it may shoot 240s but more then likely 265s won't stabilize.
maybe find a cheap 1-38 and rebarrel it, should be less then $300 and you can sell the old barrel.
It IS an absolute falsehood. Try a healthy dose of H-4198 under some 300gr Sierra’s. My 3 shot groups are touching cloverleafs. The 300’s also reduced perceived recoil in my rifle. Made it more of a push like a 45-70.
Wrong. Old wives tale. See comments below.
Good bullet choice but are we talking factory ammo or handloads ? If handloaded, that bullet requires a case trim length of 2.065" instead of the usual 2.215" spec.. My 10th edition Hornady Handbook gives this as to why : " Due to the longer ogive it is critical that cartridge cases be trimmed to the length specified". I didn't know that until I started loading for my buddies 1970 something 336 in 444 Marlin. We shot some factory ammo he had to get reloadable brass and some of that ammo featured the 265 gr. FTX bullet. Then I was wondering why some of the brass was shorter than others ! Soon found out; and that shorter trim length also affects the loading data because of less internal volume on the shorter case. Just an FYI in case you were unfamiliar with it. Hornady data for that bullet warns of that. My buddies 444 is a real shooter although he prefers a 225 gr. Barnes XPB with 46.0 gr. of H-4198 which has a slight accuracy edge in that particular Marlin. Last fall he alternated between his 444 and 6.5 Creedmoor when deer hunting. The day he filled his tag he was carrying the Creed. I was a little disappointed because I was hoping to see what the 444 out of a rifle would do to a deer. Only 444 marlin harvested deer I've ever seen were taken with a T/C Contender with a 444 Marlin barrel by another buddy back in the 1980's.
The same holds true for the 300gr Sierra’s in order to crimp in the cannelure. But you don’t lose any case capacity. Set a 240gr bullet or 265 for that matter next to a 300 and you’ll see what I mean.
If you want to know what a 265 FTX does to deer I can tell you. I shot a decent doe with one a few years ago when I first got my 444S. I shot her at about 60 yards. After I skinned her I could literally put my arm through the entrance, wound channel, and exit. It was dumb how much damage it did. I have pictures of it somewhere. I couldn’t believe it. Neither could my buddy I was hunting with.
