Thanks for all the info and comments. Here are some detailed photos of the gun. I measured the barrel, it's officially 16.25" long. It feels like there's been trigger work done, it's smooth and crisp and breaks right around 5lbs. The gun has also been duracoated. I think I'm really gonna like her. Can't wait to bust some hogs, and a deer or two.
You can look up the DOM here. Subtracting the 1st 2 digits from 100 only works on 1972 and newer guns. I'm betting this is a 1960's production.
It has a 1972 serial number.
John Taffin talked of some modification back a few years on his blog.
Gordon, Thanks for the link, that was very informative reading.
... boy would I put a low powered scope on that so quick you wouldn't believe it.
I'm tossing that idea around but I'm probably gonna remove the Williams peep and put a Skinner on it. I have several lever actions and I just can't bring myself to scope them, for me personally it ruins the lines and the nostalgia.
Here's a link to an old auction where a rifle very similar to yours is pictured with its original long barrel.
natman, thanks. It was nice to see it in it's original configuration.
I used mine in West Virginia for deer.
Reloadron, I grew up in WV, lived there for the first three and a half decades of my life. I go back every year to hunt.
I started a thread on Cast Boolets a few years ago about my "new" Marlin 444S.
Elkins45, thanks. There's a lot of good info in that thread. I bookmarked it.
new Marlins will gladly pay it. Yours would have been call a Maurader with a 16" barrel, and they never made a .444 Marauder . John Taffin talked of some modifacation back a fes years on his blog. I never heard of a 444 outfitter with 18 1/2" barrel either: 
,nice gun I have the 444P,great shooters.
