444 Marlin or 30/30 marlin?

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millwright

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Hi folks.I've been thinking about getting a Marlin rifle.I already have two Win 94's(one pre,one post 64) both in 30/30. And was thinking about getting a Marlin Lever action rifle.I was heavily leaning towards another 30/30 as I'm already set up for it for reloading.

So what do you hunting gurus have to say?.I don't own anything over 8mm in calibre so far in this life time. Thanks for your time.
 
.444 is a whole different animal, especially if you load. You can launch all kinds of .429 (.430 on some boxes) from lighter Barnes, Nosler HG's, Hornady 240's, 265's, 300's and so on. The impact of a lighter 444 bullet loaded up is impressive. Unlike the "thutty-thutty", it can handle almost anything that walks within it's range, which is easily past the safe range of the .30-30. Out to 200 yards it flattens deer - within 100 yards it really puts them down - numbs 'em. Great caliber, tons of fun. Do yourself a favor - get one. If you like levers, you'll love the triple 4.
 
Man just when I'm getting some good feed back pharaoh2 has to try and hijack it.Come on man let it be.I want to learn something new not go over the same old lines.
 
the one issue your going to find with the 444 over the 450 or 45/70 is that most of the bullets you can buy are designed for and sold for handguns....

so if you reload that is something to think about, but if you buy a good quality bullet like xtp's or similar you will have no problem....

frankly if your not going to reload, get the 450 marlin version, same identical gun just better ballistics.... and face it they will do the same thing your 30/30 will do out to around 200 yds.
 
Why not try a 38-55 caliber rifle. Great caliber as it was developed to use as target ammo. I have used it for deer hunting and at the range, it does very well out to the 200 yard mark. Easy to reload and a great variety of bullet weights.
 
I like the idea of a short barreled lever rifle for when I'm tromping thru the bush.I do reload so whats another caliber to learn about,right. And the .444 has a nice ring to it. (just kidding)
 
444 is a real stomper, especially if you handload. I load 300 grain speer soft points and have flattened a number of moose with them - One at 194 paces. The bullet is designed for a 44 mag revolver, but it holds together very well at 2200 fps. It is absolutely decisive on deer too. Fun gun.
 
I have the 444 Marlin. Shortend the barrel by about 2 or 3".

Plink with pistol bullets and hunt with 300 gr Nosler HP. I think it important to have access to cheap bullets for plinking. A lot of offhand shooting is important, and hard to do if it costs $1.00 a pop. The 444 shoots jacketed pistol bullets and cast ones, too.

I have 30 or 40 hunting rifles I won't live long enough to use or use again. This one has got one moose. You want it? $350 it's yours. For $75 you can have dies, about 100 brass and 100 bullets.
 
I have a .444 Marlin and it is a great medium range deer gun. Out past 125 yards in my opinion things get a little dicier with factory load. Mind you there is the new leverevolution rounds. Just not in my area.

I have taken a few deer with the Marlin and the .444 is certainly a powerful round. It is designed for the hunter that wants to slap an animal down ;->

I have included a couple pics of the wound it can cause. (graphic) The shot was around 95 yards and the deer took zero steps.

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The only challenge in my area anyway is due to me not handloading. The ammo is quite a bit harder to find then 30-30.

Good luck
 
IMO if you already have a .30-30Win, go for the .444 Marlin. As well from what research I've done, stick with Hornady ammo either the LE stuff or thier 444 MARLIN 265 GR FP LIGHT MAG. They are way above the rest of the pack.
 
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If you have a great deal on a .444, buy it. Try it. There are millions of .30-30's out there, ya already got two!
If you don't like the Marlin, you'll have no trouble flogging it.
 
Personally, I love Marlin's. The action is so simple and sweet. But if you want something with a bit more jam have you thought of a Savge 99 in 308 win? You can hand load or use the Hornady Light Magnum to generate very impressive power, better than the 444 from what I can recall. Flatter shooting, cheap ammo if you want it and a capable of reaching out and touching something to 300+ yards. I've got Savage 1899 (mfg. 1902) in 30-30 and love it. The 308 is on my wish list.
 
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