However, the bottom line is that few of us are going after buffalo or elephant with the .444. I’m thinking it may be a perfect time to bring along that .444 in a med to heavy load and put it back to work. In my opinion, inside of 100 yards, the .444 hits much harder than any .30-caliber rifle. I quickly learned that it truly did have a surprise in store for me. I hav ed since figured out the scoping problem could be cottected with a scope with longer eye relief. I have used it most deer hunting outings in New York. The bullets were soft and copper fouled the barrel because they were 44 magnum bullets and were being shot down the barrel better than 1,000 to 1,200 ft per second faster than they were designed. 2. is the action strong enough to stand up to years of shooting a lot of boolits through it? A half-magazine holds four cartridges for a total capacity of five rounds. CVA Inc Scout V2 .444 Marlin Single Shot Rifle with Stainless Barrel and Dead-On Mount Style: CR4913S-NB Department: Firearms > Single-Shot Rifles It seems I have been doing it an injustice by this action which you have brought to my attention! The .444 Marlin cartridge is little more than a .44 … It deserves to still be in the bush instead of just hanging around in the rack! 13 reports excellent accuracy with the 300 grain Uni-Cor bullet in their Marlin Model 444 rifle, which they say is adequate for elk, moose, and grizzly bear. They were late and excited about a buck that one of them had jumped on the way out to the truck. For deer-size game, the cartridge may be loaded down; for bison-class animals, the .45-70 is loaded up. I used it for deer hunting in Pennsylvania brush. The .45-70 was widely perceived as the more powerful cartridge. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. The first jacketed heavy-bullet design for the .444 Marlin was a 265-grain bullet, and the Hornady load using this weight is still a fine choice for thin-skinned game. HUNTER .444 Marlin rifles include a blued steel barrel that’s 25” for improved recoil resistance. In essence, the .444 Marlin is a .44 Magnum on steroids. Being that I am also a .44 Mag revolver shooter/hunter having the same caliber is economical for reloading in all bullet weights. The real surprise came when chronographing the .444 over the Competition Electronics chrony. Three shots at 100 yards settled into just over an inch. Funny how media describes certain fire arms. Testing this load off the benchrest wasn’t quite as brutal, but I was glad to have my PAST shoulder rest in place. The buttpad is thin, hard rubber. Technical Specifications• Type: lever-action centerfire rifle• Caliber: .444 Marlin• Barrel: 22″; Ballard rifling; 6 grooves, 1:20″ RH twist• Magazine: tubular, 4-rnd. However, the .444 Marlin is far more powerful than the .44 Magnum. Every single kid who tried to uncock an unloaded lever-action lost control of the hammer. R&D Director Thomas Robinson worked with Metallurgist Arthur Burns to produce a real winner. 's blog. It stands to reason the .444 Marlin never lit up the market. The Winchester lever-action rifles were long out of production and the Marlin .45-70 rifles only a memory. The .450 Alaskan also predates the .450 Marlin by several decades, as does the .50 Alaskan of the same ilk. I wanted this rifle because of its beautiful styling and appearance. I have a buddy, Mike Brookman, who is the size of the average Wookiee. If you are unfamiliar with the .444 Marlin, this is a cartridge that was designed by the powers that be at Marlin for use in lever-action rifles. I a 24" Marlin, one of the first ones to come out in 444. I am glad I did, as the rifle is not only an excellent performer but also a fertile field for research. Rifles include a DuraSight® scope rail. America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter, Review: Marlin’s Big Lever Action and the .444 Cartridge, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). The Marlin Model 444 is a lever-action hunting rifle chambered in .444 Marlin. He complains that his fingers don’t fit most lever-actions, yet he really liked this rifle. I don’t factory ammo for a number of years, but started having trouble with the ammo available at that time. The main things that worried me are 1. does it eject the spent shell or do you have to pull it out? The .444 Marlin was introduced smack in the middle of Magnum Mania, when hunters were seeing belted magnum cartridges introduced one after the other. I’ve been wanting a big bore for quite some time and have plans for an Iowa hunt in the near future. So, a pistol bullet boosted to 500 feet per second over the design envelope isn’t going to penetrate more, rather it will upset and perhaps even fragment. It took even longer for the market to trust the Marlin brand again. I got my !st .444 ‘cuz of all the crowin’ about the .45/70 but have owned and loaded both for use on game up to Bison. Here’s a look at two classic straight-wall cartridges for deer hunting. Wednesday, April 10, 2019. Great article, as a big bore revolver fan, I love reading about big bore cartridges and their history. The result of its market research and testing was the .444 Marlin cartridge. Marlin’s hallmark white circle with a black bullseye is inletted in the toe of the stock. Hope they will be in Canada soon. Longest shot I have had was 200+ yards on a 240 pound hog. The.444 Marlin was available in a svelte Marlin lever-action rifle—the Model 444 —and proved to be a thumper on big game from whitetails to moose and bear, though like the.45-70, the range was limited by the low velocity and bullet profiles. The.444 Marlin was introduced smack in the middle of Magnum Mania, when hunters were seeing belted magnum cartridges introduced one after the other. The 450 Marlin, (introduced in 2000) which as already pointed out is really a legitimate version of the 458 x 2 inch American, is becoming fairly popular up here in Alaska. Sometimes, the bullet broke up more so than the Hornady bullets. The 300-grain JFN bullet offers plenty of penetration. One friend insisted on shooting from a squatting position. Its a great powerful cartridge. nine Gunshot Wounds: What Happens If You’re Shot? The gun was scoped and if you hugged the eye piece too closely you would get a half moon bloody slit right between the eyes. Everyone of my shooting buddies was i,pressed with the gun and awed by the cartridge. Note: Extracts loads, does not eject. When combined with a muzzle velocity of 2325 fps, it makes the .444 Marlin the flattest-shooting straight-wall rifle cartridge in commercial production. It is obvious that a bullet designed for pistol use isn’t in the class with a bullet designed for use in the .458 Winchester rifle or even the old lead 500-grain cavalry load. There are many advantages to the .444. We reserve the right to edit as appropriate, delete profane, harassing, abusive and spam comments or posts, and block repeat offenders. The rifle is also effective for black bear, but bullet technology limited the rifle’s use on larger game. Have you ever fired the .444 Marlin? The .444 Marlin was designed by Remington at Marlin's request in 1964. The .444 hasn’t replaced the .30-30, but it has enjoyed some popularity with the lever-action crowd. What makes the 444XLR different from the standard Model 444 is 2″–444XLR has a … The Shooter's Log, is to provide information—not opinions—to our customers and the shooting community. The first one was at 213 yds and the and the secondition at 225 yds. (I have this addiction to single shot .22s, you see, and I end up shooting more out of the slow … The Speer Reloading Manual No. In my test rifle, the average group size with Hornady LeverEvolution ammo is right on the cusp of the magic 1 MOA. At first glance, this would appear to be a better choice than most in the .444 class for thin-skinned game. This load slipped three bullets into 1.5 inches at 100 yards. No knock on the 45-70. In closing, the .444 Marlin is one whale of an effective cartridge. I live in Texas now, the land of the rich mans hunting experience so i have not used it much. Both in the Marlin lever carbines and the Browning BLR. And a half moon decoration. i have a flat shooting 200 grain lead load that is cronoed at almost 2600 fps, with no sighs of over pressure. Technically the new rifle is called the 444 Marlin, and it’s based on the company’s large 1895 frame used for the .45-70 Govt. .444 Marlin Ballistic Facts The flattest-shooting.444 Marlin load is probably the 265-grain FP Superformance load from Hornady. They emptied their guns at the deer and never cut a hair. and .450 Bushmaster are likely the most popular straight-wall rifle cartridges, at least for now. The information provided here does not represent the views of Cheaper Than Dirt! The hammer has a half-cock position and comes with a removable extension that allows better manipulation beneath a scope, even with gloves. It can change to two inches with other loads. For heavy use, move to the 300-grain JFN or jacketed flat-nose. As you would expect, it drops them immediately so searching for them was short and sweet. There are no signs of excess pressure and the predicted effect on game is good. .hide-if-no-js { I love it. The Mission of Cheaper Than Dirt! I have had a itch for a 444 marlin for many years , I was about to settle for a 45-70 but find that marlin finely came back with the 444 marlin. This is a much more versatile caliber than I could ever imagine. The pointed nose would rest against the primer of the cartridge ahead of it in the magazine — with predictable results. C OP trapper. They maximize the caliber, offer good accuracy, and burn clean. The .444 Marlin (10.9×57mm) is a rifle cartridge designed in 1964 by Marlin Firearms and Remington Arms.It was designed to fill in a gap left by the older .45-70 when that cartridge was not available in any new lever action rifles; at the time it was the largest lever-action cartridge available. Like Ben, I’m a major-league tree hugger (re: his Weatherby PA-08 review). The metal is blued, and the straight-grained walnut has checkering on the grip and the fore-end. As such, the rifle may just be as suitable for most North American game as the .45-70. Greetings all from Australia, love my old 444, great for a lefty like me. The rifle was found with a Game Stalker scope already fitted and incidentally properly zeroed for 100 yards. For thin-skinned game and broadside shots, the 270-grain load is faster with more energy than common factory loads but offers no real advantage against bear or larger thin-skinned game. LEVERevolution ® represents a breakthrough in ammo design for lever action rifles and revolvers. This is an advantage when hunting longer distances. As the case was passed around nobody had ever heard of it, until it finally got to me. The new cartridge was named the .444 Marlin and was introduced along with the big bore Marlin model 444 rifle in 1964. I suspect the rifle is capable of even better accuracy with a lighter trigger. Rifle Marlin Expander Hornady Dies Die Review Grade 444 Custom BY Rifle Marlin Expander Hornady Dies Die Review Grade 444 Custom in Articles If you … Hornady has Superformance ammo that pushes a 265-grain flat-point bullet to 2400 fps, which means it is the fastest straight-wall rifle cartridge on the market. The .45-70 was originally intended for heavy long-range bullets of well over 400 grains. In fact, Marlin themselves had already tried to replace the old buffalo cartridge, when in 1964 they introduced the .444 Marlin. The table chatter centered on a cartridge case Dad had found in the other gang’s pile of empty brass. The original rifle used microgroove rifling. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Best kill 28 inch stag, 290 yards, about 60 ft of elevation using handloaded 200 gr Hornady with 49.5 grains 2207 powder. While I kind of fall into the first camp, I am reminded of a hunter-safety course I helped teach some years back. I bought my Marlin 444 in 1966 in the West Texas city of Midland. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. I did a bit of informal penetration testing firing at wet newsprint and water jugs to test the Buffalo Bore loads’ performance. The .444 Marlin benefited in the long run from a great deal of experimentation with the .44 Magnum handgun cartridge. As I looked over the Marlin’s performance, I realized that Marlin had taken quite a steep bet on introducing the cartridge. The results on target are consummate with the power exhibited. Typical .450 Marlin ballistics are a 325gr FTX bullet at 2,225 fps (3,572 ft-lbs), a 405gr JFN bullet at 1,975 fps (3,507 ft-lbs), or a 500gr FMJ-FN bullet at 1,625 fps (2,931 ft-lbs). With Spring arrived it’s time to start thinking of dark timber fly fishing and those meat in the freezer an smoker Salmon runs. The only other issue I had was the lever would not stay locked shut. A large, durable extractor in the round bolt combined with a standing, spring-loaded ejector throws brass well clear of the gun. Colt Python 2020 Review: The Greatest Revolver of All Time. Marlin brought it out in 1972, when the .45-70 was not exactly a spring chicken. Fast forward to the 80’s, I had the opportunity to purchase one from a co-worker who was just about giving it away. The BFR has an excellent trigger, which breaks around 3 pounds. I simply wish to sight in the rifle and have a load I am able to count on for taking down game. Actually far less the 45.70 has way more options and has= to more energy and uses a real 45 cal bullet having shot and owned and hand loaded for both stick with the 45.70 save ya money on this it is just a novelty rifle to me and not as effective as the 45.70 .JMHO. While I enjoy handloading, I seldom fire the Marlin for recreation, so a long-term loading program isn’t in the cards. Today, we have better bullets. i have owned Marlins and one Winny Black Shadow in 444 Marlin. Magnum Research's latest iteration of its BFR is chambered in the potent.444 Marlin. 444 Marlin 265 gr FTX ® LEVERevolution ® Item #82744 | 20/Box US Patent: 9,513,092 | 8,413,587 | 8,161,885 | 7,380,502. This is true when compared to the 240-grain loads. I had ordered every gun catalog and read every hunting magazine I could get my hands on, and I knew what it was. Highly accurate and great gun. There is a push-button hammer-block safety in the receiver that infuriates traditional lever-action aficionados but keeps lawyers happy. S. Joined: Dec 2006 Better than a steel buttplate, I suppose, but this big boomer would be better served with a good recoil pad. But to say its a 200 yard rifle I think is not an accurate statement. Marlin must have noticed, because this year the company reintroduced its Model 444 lever-action to correct that situation. A call to Marlin had a new lever on my doorstep the next morning, and it solved the problem. Long-range use aside, at typical woods hunting ranges the primary advantage of the .45-70 over the .444 is in penetration. Those loads have stout recoil, but also deliver heavy hitting, bone crushing power at … So, the .45-70 has demonstrated a considerable advantage over the .444 in a wide variety of test programs based on penetration. Although repeated firings in a lightweight version of the BLR are rather painful. Now I have to find one of these fine rifles…. Recently, I explored the .444 Marlin extensively with a number of modern, effective, and powerful loads from Buffalo Bore Ammunition. At a long 100 yards, the Hornady 265-grain load delivered three bullets into 1 1/4 inch. I sold the gun to a friend that begged endlessly for me sell it to him and have regretted that ever since. Let’s take a hard look at the .444 and what the rifle will do. When performing some of the early benchrest testing with the Marlin rifle, I was expecting pedestrian accuracy and performance. The solid-copper construction makes the bullet stronger and more likely to offer good penetration compared with any other lightweight bullet. The best overall cast bullet for the .444 Marlin is the Mountain Molds 300 grain RNFP-GC, the only cast bullet designed specifically for … First thing I did was remove the brake and put a Schmidt Bender 1.5-6x42 scope on it. Hornady’s other load, part of the LeverEvolution line, features an elastomer-tip FTX bullet with a ballistic coefficient of .225. I am not certain who made the Game Stalker, but it looks like a number of Tasco types I have used in the past. Required fields are marked *, Time limit exceeded. Please click the reload button and complete the captcha once again. It’s not quite the polygonal rifling some like in their pistol barrels, but a different type of rifling. Introduced in 1964, the .444 Marlin pushed a 240-grain bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2350 fps. So the company went back to its roots with Ballard cut rifling, which has much deeper grooves. While the.444 Marlin and its namesake Model 444 saw some success in the deer woods, the truth is by the mid-’60s the era of the lever-action hunting rifle was already over. I was impressed. I ask b/c I just bought a box of Hornady LeveRevolution ammo, and it says “1-20″ Barrel Twist & Faster” … I have a Model 444 from the early 80s with Microgroove and the much slower twist rate. The Winchester lever-action rifles were long out of production and the Marlin.45-70 rifles only a memory. In 1964 there were no surviving big-bore, lever-action rifle cartridges. The case is straight-walled and was lengthened nearly a full inch over the relatively diminutive .44 Mag. Marlin saw a market for a big-bore rifle that used a hard-hitting cartridge, which was instantly recognizable as a woods rifle. Your discussions, feedback and comments are welcome here as long as they are relevant and insightful. It has an advertised muzzle velocity of 2,400 fps. Any of the Buffalo Bore hard cast loads would be ideal. Frankly, these loadings leave nothing to be desired. The .45-70 Govt. This load would be a good choice for thin-skinned game but should serve well against black bear. So I picked up a new CVA Scout in .444 Marlin. Case in point, Hornady’s FTX LeverEvolution line. Bullet went right thru its front shoulder and out its ribs. display: none !important; I did not test it to the elephant level, but suffice to say, this load will rattle out your fillings and penetrate more meat and bone than anything I need to kill. I have and carry a 45-70 Guide Gun when out an about, in the boat when fishing, in camp and so forth.its always been more defensive rifle than anything else. Although the cartridge shared a similar profile to many nineteenth-century levergun rounds, it was not based on any existing case. In selecting a cast bullet for the .444 Marlin, the SAECO 300 grain RNFP-GC bullet is an accurate choice, as is the RCBS 300 grain SWC-GC. Shooters began experimenting with hard-cast bullets of 280 to 320 grains. + I spent opening morning in my room, mad as hell and impatiently waiting for the gang to show up for lunch. He fell to the ground and spun in circles for 15 seconds or so. Right now, straight-wall rifle cartridges are among the fastest growing markets in the industry. This is the load for grizzly or anything else that may be addressed with the .444 Marlin. Perhaps the hammer-block safety is a good thing. Those who bought rifles chambered for it sang its praises, but nobody listened. The round is the Hornady Superperformance 265gr 444 Marlin factory load. This load breaks over 2,200 fps and gave excellent accuracy. Thats not bad. Cheers Peter. It is only because my shoulder needed a break did I go back to my 30 30 lever actions. case and is rimmed like the .44 Mag. The trigger pull is clean and crisp, but averages almost 5 pounds. Perhaps load density or Hornady quality was at an all-time high, but I was impressed. seventeen In short, the microgroove rifle barrel has a greater number of lands and grooves, but they are shallower in depth. They were tested in an older Marlin 444 rifle with a 1-38" twist, 24" barrel. Would you consider making a suggestion as to a Kodiak or Coastal Brown Bear load for it? As a joint effort with Remington, the.444 Marlin cartridge was announced in 1964 in the Marlin Model 444 rifle based on the 336 action. pull weight• Safety: two-position hammer-block• Sights: adjustable semi-buckhorn rear, hooded front post w/brass insert; receiver drilled and tapped for optics• Stock: semi-pistol-grip black walnut w/satin finish; LOP 13.75″• Metal Finish: blued• Overall Length: 40.5″• Weight: 7.6 lbs.• MSRP: $769; marlinfirearms.com, E-mail your comments/questions about this site to: EmediaHunter@nrahq.org, For questions/comments about American Hunter magazine, please e-mail:Publications@nrahq.org, You can contact the NRA via phone at: NRA Member Programs1-800-672-3888, To advertise on American Hunter, visit nramediakit.com for more information. I have heard stories of troops in Vietnam ording the Marlin .444 out of the sear catalog to deal with VC and NVA bunkers as he round would penetrate through the vegetation as well as the banyan and palm trees the enemy was using for bunkers. I use a Barns 45-70 Goverment loads they produce. If you're looking for a handy, powerful rifle capable of taking down elk, moose, hogs, black bear and deer, in a unique cartridge, the Model 1895–.444 Marlin just might be your gun. Classic and deadly. I don’t know what happened to Grandads but my Uncles came to me when he passed several years ago. The trouble is, hunters can’t find much in the way of repeating rifles chambered for this cartridge. Excellent accuracy and penetration were achieved. I had this rifle for a while my only problem with it was it was a real meat destroyer when you shot deer or hog with it and past 100 yards was not very accurate to me .I since have switched to the 45.70 single shot H&R when they opened up Ohio too straight walled cases from slug guns cases i was in tenn and fla before most my life hunting with high powered rifles .To me the 45.70 is far superior to the .444 and if given the choice again would buy the 45.70 lever instead .It just rips the game meat apart to bad for me .JMHO. Indeed, with proper loading, practice, and efficient use of .458-inch bullets, the .45-70 is a terrific game cartridge. The .444 is a slightly tapered case that uses a bullet of .429 of an inch diameter, and that was part of the problem. There is a qualitative difference between hunting with a pistol cartridge and taking a clean well-placed shot, and dropping an animal and stopping a charge. Marlin lever-action rifles are side-eject, with the ejection port on the right side of the receiver, which means they easily accept scopes. Share your answers in the comment section. In my case, the triple 4 is flatter, more accurate, and less recoil without giving up that much energy. The Uncles .444 has been sitting in the Wall rack now for several years. In my Winchester 444, I can load the Keith 250 grainer to almost 2600 fps and almost 4000 lbs of muzzle energy. I was looking for a big-bore lever gun and came across the .444 at an attractive price.
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