Trying to pick a new hunting rifle for Indiana

Kyonic · August 4, 2007, 02:58 PM

Hey guys well I just found out that in Indiana we can use pistol caliber rifle for deer hunting! Now to find a nice one.

Well I am wanting to go with a .44mag lever gun, but I do not know where to begin. I am really leaning towards the 20in Puma Rifle it looks nice and the reviews are good. Or try to find a nice used one, maybe the Ruger Deerfield?

My other choice is a TC Omega, or the New TC Triumph becasue I can hunt rifle and Muzzleloader seasons with this gun. The bad is follow up shots and it is not cheap to shoot.

Well if you have any suggestions I am all ears!

Mannlicher · August 4, 2007, 09:21 PM

I hunt often with a Marlin 1894S in .44 Mag. Most of the area around here is heavy cover, planted pines, swamps and creeks. Lever guns are quick to shoulder, and are plenty accurate for ranges under 150 yards.
The only load I use is the Speer Gold Dot 270 grain bullet loaded over H110 powder.
I like a scope on my lever guns now days. The glass helps with seeing in low light at dawn and dusk.

629 shooter · August 4, 2007, 09:29 PM

Rifle pictured above would be my choice as well , used to own a Marlin 44 lever action some years ago and it would be perfect for hunting here in Indiana.

FirstFreedom · August 4, 2007, 09:43 PM

Hey Mannlicher, nice rifle - what's your glass on there?

To the OP, if you get a Thompson Encore or Contender, then obviously you can add other calibers later, if you're inclined to do so. One shot is all you need anyway, 99% of the time.

But there is a certain fun and nostalgia to hunting with a levergun however. Marlin 1894, Winchester 94, Rossi/LSI/Puma 92, or Henry Big Boy - hard to go wrong with any.

Rugers are fugly, and the company uses your money to pass gun bans.

Birdville2011 · August 5, 2007, 02:36 PM

try a henry big boy. they come in .44 mag

cgbills · August 5, 2007, 05:28 PM

here is a question. do they make any lever guns in S&W .500 or .460? a lever gun in .460 would be awesome.

bmyers · August 8, 2007, 02:31 PM

If you want a real beauty, I have an unfired Browning Centennial in 44 Mag.
$750.00.......If interested, for pictures contact......

bmwindjammer@aol.com

VUPDblue · August 8, 2007, 09:57 PM

Try this.

FirstFreedom · August 8, 2007, 11:12 PM

VUPD - tee hee....

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/about/rules.html

Quote:

Some cartridges that will be legal include the following:

.357 Magnum
.38-40 Winchester
.41 Magnum
.41 Special
.44 Magnum
.44 Special
.44-.40 Winchester
.45 Colt
.454 Casull
.458 SOCOM
.480 Ruger
.475 Linebaugh
.50 Action Express
.500 S&W

RevolverLover · August 8, 2007, 11:17 PM

I also recommend the Marlin 1984 in .44 or .357.

Both of mine are very accuate and reliable. They have both taken quite a bit of game as well.

Webleymkv · August 8, 2007, 11:48 PM

I'd be perfectly content with a NEF Handi-Rfle in any of the above listed calibers. Short, light and well... handy.

VUPDblue · August 9, 2007, 08:28 AM

The moderator over there at arfcom who owns that rifle is, and has been, in good communication with certain people at DNR. He asked them to specifically list .458 SOCOM in the new reg.'s so that he won't catch any flack from CO's about that rifle during this hunting season. Looks like he got his way, too. I would advise anyone using a rifle chambered for any less than popular cartridge such as the SOCOM or Beowulf to take a copy of the definition in the new regs and a set of calipers out with them just in case.

FirstFreedom · August 9, 2007, 08:38 AM

Yep. If I lived in Indiana, I *would* get an AA .50 Beowulf for deer. Wait, is .50 beowulf a short enough case?

Old Time Hunter · August 9, 2007, 08:59 AM

.44 Mag in a '94 Winchester Trapper...'nough said! 13 Whitetail, 1 Black Bear, and 1 Bull Elk down the by the Clark Fork up in the Bitterroot.

August 4, 2007, 02:58 PM	#1
Kyonic Registered User Join Date: December 3, 2002 Posts: 26	Trying to pick a new hunting rifle for Indiana Hey guys well I just found out that in Indiana we can use pistol caliber rifle for deer hunting! Now to find a nice one. Well I am wanting to go with a .44mag lever gun, but I do not know where to begin. I am really leaning towards the 20in Puma Rifle it looks nice and the reviews are good. Or try to find a nice used one, maybe the Ruger Deerfield? My other choice is a TC Omega, or the New TC Triumph becasue I can hunt rifle and Muzzleloader seasons with this gun. The bad is follow up shots and it is not cheap to shoot. Well if you have any suggestions I am all ears!

August 4, 2007, 09:21 PM	#2
Mannlicher Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2001 Location: North Central Florida Posts: 2,785	I hunt often with a Marlin 1894S in .44 Mag. Most of the area around here is heavy cover, planted pines, swamps and creeks. Lever guns are quick to shoulder, and are plenty accurate for ranges under 150 yards. The only load I use is the Speer Gold Dot 270 grain bullet loaded over H110 powder. I like a scope on my lever guns now days. The glass helps with seeing in low light at dawn and dusk. __________________ Nemo Me Impune Lacesset "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.".........Ronald Reagan

August 4, 2007, 09:29 PM	#3
629 shooter Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2002 Location: IN , USA Posts: 967	Rifle pictured above would be my choice as well , used to own a Marlin 44 lever action some years ago and it would be perfect for hunting here in Indiana. __________________ "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."

August 5, 2007, 02:36 PM	#5
Birdville2011 Member Join Date: August 1, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 69	try a henry big boy. they come in .44 mag __________________ Marlin 336W .30-30 Remington 870 Express Synthetic 12ga Remington 597 .22lr Springfield 20ga (old)

August 5, 2007, 05:28 PM	#6
cgbills Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2006 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 216	here is a question. do they make any lever guns in S&W .500 or .460? a lever gun in .460 would be awesome. __________________ "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke

August 4, 2007, 09:43 PM	#4
FirstFreedom Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,455	Hey Mannlicher, nice rifle - what's your glass on there? To the OP, if you get a Thompson Encore or Contender, then obviously you can add other calibers later, if you're inclined to do so. One shot is all you need anyway, 99% of the time. But there is a certain fun and nostalgia to hunting with a levergun however. Marlin 1894, Winchester 94, Rossi/LSI/Puma 92, or Henry Big Boy - hard to go wrong with any. Rugers are fugly, and the company uses your money to pass gun bans.

August 8, 2007, 02:31 PM	#7
bmyers Member Join Date: July 17, 2004 Location: Mid-Tennessee Posts: 73	If you want a real beauty, I have an unfired Browning Centennial in 44 Mag. $750.00.......If interested, for pictures contact...... bmwindjammer@aol.com

August 8, 2007, 09:57 PM	#8
VUPDblue Senior Member Join Date: December 18, 2005 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 1,920	Try this. __________________ Silencers have NEVER been illegal !

August 8, 2007, 11:17 PM	#10
RevolverLover Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2004 Posts: 1,683	I also recommend the Marlin 1984 in .44 or .357. Both of mine are very accuate and reliable. They have both taken quite a bit of game as well. __________________ All I ever seem to read on this Internet is a bunch of "I heard..." or "I read..." sort of stuff. "One test = 1,000 expert opinions." -Art Eatman

August 8, 2007, 11:48 PM	#11
Webleymkv Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 5,381	I'd be perfectly content with a NEF Handi-Rfle in any of the above listed calibers. Short, light and well... handy. __________________ Smith, and Wesson, and Me. -H. Callahan Well waddaya know, one buwwet weft! -E. Fudd All bad precedents begin as justifiable measures. -J. Caesar

August 9, 2007, 08:28 AM	#12
VUPDblue Senior Member Join Date: December 18, 2005 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 1,920	The moderator over there at arfcom who owns that rifle is, and has been, in good communication with certain people at DNR. He asked them to specifically list .458 SOCOM in the new reg.'s so that he won't catch any flack from CO's about that rifle during this hunting season. Looks like he got his way, too. I would advise anyone using a rifle chambered for any less than popular cartridge such as the SOCOM or Beowulf to take a copy of the definition in the new regs and a set of calipers out with them just in case. __________________ Silencers have NEVER been illegal !

August 9, 2007, 08:38 AM	#13
FirstFreedom Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,455	Yep. If I lived in Indiana, I would get an AA .50 Beowulf for deer. Wait, is .50 beowulf a short enough case?

August 9, 2007, 08:59 AM	#14
Old Time Hunter Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2006 Location: Hinterlands of Wisconsin Posts: 324	.44 Mag in a '94 Winchester Trapper...'nough said! 13 Whitetail, 1 Black Bear, and 1 Bull Elk down the by the Clark Fork up in the Bitterroot.