Why did Ruger discontinue making the .44Mag carbine semiauto

[Old Judge Creek]

... The Ruger Deerfield is not picky with ammo. You need full power 240 grain loads- what it was meant to shoot. It is not a " fool around, reinvent the wheel " rifle. It is meant to load with the proper ammo... - period.

:lol: Excuse me???? :lol:

You just defined "Picky - Picky - Picky"

Thank you for proving my point.

I do have a question for you though, who defines "The Proper Ammo" and why is anything other than "The Proper Ammo" manufactured?

IMO the 44 magnum is one of the most effective all purpose, general use, cartridges extant...... IF you reload your own ammunition. Writers have been pointing that out for as long as I can remember. And that fact (not Dirty Harry) is one of the factors that steered me to the cartridge many years ago. Its versatility is simply extraordinary.

Cap'n Kirk's comment that gas operated semi auto rifles / carbines chambered for rimmed pistol cartridges is a bit of a niche market is indeed spot on.

Aside from that, there was (IMO) simply no possible way that the 44 mag Deerfield could compete with any of my lever rifles for handiness, easy packing, easy carrying, sight options, versatility or magazine capacity. I think that's why it failed in the market place.

Taking this a step further, after years of hunting, I've never seen as many semi-autos in the game fields as other action types, so I've yet to figure out the real virtue of having a semi-auto for hunting. I'm not against it, I just have not seen proven, the added value of an autoloader in the game field (and for you fanciers of that action type, I'm over 70 and I've heard all the "reasons" - some good / some bad).

So, the smaller number of semi-auto fanciers is also a factor in the demise of the deerfield IMO.

Last of all I have to say that I never expected to see my comments revived and discussed 2 and a half years down the road, and ideas and "things" change. However, I still stand behind what I said - except that I don't think even a 10 round magazine would encourage me to buy a Deerfield today. Us old farts get set in our ways, ya know?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Old Judge Creek]

Ruger builds the Rifle. They tell you , " here, now use full power 240 grain loads."

Boom, there is the proper ammo. Far better to just get the right ammo and move on- put your time into scouting bucks, looking for last years rub lines, getting a woods plan together, etc. It just gets old when one dwells on the same ole same ole. Me, I get the thing sighted in and I move on. I hate dwelling on a dead cause. Feakin Ruger engineers made it, that's it. Over with. I put my time in the woods.

Lamplighter, I marvel at your display of woodland prowess, your ballistic acumen, and your willingness to educate and enlighten me.

Thank you for setting me straight.

 

[wwb]

A tempest in a teapot.

Hey, shoot whatever you want.... just bear in mind that shooting lead bullets will likely eventually plug the gas port. Fixin' that problem ain't fun, but it can be done.

If the action doesn't cycle shooting jacketed bullets, your load isn't heavy enough. If you're shooting something well beyond the SAAMI pressure, you'll probably pound it to pieces if you shoot enough of them.

Your money, your gun, your choice.

 

[WIL TERRY]

W.B.RUGER SR said himself that the only reason they'd ever discontinue anything was ' it did NOT sell '
He was in it for the money , a FINE capitalist he was, and there in No other reason to be making that which does not sell.
HE learned that with the original HAWKEYE 256 when they inadvertently left it out of the next years catalog and no one noticed it nor mentioned it.

 

[DGW1949]

I can't say why Ruger discontinued their 44Mag autoloader because I aint them. I can say however, that I wouldn't trade my old, beat-up, (Interarms) Rossi-'92 for one. As far as that goes, I wouldn't trade 'em my old, beat-up, pre-safety, Win 30-30 carbine neither.
Just going from the number of Deerslayers and/or Deerfields that I've actually seen used in the woods (which is exactly, none) I'm guessing that I aint alone in my thinking on that.

Some might say that comparing a levergun to Ruger's (discontinued) autoloader is apples 'n oranges.
I say that it aint because both were/are intended to serve the same purpose.
What I'm getting at here is that in my years of living, I aint seen nothing come along (yet) that can out-do a levergun at what it was intended to do. When ya consider that the basic design has been around longer than has the common use of electricity, that's a perty-remarkable statement. It may also offer a bit of insight as to why it's still around and why some of the others aint.

On the other hand, I'm just a dumb ole country boy.....So what do I know?

DGW

 

[Major T]

Back in the 70s, I bought a new carbine and put a 3X Weaver in Weaver flip over mounts. And considered myself well equipped for an annual invited hunt in the swamps of SE Texas. I used 240 JSP factory loads sighted an inch high at fifty. I never plinked much with that one, but it shot just under an inch at fifty. Plenty good for deer from a few feet to maybe close to a hundred. Never malfunctioned.

One too many funerals, and the hunt went away and so did the gun. Ideal for what I got it for, but not so much for my other hunts. Jack

 

[cowboycopus]

I read this thread for some time before I saw how old it is. It seems to me some folks
are talking about one rifle and some are talking about another.
The "Deerfield" and the "Deerslayer". The ladder being the Model 44.
I have never had a 96/44 or a 99/44 or "deerfield" or a camp carbine.
I have had three (only one now) Mod.44 and loved all of them. Light weight, accurate , never a prob.
In the late sixties, in Alaska, a .44 mag. carbine and revolver was the ultimate setup.
They were never picky about factory ammo but hand loads had to be right.
If five .44 Magnum rounds ain't enough something else is missing.
Steve

 

[joihan777]

I read this thread for some time before I saw how old it is. It seems to me some folks
are talking about one rifle and some are talking about another.
The "Deerfield" and the "Deerslayer". The ladder being the Model 44.
I have never had a 96/44 or a 99/44 or "deerfield" or a camp carbine.
I have had three (only one now) Mod.44 and loved all of them. Light weight, accurate , never a prob.
In the late sixties, in Alaska, a .44 mag. carbine and revolver was the ultimate setup.
They were never picky about factory ammo but hand loads had to be right.
If five .44 Magnum rounds ain't enough something else is missing.
Steve

If Ruger ever brought back the Deerfield (99/44) I think a version in .44 AND in .500 S&W would be a good idea. I'm all for buying a Super Redhawk and a Deerfield in same caliber!

As far as having more than 4 rounds... watching your neighbor's car get burned during riots can be sobering...

 

[cowboycopus]

I was talking about hunting game. I have other remedies for "urban vermin".
But I would not live in an area where my neighbor's car got burned during riots.
To many nice places to live.
Steve

 

[SHOOTER]

Ruger

Bring this back!

 

[RSIno1]

W.B.RUGER SR said himself that the only reason they'd ever discontinue anything was ' it did NOT sell ........

Their beancounters today are even better. I'm certain that they take into account what it costs to make an item and what their return on that investment is. If they can build a gun in 1/2 hour and make $100 profit on it they won't build one that takes an hour to make for the same $100 profit. Their production seems to always be running at the max so no spare time to slip in a different gun. Look how long it took them to clear production time to run last years No1s.
My biggest fear of them bringing it back would be that they'd "re-engineer" the manufacturing process like they did with the short lived Red Label re intro.

 

[SteelBlue]

On Deerfield carbines, the screw holding the trigger assembly in has a tendency to loosen. When this happens, you will get "failure to feed" issues. Even half a turn loose will be problematic. Use Loctite on this screw. Additionally, I found that the screw holding the stock to the barrel can also loosen, and when this happens, the accuracy goes to hell: 6" groups at 50 yds.

 

[mohavesam]

I don't understand why every discussion I see on the 44 Carbine degrades to talking about a different gun - the Deerfeild. ONLY the caliber is similar! :roll:

To the OP, yes many reasons why the 44 Carbine was discontinued have been posted to date, but it comes down to cost-of-manufacture every time. Ruger just stopped employing "gunsmiths", and went to a "semi-skilled assemble & test" business model, and thats all folks!

The original Deerstalker and 44 Carbine just accumulated too many technical (ammo sensitivity) and manufacturing challenges that could not be overcome without increased cost to manufacturing significantly increasing the MSRP, let alone the fact WBR himself made the death call on it and that was that, as they say.

And I for one (having owned a few) really like them for short-range hunting, but could not see paying double the price for one even back in the day. But all things considered, they do make a great "outhouse gun" for that midnight stroll at bear camp! :shock: