44 Mag Shotshells in A Marlin ???

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Iron Glove

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On a whim I picked up two boxes of Speers 44 Mag Shot Shells at the HACS Gun Show last weekend. At $5 for 10, can't really complain.
Are they safe to shoot in my Marlin ?
Might be kinda fun for grouse hunting at 10 feet. :D
 
Like you, I picked some up on the same whim almost 30 yrs ago. They were Speers at $1.95. While handgun hunting in Maine I used them successfully on grouse out to 20-30 ft from my 8 3/8" Model 29. I used to carry a couple for my Marlin but loading was cumbersome--its a certainty no matter how you stack it that you'll wind up with shot for deer, or a 240 JSP for grouse.
I'll agree with Sunray that rifling is not beneficial to shot loads, however at your stated intended range its not an issue.
 
Consider the small mass of the projectile(s) and relatively low velocity - 140 gr of #9 shot at 1,000 fps, according to the CCI website. Compare that with a 250 gr bullet at 1,500 fps, which is kindasorta typical for a .44.

Perfectly safe.
 
I fire those shotshells out of my Ruger SRH .44 mag 5: barrell. I find some of the shotshells not completly destroyed and imagine that reaching more velocity and getting more friction in a carbine barrel would be beneficial.
 
Made reloads and they seem to have a fairly even pattern to 20 feet, but only tried in super blackhawk 7 1/2" .
In 44 mag, 4.1 gr of titegroup, 2 cardboard wads (cereal box) compressed over powder, about 170 gr of #9 shot and 1 cardboard wad on top. If you are going to handle them rough then a little glue ( glue gun) at edge of top wad to seal to brass.
Real cheap compared to factory.
 
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