Ruger lever 44 mag

Pretty sure that was a 4 round magazine.

factory mag is 4 rounds. same as the semi auto mag capacity. it's criminal. I would have snapped one up if I could have gotten a 10 round aftermarket mag. you missed an opportunity butler creek!

http://www.midwayusa.com/Search/#ruger 44 magazine____-_1-2-4_8-16-32

Can anyone hazard a guess as to why Ruger used 3 different magazines, all of them generally the same size and shape, for the same caliber, with the same capacity, in 3 different rifles?

are we sure they are actually different? because if they are it would be unusually stupid. the top and the bottom ones look the same. but even if it is only 2 it's still silly. I see your point.

They are cataloged as 3 different part numbers, but I think you're right. The 99/44 and 77/44 are compatible, since the bottom magazine reads "77/44 - DEERFIELD" on it.

So two magazines. Why a different magazine for the semiauto vs. the lever gun?

My Medium, chanelling the ghost of Bill Ruger says...

Because of the original incentive to build a lever action in the first place, they expected a ban on all sales of semiautos and they did not want anything in common.

There are statutes in different states as to how many bullets you can carry in a magazine, and the mag has to be plugged to only hold that many. I would guess, pure guess of course, that this was your friend's issue. The mag probably had a plug in the bottom for two shots.

The two-shot plug sounds plausible.

Many states have a 5-shot limit on hunting rifles, thus the 4 + 1 in the chamber factory capacity.

Some states may have a three shot capacity rule, and the need for a 2 + 1 in the chamber.

Check for a plug or block in the magazine as it should hold four.

rc

Some states may have a three shot capacity rule, and the need for a 2 + 1 in the chamber.

Click to expand...

Interesting. That's common for shotguns, but not as common for rifles. I wonder where that might be.

So two magazines. Why a different magazine for the semiauto vs. the lever gun?

Click to expand...

I wonder if it's like the magazines for 10/22s and 77/22s. They are interchangeable but the bottom is shaped differently. They have different catalog numbers.

sigh, but can't you imagine the pig gun a deerfield in44 mag would have been with a 10-15 round magazine.

I think CZguy nailed it.