BARREL LENGTH — THE MAIN DIFFERENCE

Perhaps the best thing .44 Magnum rifles have going for them is the fact that their longer barrel can push the .44 Magnum cartridge to higher levels of ballistics and terminal performance way beyond its potential when fired from any longer barrel revolver.

And since rifles don’t use a forcing cone that is separate from its chamber, there is no bullet velocity loss when shooting it.

When fired from the 20-inch barrel of a lever-action rifle, a 240-grain .44 Magnum bullet can reach velocities of up to 1,760 feet per second, 27.54% faster than when the same bullet is shot from a 6-inch revolver.

The same round generates a kinetic energy of up 1,651 foot-pounds of force at the rifle’s muzzle. This makes it 62.66% more powerful compared to shooting it from a 6-inch revolver.

The longer rifle barrel doesn’t use the forcing cone found in a revolver, which means there’s no velocity loss. This makes any .44 Magnum rifle a viable option for long range deer hunting at over 70 yards away.

CONCLUSION

Rifles, by virtue of their longer barrel, can push any cartridge to its maximum ballistics potential. A rifle chambered for a particular revolver cartridge like the .44 Magnum is always going to be more accurate than its revolver counterpart and easier to handle, not to mention it gives the cartridge more oomph.

The .44 Magnum has always been one of the more powerful and versatile revolver cartridges on the market. But often, hunting medium game with a revolver can be difficult because of its limited range.

If you happen to own a .44 Magnum revolver it and you’re looking to hunt deer from farther than what your revolver allows, i.e. over 50 yards away, it make perfect sense to get a carbine that can shoot the same round. Thanks for reading guys and remember to stay safe and protect your ears when shooting.

This article by Mike Ramientas originally appeared at Gun News Daily in 2018.

Image: Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore.