Here's my predicament. I have a Marlin 444S in the house, circa 1977, but I don't really need a 444. I already cast, load and shoot a fair amount of 44 mag, but not the 444. As deer season approaches I'm wanting a 44 mag lever. I took the 444 to the LGS this afternoon to ask about trading in and was surprised at the cost to make it happen. It's far cheaper to buy 100 brass and set up to load them.
My question is whether it's realistic to start reloading the 444 and try to find a recipe that would put the 444 in the area of the 44 mag. I would probably try and stay with maybe a 250 grain bullet running somewhere near 1400-1500 FPS.
I can see some of the downside of going this route. The rifle is heavier than a 44 lever would be, and a little longer overall. But this gives me a 444 should I ever move back to country with larger game. (Deer in southern AL tend to run in the 125-150 lb class) And it's an awfully large case to try to load light.
I'm surely not the first one to have this thought. Any insight? Any preferred powders for such a load? Yes, I already considered the two rifle solution.