I am buying a 444 marlin not a marlin rifle but a Winchester big bore 94.I wanted one but never had but one chance to get one This one has fully magazine and beautiful walnut stock not many like that made .I heard that's with 300 grain bullets it's kinda like a modern 405 Winchester my favorite because of Teddy Roosevelt.I want to try using 300 grain bullets for bears ,hogs and maybe moose if it makes it back to Alaska with me .I am thinking of the swift 300-grain bullets kinda a partition .That or hard cast bullets I have been wanting this gun for mountain thickets for black bears big time.I have a 375 jdj contender carbine but I just don't like single shots on big animal that run fast I think this will be an awesome edition to my fun gun Battery also .It's also easy to scope that's awesome for my.old eyes .Starline is making brass for it too very awesome.

It is mighty close.

With the bullets presently available for it, the 444 is longer just a hopped-up 44 mag. With the various heavy jacketed bullets or the hard cast such as the Oregon Trail, that should be a dandy in close quarters.

Used a JM Marlin for a number of years with a Lyman peep sight. Straight factory issue. I always reloaded Hornady 265 gr. soft points w/ IMR-4198.
Inside of 120 yards, it was an absolute hammer. Most targets dropped on the spot, a few took a step or two.

I ran around the beartooths with a Marlin that I did some work to. 320 gram cast bullets at 2250. Never recovered a bullet in elk. Sold it to buy an 1895 Winchester 405. Lever loop is way too small for my hands so ended up selling that. Killed my biggest elk with the 405 and 310 grain cast bullets at 2250. Later went to the rcbs 350 grain bullet.
My opinion is they're basically equal in power. A model 94 in 444 would be a fantastic hunting and hiking rifle with lots of power for the big fuzzies.

The answer is definitely, No. I remember well when it came out; and it was more like a little 45-70 than a 405. It had only a 240 grain pistol bullet at 2400 fps, and a rifling twist of one in 36 which can be iffy with 300 grainers, which is why Hornady made the 265 grain. But all that was for hand loaders. Marlin didn't have the .405 in mind during development; they were just trying to make a super 44 magnum. I wish they would have asked me.
Of course with better bullets and hand loading, then it is a different thing.
I also have built 405s on Marlins; using a 2.2 inch 30-40 Krag case and get almost standard 405 WCF velocity. Might have a bit more pressure. I had to back off on some loads as the lever would open itself on each shot.

Doesn't matter if you consider it a kin to the .405 or not it is a formidable weapon when loaded with the right bullets for anything on this continent.
Sounds like a fun gun!

Absolutely it is a great round, but has come a long way since 1964 and is really, something different now. (Bullets)

I wonder if it shoots 400 grain bullets as well as my 1895 .405?

I shoot 300 gr Horn HP-XTP's in my Marlin. I've also fiddled with the lifter and ground/polished the barrel "hood" so I can load 2.62" COAL with this particular bullet which gives me a bit of an edge over the "normal" 2.57" loading length...BUT...I have to pull the bolt to extract a loaded round.

I use a 100% density load of RL-7, COAL OF 2.262" that gives me ~2250-2270 fs/~3400+ ftlbs(chrono'ed with TWO machines one in front of the other and averaged) in a 22" bbl just slightly below SAAMI MAP and published pressures for loaded ammo...NO pressure or ejection problems...It DO slap you around a bit at ~20 ftlbs for the 9.5# rifle but hardly any more than an '06...compare that performance with a 45-70/300 gr/1895 Marlin.

And...oh yes...I have a 458 American rechambered "switch" barrel(originally a 45-70 1895 Marlin OEM barrel) for the same rifle and I've compared the two and can't find a hill of antkrap difference between the two...they BOTH stomp the doodlykrap out of whatever the hit.

There isn't anything wrong with the 405 Win either...slightly smaller bullet, slightly larger case volume but essentially the same performance on game as the other two.

I don't understand why some folks look down on the 444??????

LUCK

Look up the article by Paco Kelly on the .444 in the BB 94 model.
Some of his loads would make even Ray think twice!

Nice find as there weren't many of these made.

The 94BB's were made with faster twists than the Marlins at the time. Some even had 1 in 12" twist barrels.

Having said that even with a slow 1 in 38" twist the Marlins could stabilise 300 gr + bullets, so I don't think you will have trouble improving on factory load levels.

I.have a Teddy Roosevelt 405 win.in 1895 also .This Winchester 94 has 1 in 14 twist bad is rated to 52,000 of pressure where as the marlin is rated to 42,000 in the 444'I think.swift 300 grain at 2400 fps are nothing.to sneeze about that higher than the 405 pushes that weight bullet .I.like both those cartridges .I got this for black bear ,Ohio whitetail and a truck gun for Alaska .It.should be an awesome rifle .I also have a 375 jdj so I can use the 444 brass in both of them .I am going to see of bounds makes a laminated stock for it and put an awesome pad on it.I can't use my 405 in Ohio for some crazy reason not listed even though it's a straight wall case .I can use the 444 with a scope yeah I can't shoot iron sites worth a flip .I like model 94 big birds that short 405 in.a big bore 94 would be interesting.This round beats the 450 postmaster and fits my needs for a light mountain rifle for black bears !

I.found loads for the 444marlin with 405 grain 1800 fps .I won't be shooting any of those in my little carbine .I think a 300-grain swift bullet at 2200 fps should be plenty of bullet for anything I want to shoot ! I wanted a short carbine that's lighter than my 338 win mag that I.have hunted with for 32-years .It's a cool cartridge tons of bullets and loads to play with .The guy I got it from.shot tons of black bears and hogs that had been wounded with 3006 and 270 when he was guiding in Arkansas.People think those two cartridges are magical I used the 3006 for 15-years and was really disappointed in it especially close up and past 200-yards .I will still use my 338 win mag but where it's hills bad thickets this little 444 Will be perfict for what want and won't wear out my shoulder toting it !