444 Marlin

[Brad]

I haven’t shot the 444 Marlin Paul gave me years ago. Decided it was time to get her out to the range.
Decided to start with the 265 RD bullet sized .432 and powder coated. I looked up a few loads in QL and decided to start with 20 gr of 2400. Should get me in the 1400 FPS range with really low pressures. I expect to see a few unburned kernels left in the bore.
I have forgotten how horrible short throated the rifle is. No SWC will chamber unless crimped over the front band. The RD bullets are designed for this short throat but lead to what I consider a very unattractive loaded cartridge.

 

[Ian]

Did you size before coating? The one in the photo doesn't look like it was sized afterward.

 

[Brad]

I sized and checked at .432 before coating. A quick run back thru after coating. Hard to see where the coating was sized at all. Took almost no fort to run aback thru the sizer.
I wanted to seat the checks before sizing so I wasn’t fighting the PC to get checks seated. This mould has a max diameter shank and checks are already tough enough to get on.

 

[CZ93X62]

A couple years ago I bought a full set of NOE's gas check expanders. Life in Gascheckia got a lot easier once those emigrated. Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative when it comes to the shank/check interface.

 

[Brad]

I have one of those around somewhere......

But mine is just a prototype.

 

[S Mac]

Don't remember the load, but a book load of Reloader 7 shoot really well in mine with that bullet, along with a couple of others.

 

[S Mac]

Went back to my thread dusted off the 444, 37 grns. of rl7.

 

[Brad]

RE 7 will get some use once I decide to speed things up. It will work well for the 1600-2??? Loads.

 

[S Mac]

Don't have a crono so don't know for sure. Guessing around that. A pleasant load in a gun that can be pretty mean to the shoulder.

 

[todd]

i have a tc encore with a 23" MGM barrel in 444 and i luv it.

i never chroned these....
265gr hornady fn with 41.0gr of h4198

200gr hornady xtp with 16.5gr of trail boss

275gr ranch dog with 41.0gr of rel7

275gr ranch dog with 40.0gr of h4198

280gr lfn gc with 41.5gr of rel7

280gr lfn gc with 42.0gr of h4198

250gr mihek hp with 11.5gr of unique

220gr wc with 13.0gr of unique

280gr wfn gc with 41.0 of rel7

280gr wfn gc with 42.5gr of h4198

255gr keith with 12.0gr of unique

the rel7 and h4198 goes around 1900-2000fps

i did chrono my hunting load(deer/black bear).

300gr fn gc(saeco)
24.0gr of 2400/tuft of dacron
1624fps avg

i did the 300gr with 20.0-25.5gr of 2400/with dacron and without. i found that it was more accurate with dacron.

 

[todd]

Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life

www.dropbox.com

here are some loads

 

[CZ93X62]

I have never owned a 444 Marlin. I have owned six 45/70s, and have 2 currently.

 

[Brad]

I have a Marlin 45/70 I dearly love and a Win 94 in 375 Win that I am borderline afraid of.
The 444 Marlin is something I think will be fine once I get it figured out.
Might need another Leupould 1.75-6X variable

 

[462]

I, too have never owned a .444 Marlin, but think that the .45-70 pretty much negates the need for one, though I would not mind owning a .444.

 

[todd]

i owned 3 different h&r handi rifles in 45-70. now its down to one and i don't shoot it anymore. . i sold one. two, i gave it to a friend's boy about 5 or 6 years ago. he shoots a deer every year(405gr pb fn with h4198/1300+/-fps). i felt sorry for him because his dad/mom don't hunt. three, is in my safe. i can't say anything bad about 45-70, but i luv my 444.

 

[Brad]

Having a 45/70 I wouldn’t have bought a 444 but when it is a gift it is awful hard to turn down.
Didn’t put loads on paper but they felt like about what I want. The bullets I did recover were flat as a pancake. Might need to harden my alloy a bit.

 

[Rick]

Only 444 I've ever fired was in a 10 inch XL pistol with top end loads and I think it was 340 gr bullet. Was not fun, my hair hurt, my toe nails hurt. Not wanting to appear a wimp I managed 3 shots before handing it back to him and admitting yep, I'm a wimp.

 

[Brad]

Not a wimp, just intelligent.
I have no desire to shoot any really hotly loaded handguns anymore. Just don’t need the pain.

 

[Rick]

Jim Rock owned RPM Pistol Mfg. and made the XL pistol, an outstanding extremely well built break open single shot pistol. He built that 444 as a special order for a customer that was going to use it as a back up in Africa. When he finished it he brought it to LASC to test it firing some rounds and got a few dummies club members to shoot some for him.

 

[todd]

Having a 45/70 I wouldn’t have bought a 444 but when it is a gift it is awful hard to turn down.
Didn’t put loads on paper but they felt like about what I want. The bullets I did recover were flat as a pancake. Might need to harden my alloy a bit.

i use a 10-11 pure lead and 1 tin. thats about a 12+/-bhn.

bullshop says
"A very basic rule of thumb I use to determine if an alloy hardness can be expected to expand is this, BHN X 100 = impact velocity.
If your impact velocity (not muzzle velocity) stays higher than BHN x 100 then your bullets should show some expansion. The higher the impact velocity over the BHN x 100 the greater degree of expansion can be expected."