Testing 44 mag factory ammo speeds

[Wapiti]

Yeah I know, I see it all the time Rich.

I wasn't being disparaging by the way, about the 2.5x scope you mentioned. You do a lot of hunting and know your rifle so can make up for that sort of thing.
You use what you got in your hands at the time, and a good set up rifle comes up with the scope right centred where your eyeball is.

With my 30-30, and if it was a 44mag it'd be just the same, a 1-4x is more than enough for the furthest range you'd shoot that rifle type. Those that use a rifle out in the open then find themselves in a thick creek full of flood rubbish piled up as high as houses, amongst the pigs, know that once they've had a scope turn down to 1x, they know how there isn't anything better.
I remember Nick Harvey having an article about scope magnification once, LONG ago, and he was talking about a 1-4x being the perfect optic on a lever, and I thought, stupid old bugger, what does he know. Then years ago, I tried it and bugger me, I was wrong again.
So much so that the most successful, never fail scope I have for every application is a 1-8x on a 308 semi. Never fails, never is wrong magnification except when I screw up. I think, if 8x is not good enough then you are living in video game land.
I actually got another identical mount, and in it I put a 3-15 VX5HD on it, and turned it into a less useable rifle, just like that. Less FOV, 3x is too high for the scrub and 15x is way too far for my ability and that of the cartridges ballistics. So now it's getting dusty.

I mean, I'm no superman shooter, but look at the pic somewhere above with the 1-4x scope, with two different loads, from my shortarse 30-30 with the hideous barrel bands that instantly make a lever gun inaccurate. Apparently.
You know what wrecks those old designs? Crap manufacture, or stuffing around with the designs to make them "modern". If someone showed up here with a "tactical" Marlin lever gun, well I'm saying no more!

[Wapiti]

Actually, just got off the phone with a mate who's down the road, lived on a property all his life and anything he says, I'm all ears.
This is a reply to fester's post above.
He's just bought a Taipan 223, which surprised me. The 16" one, with the extra mag in the butt. Not something I saw him even looking sideways at before without laughing.
I remember him telling me about a pig we were all after once that had killed many dogs, going on rampages etc and we all met at this place to fan out and find the bastard. He had his 30-30, of all things. His 223 that he used for pro shooting was on the cruiser's dash. I said, not taking the Tikka mate. No f'ing way, he said. I want that. He looked at my short 7600 308 patrol with the 1-8 scope.
Anyway, we didn't get the pig. A Commodore wagon hit it at 100kmh and killed it between Mingoola and Bonshaw, writing the car off. It ripped the two complete front wheels and control arms out from under it. Shame.
So back to the 223 on river pigs. he just said he's a little disappointed, says he's going to have to slow down a bit, become way more precise, and pick his targets way better. Boilermakers of old know that sometimes, driving a big wedge to pull down 3" plate with a dog is best with a 28 pounder, not a 7.

[bigrich]

Yeah I know, I see it all the time Rich.

I wasn't being disparaging by the way, about the 2.5x scope you mentioned. You do a lot of hunting and know your rifle so can make up for that sort of thing.
You use what you got in your hands at the time, and a good set up rifle comes up with the scope right centred where your eyeball is.

With my 30-30, and if it was a 44mag it'd be just the same, a 1-4x is more than enough for the furthest range you'd shoot that rifle type. Those that use a rifle out in the open then find themselves in a thick creek full of flood rubbish piled up as high as houses, amongst the pigs, know that once they've had a scope turn down to 1x, they know how there isn't anything better.
I remember Nick Harvey having an article about scope magnification once, LONG ago, and he was talking about a 1-4x being the perfect optic on a lever, and I thought, stupid old bugger, what does he know. Then years ago, I tried it and bugger me, I was wrong again.
So much so that the most successful, never fail scope I have for every application is a 1-8x on a 308 semi. Never fails, never is wrong magnification except when I screw up. I think, if 8x is not good enough then you are living in video game land.
I actually got another identical mount, and in it I put a 3-15 VX5HD on it, and turned it into a less useable rifle, just like that. Less FOV, 3x is too high for the scrub and 15x is way too far for my ability and that of the cartridges ballistics. So now it's getting dusty.

I mean, I'm no superman shooter, but look at the pic somewhere above with the 1-4x scope, with two different loads, from my shortarse 30-30 with the hideous barrel bands that instantly make a lever gun inaccurate. Apparently.
You know what wrecks those old designs? Crap manufacture, or stuffing around with the designs to make them "modern". If someone showed up here with a "tactical" Marlin lever gun, well I'm saying no more!

hey mate, "tailoring" a gun to suit particular uses is a very essential consideration in my view , and if i had a 30-30, 44mag , 1-4 magnification or a reflex sight is exactly what i'd have on a lever . my 2.5-8x36 vx3 scope on my 308 tikka is a compromise between close in work (but not too close ) and shooting at pigs when i catch them at dawn out on open paddocks heading back to their daytime hideout . i've had a few rediculously accurate levers that had no bands, and know a fella who has converted his from bands to end caps and dovetailed magazine tube mounting, with improvements in accuracy . your short barreled 30 is possibly under less influence of bands due to it's shorter, more rigid , barrel . no argument you get great accuracy from it . i'm taking my 338-06 out on this trip with a 2-7 for boar , it'll do the job . i've got a 1.5-5x20 vx3 sitting in a cupboard for it , just haven't had time to sort it . it's been my experience that shooting bugholes off a bench with a super accurate "safe queen" is vastly different to shooting at a running pig , for which a 2MOA rifle with wide vision is the right tool for the job . best thing about levers is keeping the sight picture as your working the lever and chambering a round . due to less recoil and a slicker action, my 308 tikka is superior to my mauser 98 338-06 in some ways, but i'm thinking the 338 will be more fun and decisive with hitting power gotta have a variety of toys and enjoy them for what they are i reckon