I came across a older Ruger 44 Carbine that a co-worker wants to trade for one of my bolt action hunting rifle. He said it was purchased around 1979 by his father and it's been shot a lot...over 500 rounds of factory 240gr JHP and JSP ammo. It's not in perfect condition but it's still clean with no obvious problems. He did say that the rifle will jam on 2nd round about one out of 20 times and that it is not due to ammo as they have tried all types of brand and weight with no improvements.
I was thinking about getting this rifle for my 78 y/o father as he finds his Remington model 7 in .308 Winchester recoil to be a bit too much now. The primary use will be for close range (under 70 yards) hunting. I figured a 240gr JSP out of a carbine length barrel should be effective on deer and hogs from such range.
Few questions I have about this rifle are their reliability, durability, parts availability, ammo sensitivity and felt recoil.
Is the issue of 2nd round failure a common problem with these carbine and is there a fix for it? Are these carbines relatively reliable?
Is there any issues with long term durability? Is 500 rounds a lot out of these carbines?
Are parts still available for these carbines in case something breaks?
Are these carbines ammo sensitive? Can I use my handloads? Any limitations on ammo to consider for handloads?
Finally, how is the felt recoil on these carbine? How would you compare it to a lightweight 308 Winchester caliber bolt rifle? This is my primary consideration as I need something that has less felt recoil than my father's current rifle.
Any comments from personal experience would be greatly appreciated.
I was thinking about getting this rifle for my 78 y/o father as he finds his Remington model 7 in .308 Winchester recoil to be a bit too much now. The primary use will be for close range (under 70 yards) hunting. I figured a 240gr JSP out of a carbine length barrel should be effective on deer and hogs from such range.
Few questions I have about this rifle are their reliability, durability, parts availability, ammo sensitivity and felt recoil.
Is the issue of 2nd round failure a common problem with these carbine and is there a fix for it? Are these carbines relatively reliable?
Is there any issues with long term durability? Is 500 rounds a lot out of these carbines?
Are parts still available for these carbines in case something breaks?
Are these carbines ammo sensitive? Can I use my handloads? Any limitations on ammo to consider for handloads?
Finally, how is the felt recoil on these carbine? How would you compare it to a lightweight 308 Winchester caliber bolt rifle? This is my primary consideration as I need something that has less felt recoil than my father's current rifle.
Any comments from personal experience would be greatly appreciated.