For several years after the .44 Magnum was introduced in 1956, a number of gunsmiths paid their bills by converting Model 92 Winchesters for Remington's big revolver cartridge. Some were re-barreled, others were re-bored and re-chambered. A few years later the Ruger autoloading carbine, Winchester Model 94, Marlin Model 336, Marlin Model 94, Remington Model 788 and several foreign made rifles in .44 Magnum came on the scene. The extra barrel length boosted muzzle velocity by about 300 fps, which didn't exactly transform the .44 Magnum into a rifle cartridge but it did make it an excellent choice for the woods hunter looking for a quick handling rifle for use on Whitetails, Black Bear, and wild boar. Whereas, a good portion of the effectiveness of many cartridges on big game comes from high velocity, the .44 Magnum simply punches a big hole through whatever it encounters. This can be quite important to the fellow who loves to sit down �to a venison dinner since, as the old saying goes, "you can eat right up to the bullet hole." If the .44 Magnum has a strike against it as a deer cartridge it is its rainbow like trajectory beyond 100 yards. But, at woods ranges it is about as effective as the .30-30and the .35 Remington. 

This text is based on information from “Cartridges of the World”, Hodgdon reloading manual, the cartridge designer and/or own resources.