Reloading the .444 Marlin

gitrdun

gitrdun

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I figured that I would be happy shooting Leverevolution out of my new .444. Having checked on the price of factory ammo since the recent increase, I figure I better get some dies and reload for it.

Would anyone like to share their pet loads for this rifle? I do have the latest Hornady manual amongst others but, I'd like to hear from those that have experience. Is there anything particular that I should also know when loading these neckless cartridges (I load .223, .270WSM, .338WM, and .375H&H). Thanks in advance guys. :)
 
i use h4198 and rel 7. prefer hornady 265 and 300. work up to max with the hornady manuel for h4198 i have to stay one grain under max in my marlin. with rel7 max loads are no problem.i also like the lee factory crimp die it works very well. accuracy with those two powders is a little under an inch and a half. often with two touching and one an inch away. i shoot scoped with a compact fixed 4x. its an older model with 22 inch barell and microgrove rifling.both bullets shoot well in my rifle and 240 grain not quite as good. if i had to pick one bullet it would be the 265 hornady fn.
 
I have always wanted to try some HardCast boolits for my .444.

Right now my pet load is.

Speer 300gr Uni-Cor
CCI-200
55.5 gr of Hodgdon 335(MAX load) reduce by a couple of grains and work up.

Follow the instructions on the die.

You have to bell the case mouth and crimp it afterwards.

You don't need alot of belling....just enough so the base of the bullet easily enters the case.

Other than that about the same as bottle neck cartridges.
 
.444 loads

1970's " Microgroove "22' brl ..Marlin .444 3x9 scope

These loads are MAX in my rifle and you need to "work up " to them if you choose to use this data

240 gr Hornady CL-SL
41.8 gr. IMR4227..2282..2304..2319 fps..1.50 inch/100 yds/3shots
51.0 gr. Reloder 7...2324..2319..2293 fps..1.60 inch/100yds/3 shots

265 Gr Hornady
59.0 gr. H335..2315..2285..2284 fps..1.40 inch/100yds/3 shots
51.0 gr. Reloder 7...2293..2319..2314 fps..1.30 inch/100yds/3 shots

300 gr Sierra
55.0 gr H335..2113..2144..2128 fps..0.80 inch/100yds/3 shots !!

Lee 310 grain Cast with gas check.. teflon taped @.332 inch diameter
50.0 gr H335..1992..1997..1994 fps..1.80 inch/100 yds/3 shots.

Have a few other accurate loads too... but they use reduced loads involving shotgun/pistol powders with a/n bullets and also useing 123 grain round ball (lead) ...and of course shot loads useing 444 case and #7 1/2 shot.

Like some others have noted .. quite a few loads have two shots very close together but the third shot whether jacketed or cast always seem to expand the group a bit more...No doubt my fault as it happens with numerous other calibers too at times.
Would recommend the Hornady 265 gr. to start with as it seems to work well in just about all .444 rifles I've seen shot at the range.

....Best of luck
 
444shooter said:
Make sure to get a Lee crimp die.
Click to expand...

I am thinking this rifle will be used as a saddle gun, so I will X2 on the above recommendation gitrdun for a few reasons

#1- Bullets can be pushed back in the case from being in a tubular magazine while sitting in a scabbard and riding all day.

#2- The same can happen while shooting with rounds in the tubular magazine, especially hard hitting loads. The Lee crimp die will stop the above two from happening.

I have seen both happen with my own rifles and loads. Just something to keep in mind.
 
The Lee crimp dies it is, no compromise. Now, I just need to pick something from the above lists, which I thank you guys immensely BTW :) Yes, it will live in a rifle scabbard quite a bit, starting this weekend. I'm thinking that the Hornady's 265gr pills will likely be my choice. Which brings yet another question to mind:

Being that the crimp obvioulsy must be on the cannelure, it's a given that one does not get to experiment with seating depth then, right? :redface:
 
The 325 gr .430 gas check hard cast WFN bullet I get from MT-Chambers has proven excellent in several .44 handguns I've shot it in. With a starting load of 38 grs of 4198 in a .444 Marlin, you should be able to work up to a load that approaches 2000 fps.
 
This is an excerpt from another website....

This grizzly was killed at point blank range in self defense by Mike Leslie of Soldotna, AK. During a dark night the bear attempted to break through the cabin door. They tried to scare it off but the bear persisted in its attempts to enter the cabin. Mike shoved his .444 Marlin through a crack in the door and fired. The next morning the bear was found dead, about 50 feet from the cabin. The 335 gr. hardcast Buffalo Bore load had gone through its chest.



X2 on the hard cast 325gr for encounters of the worst kind!
 
gitrdun said:
Being that the crimp obvioulsy must be on the cannelure, it's a given that one does not get to experiment with seating depth then, right? :redface:
Click to expand...

The Lee Factory Crimp Die works quite well on bullets without a cannelure......... so, I'd say you should be OK to mess with OAL. I do.
 
Boomer said:
The 325 gr .430 gas check hard cast WFN bullet I get from MT-Chambers has proven excellent in several .44 handguns I've shot it in. With a starting load of 38 grs of 4198 in a .444 Marlin, you should be able to work up to a load that approaches 2000 fps.
Click to expand...

Boomer: Is that H4198 or IMR4198?
 
I'll have to look to be sure, but IIRC one of the issues of Handloader in the last... 6 months I think had a long article on the 444.
 
265 gr Hornady JFP, 46.5 grs. of H4198, for about 1 inch 3-shot groups out of my 444s with micro groove 22" barrel.

About crimping, I use the Hornady 444 dies, and try to get as much crimp on as I can without crushing the case. I've never had a problem with bullets pushing back into the case. But I was just thinking about something - I have 44 mag Lee dies that has the factory crimp die. Would it be possible to use the Lee 44 mag factory crimp die to crimp the 444, or would it not have enough threads to adjust out that far? or is there another problem? I think I'll have to go see.
 
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