15 years ago an ol shooter named Don Henjum sold me a H&R model 158. Some of you older may remember him in his stories in the old "Black Powder Cartridge Report". His articles were Round and about with Honest Don. Well Don couldn't ever leave good enough alone. He had to change and experiment with every gun that passed through his hands. The H&R started out as a plain ol 44 magnum with micro-groove rifling. He sent it off and had it chambered to .444. Six months later he rechambers a H&R to 30/40 krag. Starting out as a 357 magnum, that gun he called a 38 krag I think. Anyway I end up with the .444 thinking it would be a super starter gun for my son Eric. I worked up loads with an RCBS 44-250 bullet fired unsized with a backward gascheck. With open sights, 4 to 5 inches was normal. Eric got 2 deer with it until he started using a 308 Spanish mauser. This last year I started casting some other 44 moulds working a 44-40 El Tigre. So I thought maybe the H&R was prime to find a new load, as it's been a loaner gun on several occasions, and I never been satisfied with the group size. Plus I was getting some leading even with gas checks. I cast up a bunch of SAECO 270gr bullets from 2 different moulds. Seemed like no matter what I tried not much improvement could be gotten. Hashing this over with a buddy one day he says wanna try some of my heavy LBT 44's? Turns out one is a 300gr and the other is 350gr. I run them through my .429 sizing die and try some of them unsized. Some improvement, but still not what I looking for. Then just for the heck of it I run them over a .431 sizing die. 5 shot groups average 2 1/2". Some as little as 1 1/2". My eyes can't much better anymore witout a high power scope. The load was just interpolated out of datta from several sources and tried it once and haven't seen need to change it. The load is 42gr/RL7 with a REM magnum primer. lube is half Apache blue and half Alox 50/50. Velocity is 1875FPS. That little rifle is quite light, and with that load, you don't want to be target shooting very long....Geo

.........Georgexxx, here's my .444 SS :-)



Navy Arms had these Martini-Greener actions for $89 so I got a couple. I'd gotten some stuff from GPC and there was a flier included and one of the items listed was Douglas 26" bbl blanks in 44 cal with a 14" twist for $35. That's where the barrel came from. The wood came from Fajen before Midway royally screwed THAT deal up :-(

You may trust me when I say that putting that steel buttplate on was not one of my brainier moves <VBG>. It can HURT! But, it was cheap from GPC, and cheap can sometimes be good.



I'd partially inletted for the lever in the pistol grip. I dampened the inletting with a little water. Then I heated the lever red hot and pulled it down hard against the wood a couple times. Then it got finish inletted and is about perfect.

For the extractor, I MiG welded a piece of hot rolled steel across the extractor arms and dressed it a bit. When the gunsmith fit the barrel he had the extracter in place so the reamer cut it for the rim.



For the rear sight I fabricated a sidemount with a rotating piece to go across the rear of the action. In the rear piece I milled a slot and modified a Enfield rear apurture sight to fit. Through the slot and sight is a 8-32 rod that is turned by that knob on the right, for windage adjustment.



The sight in the down position. To the left of the pivot nut there is a step in the sidemount. There's a D&T'd hole back from the step to the crossarm with a spring powered plunger which retains the sight in the up, or down position.

I think that the 14" twist is a little too much of a good thing for cast bullets! It does okay with the 310gr Lee 44 cal slug to about 1600 fps, but after that groups just get bigger and bigger around. With most any FLGC slug it's a real tackdriver.



These are RCBS .43 Spanish bullets @ .440" cast soft @8BHN and going 394grs. They were run up through a set of ho-made push through dies (.436, .430, and .425") then paper patched. I sprayed them with machinery moly lube then ran them into a .430" die.

In the first case you can just see the Dacron on the powder charge. The next 2 cases have Lyman 44cal GC's put in upside down. Forth is the bullet sitting in the flared case, and then fully seated.

The bullet on it's side has been final sized. You can see the unsprayed paper on it's base. The next bullet has been sprayed but hasn't gone through the final size die. Next is obviously an 'as cast' and also untraumatized slug :-). This photo was of the initial test loads and recoil eventually became pretty stout.

The final ballistics I obtained just reach the 405 Winchester but the 100 yard accuracy was only running about 4" for 5 rounds. In all honesty it really wasn't a whole lot of fun to shoot, believe you me.

..........Buckshot

Buckshot,
short of a rebarrel job your gun looks like a wall hanger that you'd love to shoot, but......With those sights it's not going to be a hunting gun in thick cover. Like you said the steel buttplate takes the joy out of shooting in a shotsleve shirt unless you're waring a past shoulder pad or some such. It almost has a shillouete gun look to it. After 40 rds of those Spanish bullets you'd be flinching even while picking up your evening beer, and that's a no no!

When I got my rifle, it came 100 rds of ammo that Don had loaded with a mixture of two different 43 Spanish swaged bullets. They scared the ba-jeebers out of me just to look at and they got pulled post haste! Never did trust his loading.He never marked down his loads, so you never knew what to expect. One time he had the idea of adding a blowen out .223 case in a 45/70 just so he could shoot fast powder and not use wads or fillers.

Buckshot!

I didn't know you had a 44/63 Ballard! And on a Martini too. Amazing!

I have my 44/63s on two actions. One the old FBW action that looks like a Hi-Wall from the side but otherwise is much different. I barreled it up in a 16 twist and these days wish I'd gotten a 14 for the additional stability in shooting long, heavy bullets.

I have used this 44 for several years now. Its best finish was First in the the Powder River Buffalo Shoot in 2002. Quigley Down Under 2nd place 2000. I love this 44 rifle.

I liked it so much that I had CPA build one of their 44 1/2s for me, again with the 16 twist barrel. This rifle's best finish was 5th in the Powder River Shoot this last year. But I'm just getting to know it and the set-trigger well enough to shoot well.

In feeding these rifles I had to get custom mold makers to cut tools especially for the rifles/barrels I am shooting. I have a mold for each rifle not interchangable, that weigh right at 480 grains.

Write back, tell us what you do with the Martini 44/63.

Good afternoon,
Forrest

........Forrest, yep I have a .444 Marlin, er 44-63, or possibly an 11x58R? To be very honest I built it because GPC had Douglas bbls for $35 :-). It hurts to shoot it to it's capability, and requires FLGC bullets or very heavy cast bullets. One is expensive and the other abusive, <VBG>.

I should get rid of that rollover cheekpiece as it bats you in the face, smartly. It came that way from Fajen and I left it the way it was. I haven't shot it in probably a couple years, but I really should dust it off and excercise it a bit. Other than the 43 Spanish bullets, I don't have any heavies other than the Lee 310gr slug.

........Buckshot

Buckshot,

B: I have a .444 Marlin, er 44-63, or possibly an 11x58R?

F: The 44/63 designator was made in order to show up with a "Traditional" cartridge for these Buffalo Rifle matches we shoot around here. And, it is really pretty close to what it would have been back in the old days.

B: To be very honest I built it because GPC had Douglas bbls for $35 :-). It hurts to shoot it to it's capability, and requires FLGC bullets or very heavy cast bullets. One is expensive and the other abusive.

F: How much does it weigh?

Both my 44s weigh right at 11 3/4 pounds. Your outfit must go at least 10.

My 45/70 weighs less, at 11 1/2 pounds, and I shoot 575 grain bullets out of it all the time. Don't you use one of those "Past" shoulder pads?

B: I should get rid of that rollover cheekpiece as it bats you in the face, smartly. It came that way from Fajen and I left it the way it was. I haven't shot it in probably a couple years, but I really should dust it off and excercise it a bit.

F: Yes! Of course you should! What is the size of your barrel? I could, for example run off a few 44s for you that I first got from NEI. These are kind of light, at 385 grains, but not a bad bullet really and MUCH better than sizing down 43 Spanish bullets by 0.012 or more! I'm amazed they shoot well at all.

B: Other than the 43 Spanish bullets, I don't have any heavies other than the Lee 310gr slug.

F: For just $165 you can buy a fine mold from Paul Jones, cut to fit your rifle!

Good afternoon,
Forrest

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FAsmus:
[QB]Buckshot,

Forrest,

B: To be very honest I built it because GPC had Douglas bbls for $35 :-). It hurts to shoot it to it's capability,

F: How much does it weigh?

B: I'd intended to weigh it before leaving for work Thursday but didn't get it done. At the moment, if I just had to say, I'd imagine around 8-9 pounds?

F:Both my 44s weigh right at 11 3/4 pounds. Your outfit must go at least 10.Don't you use one of those "Past" shoulder pads?

B: Nah. I try to NOT shoot that heavy recoiling stuff intentionally. I do have a Whitworth and Rigby match rifles (muzzle loaders). They get shot with a 530gr bullet over 85.0grs of Elephant 2F yet the recoil doesn't seem abusive.


F: What is the size of your barrel?

B: Outside, or inside :-)? Prolly inside, huh? Honestly I've never slugged it (red faced). I had a .430" sizer and that's what they got. Since leading has never been an issue I never persued it.

F:I could, for example run off a few 44s for you that I first got from NEI. These are kind of light, at 385 grains, but not a bad bullet really........

B: That would be a very cool thing to fool with, but be advised, my throat/leade in this rifle is SAMMI. Meaning there isn't much of either :-). No seating bullets out unless they're definately bore riders.

F:and MUCH better than sizing down 43 Spanish bullets by 0.012 or more! I'm amazed they shoot well at all.

B: Well yes. But sizing itself does no real harm. That is, CORRECT sizing. Not bending the bullet, GG's filled so the drive bands don't collapse, a straight push, etc.

F: For just $165 you can buy a fine mold from Paul Jones, cut to fit your rifle!

B: Neat! If I didn't have so many other rifles to feed that'd be an option.

..........Buckshot

Buckshot,

F: How much does it weigh?

B: I'd intended to weigh it before leaving for work Thursday but didn't get it done. At the moment, if I just had to say, I'd imagine around 8-9 pounds?

F: That is kind of light alright!

B: Nah. I try to NOT shoot that heavy recoiling stuff intentionally. I do have a Whitworth and Rigby match rifles (muzzle loaders). They get shot with a 530gr bullet over 85.0grs of Elephant 2F yet the recoil doesn't seem abusive.

F: My 44/63s do not recoil badly enough to wear a pad at all but I do like the leather vest to reduce the cutting of the steel butt-plates!

B: Outside, or inside :-)? Prolly inside, huh? Honestly I've never slugged it (red faced). I had a .430" sizer and that's what they got. Since leading has never been an issue I never persued it.

F: Shocking!

OK. I may be able to run off a few NEI 429-385-GCs one of these days.

Right now I'm busy with a trip to Denver. I'll have to get back toyhou about the details.

B: Well yes. But sizing itself does no real harm. That is, CORRECT sizing. Not bending the bullet, GG's filled so the drive bands don't collapse, a straight push, etc.

F: I'm not completely convinced as I do not believe in sizing at all if it may be avoided.

More later, I should go get ready for the trip.

Good evening,
Forrest

Another fine looking rifle. Rear sight does not seem to have much elevation available, though.