^Wss widely publicized back in the day....
I own a Remington built 45-70 guide rifle, stainless, laminate stock, and the fit and finish is very nice and works flawlessly. Must be hit and miss. I did have a choice out of 5 or 6 at the time of purchase though.
If the 444 Marlin doesn't has the same type of shallow groove Ballard rifling that my 1894 44 Mag/Spl had, I'd be surprised. When Marlin went to "Ballard Like" rifling, in essence they just rifled the barrels with half as many microgrooves and called it a day. IMHO, a 0.003" shallow groove is not the same as a 0.006" or deeper Ballard groove.
Nitro
LaBoeuf : ...You could argue that the shooting of the dog was merely an instance of malum prohibitum, but the shooting of a senator is indubitably an instance of malum in se.
Rooster Cogburn : Malla-men what?
A new 336 with a standard loop but no barrel bands in 308 marlin express with ballard rifling would be awesome.