Speer 300gr Uni-cor SP
H-335 55grs.
primer CCI 200
Case Rem.
OAL 2.53
Vel 2100+ft/sec from 18.5 barrel

A good load for the 444Marlin that will handle 98% of your needs.
List your favorite loads for this great round.
wort

Btt
wort

Wort~

Marlin .444ss 1988 22" Micro-groove

Mould: Lee 310 0.430 GC
Bullet: hard cast 310 gn (water quenched)
Hand dipped in Lee stick Alox
Lee 0.430 sizing die
Hornady gas checks

CCI LR primer
Rem Brass
O.A.L 2.51

Load N0.1 H4895 50.8 gn
Vel:Sorry? fast enough !

Load No.2 N133 45 gn
Vel: Sorry? fast enough !

These loads give a "good" kick ! And group approx 3" at 200 yard from the bench with 4 x44 scope.. Both loads give the impression that would kill any thing on four legs !

Also used 200 gn pistol bullets TMJ with 53 gn (compressed) of H4895 seated to max O.A.L groups were excellant out to 200 yards (i was surprised )
Light recoil could shoot them all day.......

Great rifle, great cartridge love the Lee 310 bullet.. Hope to chrono these loads at some point must be around 2000 f.p.s

Englander

.444 Marlin -

Rem cases - trim to length 2.220"
Flash holes debured/pockets uniformed

H335 - 52.8 grns
CCI - lg rifle primer

Saeco 300grn LRNFP GC
Sized at .431 at #11 lead hardness
Hornady crimp on GC
Lyman lube

OAL - 2.695" (yes it is long - but it cycles fine and doesn't engage any rifling)
Avg Velocity - 2029fps measured at 15'

Group - roughly measured is approx "nickel" sized at 40yds. This is the best combination out of my marlin yet. Recoil is tolerable - no leading problems - massive penetration.
Should beautifully drop anything in N. America with out a hitch!
Eric

I like 46.0g of H4198 with the Hornady 265g FP. Velocity is about 2200 fps from my 444S. Groups hover at about 1.5" for 3 shots at 100 yards.

The triple 4 is a great round even with BP and the Marlin is a terrific rifle. Anyone disagree,P off! derf

Using a T/C Encore 15� pistol with my own custom made muzzle brake.
I am shooting Barnes all copper X bullets that weigh 225gr.
My powder is 55gr. of 1680 powder with a CCI mag. rifle primer. It could handle more powder but not with the long copper bullet; any more powder then that will bulge the case. Pressure is very mild and the copper pills are devastating when those petals fold out.
Velocity is just a shade over 2400 fps and it will hold under 1� at 100yds from a rest using a Burris 3 to 9 long eye relief scope.
With the velocity over the magical 2000fps mark the shock wave effect is high when the bullet opens up.

The most accurate load i have shot from this "On Target Technologies" rechamber is 53 grains of AA2015 under a Nosler 240JHP. I still have yet to shoot it to its potential at 100 yards but have turned in groups of 1.5". Hope to get in some shootin with it this weekend!

Wort,

I have shot a 444 since the early 1980s, bought it new in 82 for $219.00 at Mills Fleet Farm in Minnesota. The price shows the age, HA.

Over the years, I have downloaded the old gal.
Most things I shoot are within 100 yds, so I quit doing the 2200 fps loads with all the compressed powder etc.

This gun just makes one hole when I shoot it at the range if I do my part, no matter what I shoot in it. The one hole just keeps getting a little bigger with each shot.

Anyone, as a Rebelwithoutaclue, I use 20 grains of Blue Dot shotgun powder. Bullets are either a 240grain or 300 grain Hornady XTP. Basically at 44 mag velocities.

Why don't I just get a 44 mag? Well I did, but none of them shot anywhere as accurate as the 444. 3 inch groups at 50 yds with the 44 mag or a one hole group with the 444? Umm lets see, which one should I choose.

Its recoil is basically a big popgun, and those XTP bullets will tear the crap out of anything they hit.

My biggest curiosity for other shooters is what do they find is the best scope for a 444. An old 4x tasco has been the most versatile for me, followed by a bushnell 1.5 to 4.5 with a circle x reticle. Just put the big pie pan circle on what you want to shoot and pull the trigger. Quick target acquisition, big but gentle push from the rifle, and a big hole in what you were aiming at!

SEAFIRE SURE LOVES HIS MARLIN .444 AND I HOPE TO LEARN TO LOVE MY NEW PURCHASE. THIS WAS A USES MARLIN, OLDER MODEL BEFORE THE PUSH SAFETY, A IT SHOWS A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF WEAR BUT IS IN GOOD OVER ALL CONDITION. MY GRIPE IS WITH THE TRIGER PULL. I EXPECT A LEAVER GUN TO HAVE A HARDER PULL THAN A GOOD BOLT GUN BUT THIS IS REALLY HEAVY. I FEAR I WILL NEVER LEARN TO SHOOT IT WELL IN THE FIELD WITH THAT TRIGER PULL. ANYONE HAD EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS AND IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE? I ENJOYED THE LOAD INFO. I PLAN TO START LOADING FOR MINE WHEN I FINE SOME DIES.

Forgot about this thread. This is the way this puppy shoots!!



A buddy that has been "sledge hammerin" deer for years with a Marlin in 444 shot this cannon and bought his own! Gotta love this caliber!

[ 06-06-2003, 08:00: Message edited by: MSSmagnum ]

BR:

I would just take the rifle to a good gunsmith and have him fix the trigger. A good smith can do that.

The 444 takes a little getting use to learning to reload it. However once you get it, it is not a problem. Just plan on loosing some cases learning.

I am use to bottle neck cases so the straight case without a carbide insert took some getting use to. I also forgot to bell the mouth of the case a little to seat the bullets in.

I also started using the Blue Dot loads, because with most of the other powders, you have compressed loads which were a pain in that cartridge.

I found the older Hodgdon manual # 26 and the old Lyman # 47 the most useful. Use 44 mag load data. Only gives you about a 100 to 125 yd gun, but that was all I wanted out of mine. If I need more range, I am carrying another cartridge. Bought mine new in about 1980.

I have taken a few deer with it, but an attestment to the 444, was the largest deer I took when I lived in Minnesota, which was about 325-330lbs on the hoof ( field cleaned at 265).

I tracked this deer as it circled me when some of our party was on a deer drive in a swamp. I was high on a tree that had been blown down by a wind storm, sitting up on the roots with all of the dirt etc.

This thing circled to go back and bed, when the younger deer, just ran. This deer ran behind a clump of brush about the length of the deer or a little longer, right at the base of a steep bank.
I knew that the shot would not hit anyone, if I missed, and my heart was beating like a humming birds. So I aimed to where I gathered the deer's lung section would be and pulled the trigger. The slug cut two small sapplings in half going thru. The deer did not exit the brush at the shot.

I went over to it and it was laying on the ground dying. To put it down, I put the barrel against its neck and turned my head away, as I anticipated the possibility of "blow back" from the shot, to put it out of its misery. As I turned my head, it thrust at me with its antlers.

So when the shot went off, instead of being thru the neck, it had moved to the deers shoulder. the 444 slug took out about 10 pounds of hamburger on the oft shoulder.

We had two other deer that day for the party. When we took it in to have them processed, the butcher was checking them out,and picked up the head of mine and asked " who shot this one"

Everyone was pointing at me, but the butcher never even looked up from the deer, and Answered his own question; " who shot this one?..............Al Capone?"

Sort of sums up the 444 if you just want to down the deer or bear.

Since I started handloading, for the price you can't beat the XTP Hornadys. However if you have higher velocity only use the 240 grain and 300 grains.

My friends use to be impressed ( in our youth) when I would blow a sappling 4 to 6 inches in diameter with the 444 when they asked how much horsepower does that thing have.

In the world of 45/70s the 444 sure is overlooked.