444 Marlin?

I ran a marlin 444 in the mid 70s. I pushed the 240g JSP at 2200fps. It was a hammer on black bear and deer as the 45-70 Marlin 95 is w a 300g bullet..
 
I bought mine off gun broker about 5 years ago and paid 475 for it .you can usually go there and get an idea of what things are selling for.as far as the rifle goes it does shoot pretty good. I have a redfeld 2-7 on it and it will shoot 1 1/2 " groups at 100 I have shot a few elk with it and they went right down.. It's the first gun I grab when hunting elk in the timber
 
I love my .444 Marlin. I had originally wanted a 45-70 and had a burning desire for a big bore, but the shop where I purchased the rifle was out of the 45, so I settled for the .444. I'm glad I did. That was in 1976 as I recall.

I took my very first deer with the .444 and the Remington 240 gr SP at a distance of about 30 yards. Complete pass through and one heck of an exit. Later I tried the relatively new at the time, Hornady 265 gr. FP and bingo. It was a real shooter with IMR 3031. One day I shot a 3-shot group at 100 yards with that bullet and load and all there shots were touching. I was amazed and never expected that kind of accuracy from the big bruiser when I purchased it.

The only other game taken with my rifle is two wild hogs. Both dropped where they stood, with the largest one taking a few seconds before going down. I have that one on video. My then 13 year old son did the shooting.

The scope is an old Weaver micro-trac 1.5x4.5

Here's a short video of the hunt.












 
After reading last night, I see there are some good bullets out there. The big question would be hard cast or jacketed and what grain? I know every rifle is different but in a perfect world if they all shot the same, what would you pick?
 
If you choose the 444, give the Hornady 265 gr FP a try with some H4198 (most accurate for my 444S is 44 grs). Recoil is moderate and accuracy is impressive.
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It's a great round, I have a .444 Pro Hunter barrel for my Encore. To say it's a hammer would be an understatement on both ends of the rifle
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I handload and have found the Hornady XTPs perform well for me, they are suitable for .444 speeds.
 
I have a 14" .444 Contender pistol that I have been hunting with a lot the last few years. Eventually, I'll reload for it, but the factory Remington load with a 240gr JSP has put down everything I've put the crosshairs on. I don't trust Hornady LeveRevolution in .444 after a couple in a box wouldn't fire and Hornady customer service never had an interest in even knowing what lot number it came from, but the Remington fodder works fine. I already have a couple of .45-70 rifles, but like the .444 so much that I'm thinking about getting a Marlin .444, as well. I guess if I were exclusively hunting thick-skinned, dangerous game, the .45-70's heavier constructed bullet might factor in, but for deer, hogs, and bear, the .444's "pistol" bullet seems to be working fine. When I do use up all of the factory JSPs, I plan to reload with 240gr. hard cast and probably anneal the nose for most hunting.
 
I was just toying with my 444 for the first time in a while. IIRC, in 2003 I took a buck, a doe, and a black bear with it.

All with 270 gr Gold Dot (now called Deep Curls) handloads of course.

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The 480 was runnin' 325 gr. Gold Dots......
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The Leverevolution stuff is crap. The Remington 240s and Hornady 265s are adequate for deer and blackies, but the 270gr. and 300gr Speer offerings are far superior bullets in the 444 IMO.

This one took a black bear. One shot DRT. Retained 92% of it's weight....
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That's great stuff 2muchgun. Maybe I need to give the deep curl a try.

Somewhere I read something about them causing some issues in the 444. For the life of me I can't remember exactly what it was. Wish I had that article again.

Have you had any issues with the Speer bullets or any particular advice about loading them?

It would be neat if Barnes would jump on the wagon and produce a good TSX bullet for the 444.
 
Thanks.

I have had zero issues with them. Quite the contrary. Nothing but superb results accuracy wise and performance wise. I get 1" - 1.25" groups routinely. The Speers expand just as well as the Remington and Hornady bullets, but drive deeper because they retain more weight. They hold together better, as they are bonded. They are also very reasonably priced. One of the best bullet values out there, IMO.

Barnes does make some good bullets in the XPB and Buster. However, they are much more costly and I have long been sold on the Speers, given their performance.....
 
I assumed the XPB bullets were designed for handgun velocities. Are you aware of them being used at 444 velocities and of performance?

The Hornadys have served me well to date, though I readily admit I haven't taken many head of game with them - two hogs to be exact. But, I'm always looking for something better.

I found some of the info I mentioned earlier pertaining to the Deep Curl bullets. Just for conversation sake here is a link and the reason for my question about the bullets.

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/genera...our-health.html



 
The link sounds like a bunch of guys who haven't a clue as to what the reality of the situation is.

I'm not the only one who loads the 444 with the Speer Gold Dots/Deep Curls. I have passed that info on to many, and many have been very happy with the results. I started loading them just about the minute they came out, and never looked back.

Never heard of anyone having any kind of troubles.......
 
Originally Posted By: HidalgoA possible limiting factor to the use of heavy bullets in some .444 rifles is the slow 1 in 38" rifling used in older .444 Marlin rifles. Such slow rifling may not stabilize bullets heavier than 270 grains.

There is a TON of information on the net. Google will turn up more than you can read in a week

Google can be a dangerous thing as well. This is one of the biggest internet firearms myths out there. I have read it many times.

Hint: It aren't true.

Have you ever actually tried to run 300-355 grain bullets out of a 444? Which ones failed?

The 1-38 twisted 444 can run 300s-355s just as well as it can run 240s and 265s. Anybody who tells you otherwise simply hasn't done it and is yet another victim of unfortunate Googling........
 
I have a '76 444S with the 1-38" twist that loves my handloads. Rem Nickel brass, CCI Benchrest primer, 42.0gr. charge of H-4198 pushing a Hornady 265gr. Inter-lock (#4300) for a chrono speed out of my 22" barrel at 2110fps. I have shot several 100 yard groups that all 5 shots are touching. The rifle is topped off with a Leupold 2-7x33 VX II scope that is zeroed dead on at 150 yards. Most deer have been killed under 125 yards, but about 3 years ago my son had a one shot kill on a doe at 220 lazered yards. We have killed 7 deer over the past 5 seasons all with one shot from my handloads, I could not be happier with my "Triple 4" that I call "Thumper".

I just picked up a 2003 Marlin 1895GS 45-70 Stainless, the plan is to run Hornady FTX rounds thru it for this deer season, but will work this winter on a load that the 45-70 likes.

Those who own a Marlin Big Bore know all about the "Grin Factor" that comes from shooting one of these beasts.

Value on the 444 I have seen in the last 2 years is between $400-$700. I paid $400 for my 444S about 7 years ago in 98%+ condition, I picked up the 1895GS a month ago for $600 and I was happy. Good Luck and you will not be disappointed with a 444 Marlin,----Riflemann

P.S. Go over to Marlinowners Forum and read up on the 444 and all the other great Marlin guns.
 
Originally Posted By: yotyfoxIf you choose the 444, give the Hornady 265 gr FP a try with some H4198 (most accurate for my 444S is 44 grs). Recoil is moderate and accuracy is impressive.
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This! Reloader 7 is good too. I would bet those 270 grain Speers are good, but after using the 265 grain Hornadys I do not see any point in trying anything else in my rifle.
 
Same here. While I won't diss a bullet I haven't worked with, the 265g FP has given me no reason to bother with anything else.
 
Yes, the 270 Speers performed very favorably in side by side tests vs. Hornady and Remington. Even against the larger 350gr Hornady shot out of a 450 Marlin.

That said, I don't blame you guys for not trying to fix what isn't broken. There is certainly nothing wrong with the 265gr. Hornady. It is easily better than the 240gr. Remington offering, IME.

From a sheer accuracy POV, H322 has produced the most consistent results. Granted, I only have 2 444s to test. Certainly nothing wrong with the other said powders. They all are capable of excellent performance. R-7 and 4198 may very well be more widely used in the 444 than H322. And the Hornady 265 also more widely used than the 270 Speer. At one time, my load was kind of a "secret", or not very well known. More recently, in the last 5-6 years, I have noticed a lot of 444 users have now "caught on" and it has seemingly gained in popularity.

I wasn't planning on using my 444 this year, even though I did just have it at the range. I figured I've killed enough with it and I have many other specimens to choose from in the safe. I also kinda decided I'd only use it on blackies from now on. Like my 348s. BUT, all this talk has me thinking. I do love the cartridge.....
 
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