I have been reading about the virtues of this cartridge but it seems to have almost disapeared on the forums and with the factory ammo folks.
I was actually thinking about getting one...is it a mistake?

I like the rifle, but prefer the 45/70. If you reload 444 is ok. More ammo choices in 45/70 though.

Depends what you're going to use it for. I bought one for a camp gun or varmint plinking.
bullet selection may be slim in local stores but you can order whatever weight and size you want off the internet. I love mine.

The .444 isn't going anywhere. If your not seeing anything on them you may just be missing a few threads. I own 45-70s, .450 and .444 and like them all but truthfully the .444 is my third choice of the three. I am going to hunt with a 1968 first model that I just mounted a brand new 1956 K2.5 in brand new 1960's pivot mounts. Made a really neat vintage set up. Here is my rifle and a link to .444 land. reflex264

http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/board,52.0.html

It should have gone away a long time ago ! Originally they loaded a pistol bullet which came apart at those high velocities.Slow twist limited bullet weight. With the now faster twist and heavier bullets it's better. I'll keep the 45-70 !

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
It should have gone away a long time ago !

But it didn't.............which should be some testimony to its effectiveness as a short to mid-range big game masher.

I say if you're thinking about getting one B.C...........go for it.

I have both a marlin 444, and a 45/70. I bought a bunch of very old 444 ammo for a very cheap price ($4.00/box). The "pistol bullets" will go through a 6" cedar intact, just like the 45/70.

Myth is more powerfull than truth, and one good experiment is worth 10,000 opions.

I have both the .444 Marlin and the .45-70 in lever guns.The .444 goes hunting with me sometimes. The .45-70 sits at home all the time.

I've got over half a dozen moulds for each of them, and cast my own bullets. Both are plenty acurate; both kill well.

I've nothing at all against the .45-70 except its trajectory beyond about 140 yards, and I can live with that as I use lever guns pretty much in situations where the shots are that short or shorter.

The .45-70 is plenty accurate at way farther out, but I mostly hunt by walking up game, rather than lying down on a knoll long-range sniping like some old buffalo hunter. So any less fiddling with hold-over (real or imagined) is appreciated when I hunt.

There is just something about my .444s that I like better, and I haven't felt "undergunned" with one yet.

If you have a yen for the cartridge, and hunt where its limits won't limit you, then I say, "Go fer it, laddie!!)

The 444 Marlin is not going anywhere. A lot of people own them and Marlin is still making them. I have one now and had 3 others in the past. I also have a 45-70 Marlin.

Like them both and like the hard cast bullets in them both.

The .444 will soldier on, but I wouldn't bet on the .450 Marlin. The Ballard rifling and faster twist make the .444 more versatile than when first introduced. The .45-70 is my personal favorite, and with light bullets comes pretty darned close to the .444 in bullet drop.

I agree with the above post. The 450 was intended as an alternative to the 45-70 which is simply not needed. At least the 444 ofers something a bit different.

Id like to have a 444, I was kind of torn between geting one of them or a 358 but I went with the BLR.

Most of my hunting is in open country and I haven't had a chance to hunt with mine yet. So I really can't atest to how effective it is on game, but I can tell you it is very accurate and a blast to shoot.

Double AA, that sure is some nice wood you got there on the Marlin.

I've been using the .444 Marlin since 1973, almost entirely with 265 gr. Hornady bullets in handloads. There is nothing in North America I wouldn't be willing to shoot with it up to 150 or 200 yards. Like some previous posters, I prefer to "walk-up" my game animals, and it works fine for that. If I was going to lay down & snipe really large game at a longer distance, I think rather than a .45-70 (which I also own), I'd rather just go straight-away to a .340 Wby or .338 Lapua.

Other than those two situations I'd still be happy if forced to just use an '06, .270, or .280...pay yer money, take yer choice.

AA:

That's just about, if not, the nicest wood I've ever seen on a Marlin. Beautiful.

AA: Is that factory wood? Dude, the stars were aligned the day that rifle came home with you.

AA, beautiful rifle! Mine is an early one, not as pretty, but shoots great with almost anything I feed it.
1Shirt!

I just bought a .444 Marlin and it´s perfect for all my needs. Here in Sweden it´s perfect for most of our game (moose,deer,boar etc.). If I know I´m going to hunt in open field, and the distance would be over 150 yards, I´ll use my .308 or 30-06.
I reload my own ammo, and the cost for my .444 ammo is just the same as for my other rifles. In Sweden the .444 isn´t the most common calibre, so one has to load them self. Otherwise the cost for one round would be 5-6$ !

I have one and I could never get to shoot a good group , kicks like a mule .240 gr hornady .