.357 MAGNUM Deerfield?

[Ruger8r]

Someone on another forum asked the question: "Why didn't Ruger manufacture a .357 version of the Deerfield?" I've often wondered myself as I think it would be an instant hit with shooters. Seems like it shouldn't be too hard to adapt the design - the magazines already exist.
Furthermore, I can't find a .357 semi-auto long gun from any manufacturer. Have I overlooked something? I've had a lever, a pump and now an M77 but I've always wanted a semi-auto rifle in .357. Is there some technical reason why it can't be done? Magnum Research has the Desert Eagle .357 semi-auto pistol, so... Anyhow, I really think the Company could sell a ton of .357 Deerfields. Make mine blue in a walnut sporter stock, please?
Your thoughts?

[gunman42782]

Ruger didn't sell enough of the .44 mag Deerfields to keep it in the line up, so I imagine they never gave any other caliber a second thought, as the .44 would be much more appropriate for deer hunting than .357. I know, people use it every year, I am just stating the obvious.

[Ruger8r]

Not everyone is a hunter nor is every gun. Ruger just re-released the 77/357 - what's that used for? Pistol-caliber, semi-auto carbines are all the rage and the .357, while not packing the wallop of a .44 mag, is a formidable round out of a rifle. Also cheaper and kinder to the shoulder.
I would also point out that there are no Deerfields for sale on Gunbroker (and haven't been for a while) and I rarely see them on any site. So folks are holding on to them for some reason.

[fishhuntnut]

Interestingly, I approached Mitch Schultz about taking a 44 carbine and rebarreling and reworking to fire .41 mag. We came up with a plan, but alas, shop closed and my funds were appropriated elsewhere.

I think that any rimmed cartridge in a semi auto poses problems to some manufacturers, Ruger seemed to have it solved for the 44 mag… too bad there are not sister calibers to the 44 carbines….

[JAYDAWG]

I was forwarded this recently. The cartridges are for sale.......


Experimental cartridge development for the proposed Ruger Deerstalker

Two pix showing the rounds that Harry Sefried and Bill Ruger experimented with to increase the versatility of the Carbine, as found in Harry’s basement after his death. There are 42 pieces, all different in some way. As work progressed on the project with the ultimate goal of versatility in the Carbine platform, we can see the progression of parent cases being tried, and the ultimate selection of a rimless caliber .40 based on the .45-70 case for commercial exploitation.

It would appear that work started on necking down the .44 Magnum case and also exploring a rimless version, plus stronger headed version, of that round. It then progressed to a round based on a shortened .284 Winchester case, and ultimately a shortened, rimless .45-70 case. In each, both calibers .357 and .40 were explored. The .45-70 based case, in .40 caliber, was what Harry and Bill ultimately approached Winchester with. Winchester’s refusal to produce the round to Ruger specifications and it appears to have caused the project to be indefinitely suspended.

As told by Harry; from RUGER & HIS GUNS;
A few years later, we decided it would be nice to have a hotter cartridge for the .44 Magnum Carbine. Bill asked me to look into that; so I necked down the .44 into a .357 bullet, into something you could fit into a Model 1892 Winchester. This special cartridge (called the “38-44 Magnum”) was something very similar to the old .38-40. It could be loaded a little hotter, but we didn’t have enough cartridge case capacity to do anything spectacular. We ended up making two special cartridges, one chambered in a .44 cartridge necked down to .357, and the other a .44 necked down to .40 caliber (to take a .38-40 bullet, which is actually .40 caliber). For the case, I took the brass from a .45-70, and cut the rim off in a lathe, turning it down to be compatible with the .44 magnum rim diameter, so I could use the same bolt, extractor and everything else, though it had a bigger chamber by quite a bit.
We found the .40’s energy above and beyond the .30-30 Winchester. Bill and I went to a meeting with the fellows from Winchester-Olin, and we tried to get them to manufacture the cartridge. I was using Hercules 2400 powder, and about 100 percent filling the case, which gave us reasonable pressures and beautiful energy. It had the advantage that you couldn’t overload it with 2400.
They decided they couldn’t possibly load it to that capacity, and would have to do only 90 percent, which would make it less powerful than the .30-30. Bill, Jr. took a Bighorn Sheep with either the special .357 0r .40 cartridge. The hot one was the .40 caliber. We were on the verge of something very spectacular, but Winchester didn’t want to compete with their own .30-30.

[twriggen]

That is pretty cool.

[johncdougan]

Hello Guys,

The carbine was named Deerstalker, not Deerfield. There is more information on pages 62-64 of Ruger ad His Guns, these cartridges are mentioned. There is an article that offers more info. that appears in a 2019 RCA JOURNAL

regards, John

[Ruger8r]

Fascinating stuff. Thanks for putting a fine point on it, Mr. Dougan.They had to stay with the rimmed .44 case head in the 44 Carbine for several reasons, I guess. That 40-44(?) round would have been really interesting but ammo would probably have become a problem. I love my 3-digit Deerstalker but it'll hurt you if you don't pull it in real tight and keep your head forward.
The Deerfield design might be easier to adapt to the
.357 case but it's unlikely to ever happen. I just think it's interesting that, with the incredible variety of arms production out there, no one ever made a .357 Magnum semi-auto rifle. Ruger could do it, though.

[RoninPA]

This is a great interesting conversation of what could have been. I too think a .357 Mag semi auto rifle would be a seller now a days.

[Ruger8r]

Yeah, Ron, I'm thinking a tacti-cool, 16.5-inch version with a forward picatinny would be a popular offering. A 10-round magazine would be nice.