocket revolver used during the American Civil War and made by the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruger Deerfield Carbine</span> Centerfire semi-automatic rifle

The Deerfield Carbine or Model 99/44 is a .44 Magnum semi-automatic rifle produced by Sturm, Ruger & Co. It uses a rotating-bolt short-stroke gas-piston. It was introduced in 2000 and discontinued in 2006.

Cimarron Firearms is an American firearms importer that has been in operation since 1984. The company's field of specialty is reproduction firearms from the American Civil War to the end of the Old West period. Founded by Mike Harvey in Houston, Texas, the company is now based in Fredericksburg, Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wilson 1996, pp. 68–69.
  2. 1 2 3 Long, Duncan (December 1, 1987). The Sturm Ruger 10/22 Rifle and .44 Magnum Carbine. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press. p. 11. ISBN   978-0-87364-449-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Shideler, Dan (June 26, 2009). The Gun Digest Book of Modern Gun Values: The Shooter's Guide to Guns 1900-Present. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 430. ISBN   978-0-89689-824-0.
  4. ↑ James, Garry (September 23, 2010). "Ruger Collector's Guide". Rifle Shooter. Retrieved October 14, 2013.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. 1 2 Taffin, John (October 30, 2006). Gun Digest Book of the .44. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 240. ISBN   978-1-4402-2670-0 . Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Michael Schoby (November 2006). Hunter's Guide to Whitetail Rifles. Stackpole Books. pp. 126–. ISBN   978-0-8117-3359-5 . Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  7. ↑ The Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part IV - Centerfire Rifles. Krause Publications. December 15, 2003. pp. 368–. ISBN   978-0-87349-631-5 . Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  8. ↑ Shideler, Dan (February 28, 2011). "The Hammer of Thor". Gun Digest Book of Deer Guns: Arms & Accessories for the Deer Hunter. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 40. ISBN   978-1-4402-2666-3.
  9. ↑ Lee, Jerry (April 11, 2012). The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices 2012. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 1104. ISBN   978-1-4402-2927-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.