444 marlin loads

07blackwater

07blackwater

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So I went up to the range today to play with the old 444.

I've never loaded for it before so I was curious to see what it would do.

Temp was 5C.Rifle is a 22" barrelled marlin with micro groove rifling. Williams peep sight shooting 50 yards.

To start off I ran some factory Remington 240 grain over the chrony.
3 shot average 2121 fps 1.4" group.

Now my hand loads: Remington brass, cci 200 primer, 265 grain hornady interlock, h4198 powder. 3 shot groups.

45 grains 2100 fps average, 1.35" group.

46 grains 2135 fps average, 1.4" group.

47 grains 2221 fps average, 1.3" group.

Next time I'm going to load some up between 46 and 47 then try 100 yards.

From what I've seen so far it doesn't seem to matter how much you put in the case, it basically behaves the same.

I'm sure if I scoped it I'd see a difference but this is a 150 yard gun for me.

Anyone else ever play with the 444?
 
Hehee, the 444 is my Mad Scientist rifle.
200, 240, 265 and 300gr bullets, round balls pushed through a Lee sizer, 3 ball loads, 410 shotgun loads emptied into 444 brass...oh yeah, I have some 180gr bullets to try out. I've pushed the 200gr really hard and the recoil was just obnoxious, maybe the 180s will be a bit less unpleasant? Still, it's great fun to play with.

I never found any great accuracy with the 265FPs until I went to H-335.
That gives me one-hole groups @50 and performs really nicely on whitetails.

Hornady 300gr XTPs have given me one-hole groups with every powder I've tried so far.
I ran low on 265s this year, so went hunting with 300s over 50(?)gr of IMR 4895.
Need a drop tube to get it all in, and have to crimp right after seating or they grow, but they chug along at about 2030fps and go into nice little groups. Now if only there were any deer around this year...

Have fun with it, and don't believe the "lever guns aren't accurate" nonsense.
Once you find The Load you might be suprised.
 
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I should have added, this is mainly a camp gun. We have kids around and there's bears in the area. The only critter I've killed with this rifle so far was a black bear.

I chose the interlocks because they really seem to hold up well and I'm not set up to cast lead yet. If I was I'd probably give the ranch dogs a go.

Over all I'm pretty happy so far.
 
Rory McCanuck said:
Hehee, the 444 is my Mad Scientist rifle.
200, 240, 265 and 300gr bullets, round balls pushed through a Lee sizer, 3 ball loads, 410 shotgun loads emptied into 444 brass...oh yeah, I have some 180gr bullets to try out. I've pushed the 200gr really hard and the recoil was just obnoxious, maybe the 180s will be a bit less unpleasant? Still, it's great fun to play with.

I never found any great accuracy with the 265FPs until I went to H-335.
That gives me one-hole groups @50 and performs really nicely on whitetails.

Hornady 300gr XTPs have given me one-hole groups with every powder I've tried so far.
I ran low on 265s this year, so went hunting with 300s over 50(?)gr of IMR 4895.
Need a drop tube to get it all in, and have to crimp right after seating or they grow, but they chug along at about 2030fps and go into nice little groups. Now if only there were any deer around this year...

Have fun with it, and don't believe the "lever guns aren't accurate" nonsense.
Once you find The Load you might be suprised.
Click to expand...

I don't, at all, subscribe to the the "lever guns aren't accurate" camp. I found a 30-30 load with LVR and 170's that's better than me.

My best groups are 1/2" at 100 yards with open sights with that load.

This was just my first try with the 444.

With the 444 I was hoping for maximum energy with acceptable accuracy.

I thought maybe one of the gurus here would step in with a proven load. I don't mind getting there in my own, that's the fun after all.

Next time I'm going to try federal 215's. I know magnum primers aren't needed but they might tighten the groups.

cci200's have become my go to primers for accuracy lately though, they just seem to work.
 
I am a big fan of the triple 4 . I have killed a lot of deer with it . H335 is my go to powder for full power stuff . My main load is 55 gr of h335 under a 300 gr Barnes original . Gave me 2054 fps and accurate. Never recoverd a bullet and have gone through a deer almost lengthwise. The 240gr work well and the 265 hornady kill deer like someone flipped a switch , the lee 310 cast shoots well once you get the speed over 1300 fps . 12 gr of unique, a cardboard wad and fill the case with #4 shot topped off with an upside down gas check and crimped makes a great grouse popper . I always find this cartridge cooperative , I swear you could seat an aa battery over a case full of h335 and it woul shoot it well;) . You can go from 335 gr hard cast bullets at 2000 fps that I would bet my life on with dangerous game , to catsneeze roundball loads for killing pop cans . It is a straight case so brass life is long . About the only thing I don't like is the price of factory fodder. Well I could talk about the 444 all day but I am probably staring to bore people so I will shut up now :)
 
dnepr said:
I am a big fan of the triple 4 . I have killed a lot of deer with it . H335 is my go to powder for full power stuff . My main load is 55 gr of h335 under a 300 gr Barnes original . Gave me 2054 fps and accurate. Never recoverd a bullet and have gone through a deer almost lengthwise. The 240gr work well and the 265 hornady kill deer like someone flipped a switch , the lee 310 cast shoots well once you get the speed over 1300 fps . 12 gr of unique, a cardboard wad and fill the case with #4 shot topped off with an upside down gas check and crimped makes a great grouse popper . I always find this cartridge cooperative , I swear you could seat an aa battery over a case full of h335 and it woul shoot it well;) . You can go from 335 gr hard cast bullets at 2000 fps that I would bet my life on with dangerous game , to catsneeze roundball loads for killing pop cans . It is a straight case so brass life is long . About the only thing I don't like is the price of factory fodder. Well I could talk about the 444 all day but I am probably staring to bore people so I will shut up now :)
Click to expand...

I still have a box or two of Remington 240's that have a price tag of $17. When I saw what they're charging now I nearly crapped my pants. That's why I bought some dies instead.

I don't plan on plinking with it. I have a 30-30 and 357 for that.
 
BTW, H335 seems kinda hard to find here in BC.

Forgot to add that I'm sitting in a few hundred pounds of lead, I was thinking of picking up one of those ranch dog molds, they seem like a trick bullet.

We prospect in grizz country and have kids around so a 300 grain hard cast would be good medicine I think.

I'm not set up for gas checks or anything yet, that's why I went with the hornady's for now.
 
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BrotherRockeye said:
Love my .444

Rory, the mad 444scientist, was the origin of my favorite plinking round

I use the same cast bullets for 44R 44spl 44mag and 444
Click to expand...
Yeah, sorry about that. Got that thing worn out yet, it's been most of a year now? ;)

Sorry that we can't really give you a tried and true load, but I think 444s tend to be more individualistic than most rounds. Bullets of different weights will have wildly different points of impact.
One rule that seems to hold true with the Microgroove though, the harder you push the bullet, the more accurate. Speed is your friend, especially with heavier bullets.

You say it'll be a camp rifle, once you start playing with it, you'll find that it comes out in the field often, too.
240gr cast with 9-12gr of Unique is a fun plinking load that might give the 357 a run for the money.
 
The areas I normally hunt are pretty open so I don't think the 444 has enough range.
I'll definitely use it when I'm humping bush though.

The 47 grain load was book max and slightly compressed so I'll have to change powders if I'm going to push it any harder.
 
07blackwater said:
BTW, H335 seems kinda hard to find here in BC.

Forgot to add that I'm sitting in a few hundred pounds of lead, I was thinking of picking up one of those ranch dog molds, they seem like a trick bullet.

We prospect in grizz country and have kids around so a 300 grain hard cast would be good medicine I think.

I'm not set up for gas checks or anything yet, that's why I went with the hornady's for now.
Click to expand...

With cast in the 444 go big diameter and hard alloy . I made my own lee style sizer at 0.4315 and I cast from water quenched wheel weights
 
I use a 300 gr hornady xtp pushed by 42.5 gr of h 4198, moa 3 shots group at 100 yards using a 3x9 scope.

Deadly on deer and bear.

I also shot a 330 gr hard cast, but ogive profile makes it a single shot.1.5 in, 3 shots group ar 100 yards.

I love that rifle.
 
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