Ruger 44 Carbine Ammo
I have an older Ruger 44 Carbine made in the late 1970s. I was reading on various blogs and websites that this carbine was calibrated to only work properly with standard, full powered 44Mag loads with 240gr bullets.
Does that mean it will not cycle with lighter bullets like the Speer Gold Dot 210gr loads? I had problems with an off brand 240gr loads that did not cycle the action properly and had stove pipe problems. Other standard manufacturers gave me no problems, like Winchester and Remington.
Does that mean it will not cycle with lighter bullets like the Speer Gold Dot 210gr loads? I had problems with an off brand 240gr loads that did not cycle the action properly and had stove pipe problems. Other standard manufacturers gave me no problems, like Winchester and Remington.
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It's a gas operated system, so the pressure has to be enough to operate it. Stick with good brand ammo. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Manoa-Fisherman
I have an older Ruger 44 Carbine made in the late 1970s. I was reading on various blogs and websites that this carbine was calibrated to only work properly with standard, full powered 44Mag loads with 240gr bullets.
Does that mean it will not cycle with lighter bullets like the Speer Gold Dot 210gr loads? I had problems with an off brand 240gr loads that did not cycle the action properly and had stove pipe problems. Other standard manufacturers gave me no problems, like Winchester and Remington.
I think that's right.
Lower energy/momentum rounds won't reliably cycle your gun.
The Speer 210 grain gold dots you mention only put out 1450 fps. That's a nice round for personal defense, beating the tar out of a .45ACP but it a lower mass bullet than the standard 240 grainer, and I suspect it it may well not be enough to cycle the Ruger.
Of course there is only one way to know for sure and that's to try it.0 -
Like the gas operated AR's, AK's, Remington 742 series, BAR, and other's, these are designed to run toward the higher end of the pressure curve. That does not mean that the Gold Dot loads will not cycle it, as they were designed for hunting, NOT personal defense. They should operate it just fine, as I have handloaded for a couple of those, using 180 grain bullets. I was using near maximum, or maximum doses of Hercules 2400, or H-110. They cycled just fine.
The lower pressure loads for plinking in revolvers, and sometimes using cast lead bullets, should not be used, as it will indeed cause problems, with your gas system.
Best
EDIT 1
quote:Thank you all for the valuable information. I didn't realize the 210gr Gold Dots were clocking out at 1450fps. Great little carbine for those shots under 100 yds. I noticed that once the barrel heated up, the groups spread to the size of a pie plate past 50 yds.
That is out of a revolver. They should clock around 200FPS faster in your carbine.
Best0 -
Mine (early '63 production) handles hot 180 grain loads no problem.
What you want is basically full power for bullet weight, and jacketed bullets.0 -
What Llama said is exactly right, load close to max for bullet weight.
I've had one for30+ years, found that out long ago.
W.D.0 -
I have a 70's Deluxe and there is a
piston plug set screw to regulate the gas.0 -
Thank you all for the valuable information. I didn't realize the 210gr Gold Dots were clocking out at 1450fps. Great little carbine for those shots under 100 yds. I noticed that once the barrel heated up, the groups spread to the size of a pie plate past 50 yds. 0 -
The Ruger Carbine is made for hunting,
not target practicing.0 -
quote:Originally posted by rong
The Ruger Carbine is made for hunting,
not target practicing.
But its sooo much fun to pull one out when everyone is using 10/22s [8D] [:D]
I like the "WTH kind of 10/22 makes that kind of noise!" looks I get after I light off the first round.0 -
Both of my Ruger .44 carbines (one fingergroove deluxe and one standard) REQUIRE at least semi-jacketed bullets. They will blunt lead only bullets and most of the time they won't feed. I use 240 grain bullets in mine also and limit my shots to generally under 75 yards though I have made one shot successfully past 100 yards.
These are great little guns and though not terribly accurate, they are accurate enough for real-world hunting at the ranges it (and the cartridge) was designed for.0 -
But its sooo much fun to pull one out when everyone is using 10/22s
I'm not saying not to shoot it at targets.
It's a lot of fun
I do all the time out back.In fact the more you shoot a hunting
rifle, the more familiar and accurate you get with it.0
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