New .444 Marlin

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Yes indeed. I have been after a Marlin but haven't found one priced right yet. Might even be willing to try a Remlin in 444 with at least a 20" barrel.
 
I put a few boxes through a buddies Marlin. I think I will stick with my 450 Bushmaster. That AR gas gun spreads out the recoil impulse a bit taking the bit out of it. 44 Mag in my M92 is super light and handy and does't try to hurt me like the 444 tried to.
 
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The 444 crowd will be happy, some people have worried the .45-70 has killed it off. But there's always surprises, like the Pedersolis.
 
I'd like to get a 444 one of these days. I have a 45-70 Marlin (and a Trapdoor) but also have several of 44 mag revolvers and rifles that I load and cast for so a 444 seems like a natural addition.. I'd also like the flatter trajectory the 444.. Before I bought the 45-70 Marlin I was open to a getting either a 444 or a 45-70 but just happened to find a good deal on a 45-70 that I liked first...
 
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Its on my bucket list of guns but unless they are pretty reasonably priced, like $450 or less I would wait and get an older one. I’m sure there is a market for them in the straightwall deer states.
 
I really like my old 444 Marlin. On the other hand the pigs I have introduced it to do not like it. I I had friends who had 45/70 and the other had a 450 Marlin and I liked my 444 the best. Less recoil for me helped.
 
DM~ said:
Factory length 444 case is too long for most, if not all straight wall deer states...

DM
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Not in Ohio, 444 Marlin was on the original list of specific cartridges allowed in 2014 the first year they allowed rifles. ( .357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, .38 Special, .375 Super Magnum, .375 Winchester, .38-55, .41 Long Colt, .41 Magnum, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .444 Marlin, .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .45 Long Colt, .45 Winchester Magnum, .45 Smith & Wesson, .454 Casull, .460 Smith & Wesson, .45-70, .45-90, .45-110, .475 Linebaugh, .50-70, .50-90, .50-100, .50-110 and .500 Smith & Wesson.)


They have since simplified it to, "Straight-walled cartridge rifles in the following calibers: All straight-walled cartridge calibers from a minimum of .357 to a maximum of .50."
 
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Have one so old it is marked 336-444. Ugly straight grip montecarlo and half mag. Some day I'll get it barrelled with a 1 in 22".
 
I have a 12ga./.444 Marlin combo gun, it would make a good deer "gun" in a shotgun area, IF it was legal...

I don't want to shorten cases to the legal length and reload them, as some are doing.

DM
 
IMHO, the .444 Marlin was a solution in search of a problem. Marlin said it was developed because nobody was making a lever action 45-70 at the time. A simpler solution would have been to manufacture a lever action rifle in 45-70.

The 45-70 is a much more versatile cartridge than the .444. It can be loaded up to take any game on the planet.
 
Snidely70431 said:
IMHO, the .444 Marlin was a solution in search of a problem. Marlin said it was developed because nobody was making a lever action 45-70 at the time. A simpler solution would have been to manufacture a lever action rifle in 45-70.

The 45-70 is a much more versatile cartridge than the .444. It can be loaded up to take any game on the planet.
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The development of the .444 was between Marlin and Remington to offer a more powerful rifle version of the 44mag that was very popular. The 45-70 only had the weak loading of the 405 grn lead bullet for old rifles. The new modern .444 could be loaded up to full pressure surpassing the 45-70 at that time without worrying about blowing up a old gun. Now with modern loads in modern guns the 45-70 can be loaded up. But the .444 can be loaded almost equal with flatter trajectory and better long range performance with bullets up to 350 grns or so.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.444_Marlin
 
Look, I love my 444. It’s accurate, powerful, and easy to reload, and will handily take any game in North America, and “most” in Africa. Although it may not legal to take some of them with it. But it is NOT a 45-70. And it never will be. The 444 shoots PISTOL bullets up to 405gr with custom moulds. The 45-70 originally started at 405gr and shoots RIFLE bullets up to 525gr. Personally, I’d not want to shoot either over heavy charges of smokeless propellants. But I (think) I’m glad it’s making a comeback. Because it’s a great performer by traditional levergun standards.
 
In this day with the huge number of bullet makers, many that are fairly technologically savvy, and the growing number of super mag pistol cartridges, this distinction between pistol and rifle bullets is becoming nearly meaningless. Pick your caliber, pick your impact velocity and someone probably makes an appropriate bullet.
 
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Alot of people have conceptions about the 444 marlin based on 1970's info that are just flat wrong. People cant seem to get past the idea of it being only able to shoot revolver bullets at too fast of velocity. Well now we have bullets that are built for the 444 and will not come apart. There are 4 jacketed 265-300 grain bullets I can think of made specifically to handle 444 velocity and probably more I dont know about. I shoot cast bullets in mine. A 320 grain hard cast gas check bullet over a book load of RL7 nets 2300 fps from my handi rifle. It blows a hole through a whitetail and burrows a couple feet into the dirt behind it. The 45/70 with lever loads can edge it out just slightly in terms of muzzle energy but the 444 shoots flatter and is just as suitable for north american game, so whats the difference?
 
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The .444 has long been hamstrung with the stupid slow twist and pistol weight bullets.

IMHO, properly configured, the .444 is a better and more versatile cartridge than the .45-70. With the right twist (1-20") and setup to feed longer bullets, the .444 can get a 405gr to 2150fps. That is comparable to a 460gr .45-70 but a good bit faster than the .45-70 does with the same weight bullet. That's .450/.400 territory.
 
CraigC said:
With the right twist (1-20") and setup to feed longer bullets, the .444 can get a 405gr to 2150fps.
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Could you explain what you mean by “set up to feed longer bullets” and what powder/charge weight you’re referencing please? Because I’m not finding that velocity in ANY manual I have.
 
BigBore44 said:
Could you explain what you mean by “set up to feed longer bullets” and what powder/charge weight you’re referencing please? Because I’m not finding that velocity in ANY manual I have.
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He means an action that can handle bullets seated longer than the spec over all length. The factory 444 marlins will not feed bullets that are too long and they have short throats. I don't have anything in my books over 330 grains, however I have no doubts it can be done in a strong enough action with a long throat, such as an encore. I doubt it would be within saami pressure though.
 
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