444 rifle-410 shotgun use?

They fit snug but they fit. I have a pocket full of various 2 1/2 .410's and they all work every time. If you are looking for a smooth easy close on the lever, you are not gonna get it. Different tolerances in plastic, but the Marlin action is a lot stronger than the plastic.
 
Ah, so it's all in the way you hold your mouth, huh Randy? ;) I was considering buying your 444 just so I could try the .410 thing you told me about!
 
it sure seems a good alternative to packing a shot gun or 22 along when hunting big game.20 yards is perfectly acceptable range for potting a grouse on the roadside
 
444-410

When someone says that the action is tough to close I would be happy, but on this 444 there is still about 1/4" to get the chamber to close and no way to get a trigger to be pulled. Any ways, I will stay with my guide gun in 45-70 and use the 410 in it. Found with different wichester brass, some will unload if not fired and some will get stuck in the chamber that is easy to be pulled out with a small knife.
 
I've shot quite a few grouse with the .410 shells in a .444 - have been doing this for about 15 years now. The shot pattern is very poor - my .444 has microgroove rifling. About 5 yards is the maximum reliable range. I shot a grouse once with a .44 mag shot shell - one pellet through the lungs). The issue with shells fitting in one rifle and not another has a lot to do with hard a person tries to close the action. There are two problems - the .444 is only semi-rimmed while the .410 has a full rim. The extractor has to be forced over the rim. The other issue is the chamger length - the 2 1/2 inch shells ar about 1/16 of an inch too long - but they are only plastic - it bends if forced.

A far more effect means of picking of grouse while moose hunting is to use an auxillary shell which will allow you to shoot .32 s&w shorts in a .30 cal rifle. They are far quieter than the .410 loads and shoot about as acurrately as normal rifle rounds.
 
after reading how poor the patterns are with the 410 shells I will stick to the homemade bras shells I haven't patterned them but I have taken grouse at 20 yards with them . Iwonder if it is a case of the rifling engaging the wad and spining the whole shot column as compared to bare shot that the rifling only messes with the outer shot in the column
 
Use Remington 2.5" shells (green) and the lever will close fairly smoothly. This is due to the crimp being slightly tapered at the front. Winchester and others have more of a flat non-tapered crimp and can be very hard to chamber. As Randy states good to about 20 yrds in the microgroove
 
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