I’m looking to get a rifle for my 8 year old to hunt deer with in Ohio. I’m looking at the Marlin 1894 in either 45 LC or 44 mag. None of my shots are over 150 yards on my property, and I reload but don’t have either of these calibers in the stable. The rifles are practically the same price between calibers. I’m assuming recoil is about the same. What caliber would you go with for deer hunting and why?

If you have a pistol in either caliber, I'd go with that one.

Otherwise, six of one, half a dozen of the other IMO.

As mentioned already, if you have a revolver in either caliber, go with that one. Or if you see yourself buying a revolver in the future then take that into consideration.

Personally, I’d probably go with the 45 but in reality if it were me, I’d be getting a 45-70.

quote:

Originally posted by newmexican:
As mentioned already, if you have a revolver in either caliber, go with that one. Or if you see yourself buying a revolver in the future then take that into consideration.

Personally, I’d probably go with the 45 but in reality if it were me, I’d be getting a 45-70.

For an 8 year old? You must have some pretty tough kids in your area!

quote:

Originally posted by jbcummings:
For an 8 year old? You must have some pretty tough kids in your area!

Nah. The beauty of the 45-70 is that you can load them down with ease. My loads could easily be shot by a kid and still stop a truck out to 100+. It does depend on the rifle though. Some have much more punch than others.

The other thing to consider is that he's only going to be 8 until he's 9, and 10, and 15, and 24. Get him something that he'll grow into and in a kick-ass caliber.

I love the .45 Colt. There are far more ammunition options for the .44.

I'd go with the .44, because I own two double action revolvers in that caliber, and don't have any real interest in single action revolvers, which is what most .45 Colt revolvers will be.

On the other hand, the guys pushing the 45-70 have a point. With cowboy action loads, it's a powder puff to shoot, and you are still throwing 325 grain bullets at 1500 to 2000 fps, or 500 grain at 1350. Any of those will plant a deer at 100 yards, and when he grows and wants something with STOMP, he can move up to the dedicated hunting loads or handload some serious horsepower.

It's tough figuring out what kids will like to shoot at that age. I have a friend who's son is 9, and he shoots both AR and shotgun without complaint, but he really didn't like my .243. And a .243 is a pretty light recoiling caliber.

My eleven year old lov s shooting 45LC from the Marlin 1894.

I recommend it although I doubt whether the LOP will work for an eight year old.

I'd go .44 mag simply for the ammunition availability. If you reload that's a moot point.

I’m another 44 magnum fan. Even though YOU reload, the commercial availability of 44 might be nice for him, in a pinch.
Plus, later on he’s gonna want a Ruger Redhawk in 44 to go along with it, unless you’re bringing him up S&W.
240 grains of 44 out of a 16-18” barrel is a lot of whollop.
The 45-70 would be nice, but I’ve had two and traded off both. I still have my SS Marlin in 44 ( and it’s little brother in 357)

If you want to hand load heavy and hard loads, the 45 Colt is the better option over the .44 Mag, just like the 45-70 vs .444 Marlin bigger rifle brothers for one simple reason, case capacity. If you don't want to reload, the .44 mag is probably the better option, simply because it's easier to find good (and cheaper) loads on the shelves of stores.

When loaded to maximum, the difference between 45LC and .44 mag is not that significant. I would go with .44 if a revolver pairing is important- especially if a DA revolver is the desired platform. As for hunting, either one will get the job done at 100 yards.

As to the 45-70, I am a fan. It can be loaded from mild to wild and still drop any deer. The only thing I’ll mention is the 1894 is significantly lighter than the 1895, at least to a child. For later in life, it would make a better big game rifle- loaded properly, it will easily handle any creature on the continent, and nearly any in the world.

Time to see if photobucket ever caught up to me- my chopped and braked 1895. 16.25” OAL all-game brush gun.


My shorty family picture- .44, 30-30, .44, 45-70.

Regardless of the Marlin you choose, ditch the factory sights. I put Williams receiver sights on mine and the difference is remarkable for so little money spent.
On a good day, with me working hard at it, at 100 yards, I can put 5 rounds of .44 into a 3 inch circle. At lesser distances, I can make one big hole. Getting easy hits will build the kids confidence and that's a good thing.

I'd go for the .44 mag.
Simply due to bullet/load selection and case construction.

.44 case was designed to contain magnum pressures, the .45 Colt was not.

Right there, is my point of decision for taking deer with a handgun cartridge.

For hunting, .44 mag.
Can also use 44spcl too, though OAL may give feeding headaches.
For hunting, the only time I'd opt for a 45, would either be a 454 casul or 45/70.

Anyhow, that's my take.

All my kids will get a .44. I laso have 45-70's ready for them when they are older. The real advantage as mentioned to the 1894 is weight. While they may want a bigger hammer whne theyre older, the 44 still has its place. I have a few 45-70 and still grab the 44 sometimes. The fasfire helps build confidence.

[rant on]
Pet peeve time. There’s 45 Colt or 45 Schofield. 45 LC is old slang. It bothers me when ammo and firearm manufacturers use it on their products.
[/rant off]

To be fair, it’s my problem. My 30-30 doesn't have 30WCF on it and I’m ok with it. It’s a problem on which I’m working.

As much as I like the 45 Colt, I think I would go with the 44 mag ( with a lighter load to start with - increasing power as the youngster can tolerate) or the 45/70 with reduced loads. The only 45/70 I own is an original trapdoor and with a case full of black powder and a 405 grain cast, it is still pretty easy on the shoulder. A “trapdoor” level load is plenty powerful enough and again can be graduated to more powerful loads as the kid grows

Nobody has mentioned this yet. If you ever want to participate in CAS, you’ll need to go with the 45 Colt. As already mentioned, if you handload, the 44 has nothing on the 45 performance-wise. There’s something nice about a lever gun in a cartridge that started out as a black powder round.

With regard to the 44/45 situation, I think the decision should be made on the basis of the companion handgun, if there is one. If not the new .45 Colt cases can be loaded to .44 Mag specs with no problems.
Some time ago the better half of my life set some rules, too many calibers, too much reloading gear, too little storage space/work room. So, I agreed to some limitations; I would restrict myself to 3 rifle calibers: .30, includes 30-40 Krag, 30-30, 30-06, and .308(obviously including 7.62X51mm).
.22 Caliber; .223(includes 5.56mm), .22LR and 22 WMR. .45 Caliber, includes .45 Colt, .45 ACP, .45 Schofield, 45/70 and .458 Winchester Magnum.
SO: I kept my promise, limited to 3 calibers; .22, .30, and .45. Unfortunately better half spent 30 years on the Chicago PD, 27 as a SVU detective, so she knows one gun from another.
Handguns I get a little more leeway, mainly because they don't take up as much space.
We are getting to the points in our lives where we are trying to reduce space needs and simplify our lives. But guns don't do that, they seem to mate and multiply in secret, who knew a Colt Detective Special could mate with a Police Positive Special and produce a 3" Cobra?
In any case either .44 or .45 is great caliber for a carbine or a handgun, and make great matching handgun/carbine calibers, but that is all they will ever be, handgun/carbine calibers, with all that implies.
To go farther/heavier one needs to upgrade, I admit .458 is a little over kill, but 45/70 or .450 is a great caliber for any game on this or most other continents. Remember, TDR said his .401 was his "Big Medicine" and he took every game animal on the globe with it, and it was a caliber that was somewhat anemic compared with the 45/70 and .450.