444 marlin

[firearmnut]

I just put a 444 marlin on layway at the lgs and was wondering what you guys thought of the 444 marlin cartage as a hunting round.


Thanks for your time.

 

[MMCSRET]

Hand loaded with proper bullets it will handle anything in the lower 48 and maybe else where depending on shooter and local regulations.

 

[highlander 5]

you'd have done better getting an 1895 in 45/70 but the 444 ain't a bad round.

 

[CraigC]

The new .444's are excellent and give up very little to the .45/70. Cast bullets are available up to 405gr, the newer guns' 1-20" twist will stabilize them and properly loaded they will take any game on the planet. The game has changed, it ain't just about 265gr jacketed bullets anymore.

 

[Averageman]

Ive always wanted one after reading about an SF Trooper that used a .444 to shoot through machine gun bunkers in Viet Nam.
Aparently they turn Cover in to Concealment.

 

[336A]

The .444 is a great cartridge and is capable of handleing anything on this continent when loaded properly. I prefer the.444 over the .45-70 as it shoots flatter and hits harder with factory ammo from Rem or Hornady. The .45-70 comes into it's own when using bullets over 400gr in the insanely expensive boutique loadings from Buffalo Bore and the others. The recoil will be quite a bit more over the .444 as well.

When using such loads in the .45-70 any N. American game animal will be no more dead than if he was hit by a 300gr - 350gr bullet from the .444. For hunting deer up to moose the Hornady 265gr loading will handle all your needs
http://www.hornady.com/store/444-Marlin-265-gr-interlock-FP-Superformance/

If you reload there are some very good bullets such as the Swift A Frame and Cast bullets that can be loaded for the big bears of the north if that is what you wish. Here is a very good read for you, it compares different .444 bullets from the 265gr Hornady up to a 350gr cast bullet, hope you enoy it.
http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,81274.0.html

 

[DM~]

I still have a .444 Marlin/12ga. combo gun and it shoots pretty good. Like was already said, with factory ammo, the .444 is a better hunting round than the 45/70 and i would choose it over a 45/70 every time.

DM

 

[natman]

I still have a .444 Marlin/12ga. combo gun and it shoots pretty good. Like was already said, with factory ammo, the .444 is a better hunting round than the 45/70 and i would choose it over a 45/70 every time.

DM

What a neat combo! Who made that?

 

[DM~]

Actually it's a custom Valmet 412 bbl set that came out of my shop, back when i was dealing in Valmet products. I sold quite a few different custom bbl sets, back in the day...

DM

 

[XxWINxX94]

Awesome cartridge. I have it in the model 444 itself, too. Very similar to a .45-70, should handle just about anything you want to hunt in North America. Ammo might be tricky to find if you don't reload, as the .444 was replaced by a .450 Marlin a few years back, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[jaimeshawn3]

Congrats! I like the 444. You should have fun.

 

[Abel]

The best part of hunting with a 444:

After you kill your deer, somebody asks, "Whatcha shootim with?"

Answer: Foe-Foety-Foe.

 

[SwampWolf]

the .444 was replaced by a .450 Marlin a few years back, if I'm not mistaken.

I'm afraid that you're mistaken...

 

[natman]

Ammo might be tricky to find if you don't reload, as the .444 was replaced by a .450 Marlin a few years back, if I'm not mistaken.

Marlin is still making 444 rifles, which is more than can be said for the 450 Marlin. It never "replaced" the 444.

 

[x_wrench]

444, 450 marlin, 45/70 are all fairly close as far as killing power goes, at least from a modern marlin firearm. i chose the 45/70 for a couple of reasons. one was availability of ammo. most stores will have some kind of 45/70 ammo in stock. two is the amount of different factory loadings available. and three is bullet selection of a .458 bullet vs. a .429 bullet. as far as loading potential, i feel they are all close enough to each other that it is not an issue. i am not a 50 fps nut. i dont think there are many animal on the planet that can tell the difference between a 350 grain bullet hitting them at even a few hundred fps faster or slower than another. at least within a practical shooting range.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

heres a good article my buddy wrote on it. http://www.leverguns.com/articles/anderson/444Outfitter.htm

 

[Old Time Hunter]

Here's what my buddy wrote on it:

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/444.htm

.444 everything from squirrels to elephants...depending on how you load it.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Some use the brass for their 410 shotguns, I have about 100 empty cartridges to do just that

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php?topic=177666.0

Good round imho... Hope you get to shoot it soon

Regards