The Deerfield Carbine is based on the Ranch Rifle design but uses a four round rotary magazine instead of the staggered box magazine of the Ranch rifle and Mini-14 rifles. The reason for this special magazine is the .44 Magnum's rimmed case.

The basic specifications of the Ruger Deerfield carbine, taken from the 2006 Strum, Ruger catalog, read as follows:

Caliber: .44 Remington Magnum; Finish: Blued; Stock: hardwood; Sight: gold bead front, adjustable aperture rear; Barrel length: 18.5"; Overall length: 37"; Weight: 6.25 lbs.; Price: $702.

I chose to use a Burris 2 1/2 power Widefield scope on my Deerfield. Mounting the scope in the Ruger rings required the use of the shims provided with the Ruger rings. No problems once the scope was installed.

There is a little scope protector cover provided with the rifle. It is leather and fits around the scope at the position of the turrets. It is intended to protect the scope from ejecting brass.

Shooting the firearm at the range for the first time I discovered three things. One, this rifle had a surprisingly decent trigger for a semi-auto hunting rifle. Two, it was a surprisingly accurate .44 magnum rifle at 100 yards. And three, it would quickly shoot its barrel band loose if the screw holding it in place was not tightened such that the sling swivel would not turn.

In the field, the rifle carries and handles very well. It shoulders quickly and points true for offhand shooting. As a still hunter, I do most of my shooting from that position. The Deerfield is a little barrel light, as one finds with any short barreled rifle in the offhand position. Overall, I would recommend this rifle to anyone wanting a small, light semi-auto rifle for hunting CXP2 class game at woods ranges.

Note: A complete review of the Ruger Deerfield 99-44 Carbine can be found on the Product Reviews page.