mr-swapmeet:gun-wisdom:I did some research on the Ruger .44 Mag carbine, and on the forums I noticed
mr-swapmeet:gun-wisdom:I did some research on the Ruger .44 Mag carbine, and on the forums I noticed that you are not the first person to bring up this question. The unanimous response is that the Ruger 44 wasn’t made to be that accurate, being a carbine firing a pistol cartridge, albeit a power pistol cartridge. At 100 yards a 3 or 4 inch grouping is around the norm. When you used 240 grain wadcutters you had a grouping of 3-4 inches, but when you switch to 225 grain lever you accuracy decreased tremendously. This actually makes sense. The 240 grain wadcutter is a big, long, blocky bullet, because of this it has more area to make contact with the rifling. The 225 grain is smaller and shorter, which means it makes less contact with the rifling, decreasing accuracy. Thats why rifle bullets today are very long and slender, because of aerodynamics but also because of rifling contact. The 44 mag is not a rifle cartridge, and thus one should not expect the performance of a high powered rifle. Your best bet would be to stick with 240 grain or 250 grain .44 magnum cartridges.—-peashooter85Ok thanks. My only other thought was to try 270gr or Buffalo Bore 300-ish grain. and see if the groups tightened up. I appreciate the feedback! Love this blog.I’m not sure a high grain bullet will improve accuracy or not. The heavier bullet might decrease accuracy. However, most Buffalo Bore loads are +P cartridges, meaning extra power/pressure. That brings up another issue, is your gun rated to fire +P cartridges? It would be dangerous to fire them if it is not. I don’t have the answer to that, you will probably have to consult an expert if you don’t know, such as a gunsmith. That being said, when it comes to pistol caliber carbines I think the key to accuracy is using cartridges that have a bullet that will make more contact with the rifling.—peashooter85 -- source link