Why is Hornady 444 brass shorter than rem 444 brass? Does winchester make 444 brass? thanks again!

Order some Remington brass when you order the Lee FCD.

http://www.midsouthshooterssup...S&dept3=444%20MARLIN

Thanks much wrongtarget for the link! Saw them at midsouth too. Still wondering why Hornady brass is kind of like a 444 special ( I mean shorter brass)wonder if a 44 mag would chamber and fire in a 444? ( wouldnt do it but just wondering) Havent got my new gun yet. whats yall best loads and bullet weights for this gun? downloads included. whats the biggest bullet 300 gr? havent looked it up yet. Always wanted one of these guns . I know the 45 70 is a little more powerful but since I cast 44 cal bullets for my 44 mag it would be better for me . thanks again for all the help1

Heard it was shorter so it could crimp on the body, not the ogive, of the LE soft tip pointed bullet.

Bruce

I have an H&R 444, I've shot 240gr XTP, 265gr Hornady and 355gr Beartooths using Rem brass, all shoot good, loads are on the targets shot at 100yds. Heaviest bullet I've seen for it is 405gr. http://www.beartoothbullets.co...ct/details.php?id=58

The hornady brass is made up for the 'leverevolution' bullet that is very long. The 444 marlin has an overall length restriction of 2.55 inches. The brass is shorter to accomodate the total overall length. Winchester does not make 444 marlin brass.

Thanks so much for all the info!1 Been reloading and casting for 27 yrs or so and this is a new one for me. I assume that the 429 sizer die I use will be ok with the ballard rifling . I also assume that the old Lyman manual says size to 431 and thats for the older micro groove barrels. Also Ken Waters said the older guns were 24 inche barrels which I assume gave him 100fps or more?

Hey wrongtarget I assume the HR is a single shot. Wow nice groups too!! What length barrel? What twist? Do you consider it more accurate than a Marlin with ballard?

Yes, it's a single shot, 22", 1:20", Marlin made the barrel so I'd expect accuracy to be good, they started making most H&R barrels in early 2007.

quote:

Originally posted by Philbilly:
Thanks so much for all the info!1 Been reloading and casting for 27 yrs or so and this is a new one for me. I assume that the 429 sizer die I use will be ok with the ballard rifling . I also assume that the old Lyman manual says size to 431 and thats for the older micro groove barrels. Also Ken Waters said the older guns were 24 inche barrels which I assume gave him 100fps or more?

I would not make any assumption about the groove diameter. The Marlin made Ballard barrels I have seen have large groove diameters and very shallow grooves even though the lands are wider. Check your bore and size the bullets larger. They may shoot best as cast meaning you can dip them in liquid alox and shoot without sizing.

Nice groups, Wrongtarget! Winchester does not make 444 brass. While you can't fire a .44Mag in a 444 without splitting the brass, due to "taper" vs "straighter" case, a 44-40 can be shot in a 444. However, I doubt if accuracy would be very good, since the 44-40 uses a .427 diameter bullet rather than a .429 (or larger cast). There is a bunch of 444 shooters over on the Marlin forum who have lots of good information on your (and my) caliber.