444 Marlin vs 44 Magnum

[6pt-sika]

Y'all got me real curious now. Anybody know offhand what the twist is in the 444 Handi-Rifle and how big a bullet it might handle? I finally have the wife warmed up to another rifle....

The Handi Rifle I don't know however , the slower twist Micro Groove Marlin's will handle 375 grain bullets and the present fast twist Marlin's will handle 400 grainers as well !

And how do I know this you ask ?

Becuase I've done it pure and simple

[GLL]

The new 444 Handi-Rifle twist is 1:20".

Jerry

[pmeisel]

Thanks, that should stabilize anything I would shoot....

[dualsport]

1/20". Can't say about the weight thing yet, I just got it, but ought to handle up to 400 gr. I think. Since 99.99% of my shooting this .444 will be targets, either paper or whatever, and not game, I'm going to experiment more with the lighter end of the spectrum, try a few 250 gr types. Might try a duplex load just for fun, it sure looks like an old bp cartridge. I also have high hopes for the Lee 310 gr. all purpose boolit.

[gerrycan]

Hey,
I have an older444 m and haven,t had the best accuracy with 260 grs swc[lee] and will try 310 lee myself today over 12grs. Trailboss[GC VS. NOGC].I wonder what my barrel twist is ?Gerry [sorry for hyjack]

[pmeisel]

Convinced my wife to come to the gun & pawn and write a check for an H&R in 444 Marlin this afternoon, with a 3x9 on top of it. Congratulations to me. I must be doing something right.

[dualsport]

I've read the older Marlins are 1/38". I'm not sure about this, but I think the popular thinking is push them faster when using a heavy(long) for twist boolit. Maybe try some heat under that 310 gr. if the TB doesn't do it for ya. I've read H322 is the berries in a .444, but I'm just repeating what I've read. There's some real good reading here about the .444. I.m new to this caliber myself, still just learning.

[6pt-sika]

I've read the older Marlins are 1/38". I'm not sure about this, but I think the popular thinking is push them faster when using a heavy(long) for twist boolit. Maybe try some heat under that 310 gr. if the TB doesn't do it for ya. I've read H322 is the berries in a .444, but I'm just repeating what I've read. There's some real good reading here about the .444. I.m new to this caliber myself, still just learning.

Okay here's the deal !

Bullets weighing up to 315 grains have worked well in my slower twist Marlin 444's made from air cooled WW's and pushed at medium levels .

For ANYTHING over 315 grains up to 375 grains need to be water quenched if WW"s and pushed HARD with H322 or something similar .

For the 400 grain bulets in the fast twist ballard barrels , I can use aircooled WW's and push hard . However I've just been water quenching them all lately !

And yes the Micro barrels are 1-38 .

[dualsport]

Thanks 6pt. I'm writing that info down and putting it in my loading book. Good nuts and bolts type stuff. pmeisel, you can take that bit to the bank, if 6pt doesn't know the .444 no one does. He's almost a fanatic .444 shooter/collector.

[pmeisel]

I am doing some studying today. I am leaning towards three loads:

1. Something light (180g-225g) and relatively slow, for paper punching and plinking
2. Mid-range, maybe 265g or so for hunting deer
3. A heavy bullet load (300g or so) for hogs and thick stuff.

Fortunately I have a lot of time yet!

[6pt-sika]

I am doing some studying today. I am leaning towards three loads:

1. Something light (180g-225g) and relatively slow, for paper punching and plinking
2. Mid-range, maybe 265g or so for hunting deer
3. A heavy bullet load (300g or so) for hogs and thick stuff.

Fortunately I have a lot of time yet!

While I don't disagree I don't normally load any of my bullets at what would be called plinking levels .

All bullets from 207 to 400 grains get loaded at what I consider hunting levels .

When I first started with the 444 cast bullet thing I was using only XMP5744 with air cooled bullets and it was working well on paper an deer with bullets up to about 315 grains . It wasn't until I got the NEi 429-330GC and the Lyman 429649 that I discovered I needed to do something else in the slow twist Micro barrels and I switched almost entirely to H322 and started water quenching . Now I also use some Varget and RL-7 in the 400 grainers . Also recently started using H4198 with the Lyman 429650 .

Now then for what I use a 444 for I could easily kill EVERYTHING with the Ranch Dog 432-265GC or even the Saeco 250 grain GC bullet . However I like to try and mess with them all . So I've worked my way up to 400 grains in the ballard guns and 375 grains in the Micro Groove guns .

I have three molds that are on the light side . The castboolits Group buy 434-207GC , Lyman 429215 and the RCBS 44-225GC . It is my thinking that all three of these bullets will be okay deer bullets in the normal situations I hunt . And over the next year or so I plan on testing this out !
So to me the light bullets that you refer to as paper bullets or plinkers are in all actuality decent deer bullets in their own right ! However in my loads they will be far from slow

[6pt-sika]

Thanks 6pt. I'm writing that info down and putting it in my loading book. Good nuts and bolts type stuff. pmeisel, you can take that bit to the bank, if 6pt doesn't know the .444 no one does. He's almost a fanatic .444 shooter/collector.

If you look on the thread in this forum I started about First and Second Model 444's you can get a good bit of the loading data I've gotten with variouse bullets in slow twist Micro Groove 444 barrels .

IF you find any of it a help I'm glad !