[JimA]

heres a pic of my 1966 carbine. love this gun.

That's a beauty!

That brings back some memories for me. In the summer of 1962 I saw an ad for a Ruger .44 Deerstalker carbine in Field & Stream. I went to the hardware store in Kennebunk, Maine and had the owner order me one. A couple of weeks and $104 and I had it in my hands. I loved that little gun. I put a Weaver K2.5 on it and used it deer hunting until I moved to southern Michigan where no rifles were allowed for deer. I still enjoyed shooting it and did often.
Sadly, a few years ago it was stolen along with many other guns in a home invasion. It is the one I miss the most

 

[JimA]

The original Deerstalker, like mine, had a tubular magazine. Maximum capacity was 5 total. Many states have a capacity limit on semi-autos for hunting.

 

[JimA]

I used the Leverevolution in my 30-30. Nice round. shot flat at 75 yards, deer didn't move 10 feet.

I like to looks of the .44 Ruger. Found the gun to be a bit heavier than my Marlin 30-30. That said, it is on my bucket list, hopefully in time for me to shoot it a few times!

My Ruger Deerstalker, which later on was called model 44 Ruger Carbine, weighed 5.75 pounds. I've never seen a Marlin lever gun that light. Maybe you are talking about the Deerfield which is 6.25 pounds.