444 for hunting

[catncarp]

What would be a good cast bullet for the 444 for deer and bear

[krag35]

I have settled on the C-430-265-Ranch Dog.

[Blammer]

one of the top left 3 or 4 will work well.

I just used the very top left one and it worked extremely well on my deer this year.



here is a closer picture.
the one on the left as you are looking at it is 50 cal, the other one is 44 cal and the one I used was a solid that wts 323gr

[catncarp]

i have settled on the c-430-265-ranch dog.

what do you size them at

[btroj]

Blammer, the NOE version of the 310 Lee cycles thru your 444 Marlin well? No problems with seating depth and hitting the end of the rifling?

I think I may need to order one of those for my new to me Marlin 444.

[krag35]

what do you size them at

My sizer is marked .432, my calipers say .431. Hornaday gas checks and Lyman's super Moly lube.

[nekshot]

lee 310, unsized, bens red and very nice small cluster at 100 yards with 335. Big fire ball to go with it!

[DougGuy]

Lee C430-310-RF.

[nekshot]

catncarp, I see your location is Berks county. That makes us almost neighbors from long ago if it is the berks county I grew up next to. This boolit would work great around project 70 or the texter mountains. We all know back there you gotta knock em down pronto or the guy in the next bush is tagging it!

[Blammer]

Blammer, the NOE version of the 310 Lee cycles thru your 444 Marlin well? No problems with seating depth and hitting the end of the rifling?

I think I may need to order one of those for my new to me Marlin 444.

Have not done any testing with the Lee 310gr boolit.
The NOE 323gr I have to seat the bullet all the way to the top of the engraving band, otherwise it's too long to run through the magazine and will get jammed when trying to feed from the tube to the chamber. Plus if I seat them out longer they jam into the lands too much.

Although deep seated there is still pleanty of room for powder and 4198 rules for me at the moment with this cartridge. I just got back from the range and I have a dead on zero at 100yds and 17" of drop at 200yds with this boolit.

[OBXPilgrim]

one of the top left 3 or 4 will work well.

I just used the very top left one and it worked extremely well on my deer this year.

Geez, I'd jump all over any one of those on the top row and any on the bottom except for the pointy one (303?) - maybe not the Mihec with the star hp, but definitely as a solid.

Funny how in cast I'd use down to 220/215gr, but probably not in a jacketed.

But, my 444 is a Handi rifle with 1:20 twist. Most recent (the one this year) was with the Lee group buy 285(/290gr) RF "Wide Fat" 44.

I've killed 8 deer with the Lee 310 RF over the last couple years, but in a 44 mag rifle.

[catncarp]

Anybody looking to sell any of the recommended bullets, thanks, jim

[Wilson]

I like the Lee C430-310-RF. I've killed deer and varmints with it. It puts critters down hard from my Handi Rifle.

[catncarp]

Hi wilson
the lee only cast at 430 and everybody tells me the handi should be 432, i don't have the ability to slug my barrel so do you think the lee would be ok, thanks, jim

[quilbilly]

I am using the same boolit in my 444 as I use for deer and elk hunting in my muzzleloader with the sabot, an old LEE (no longer made) 255 gr semi-wadcutter at about 1600 fps. I have noted this before on this website but I will never forget one particular huge lead cow elk taken with that boolit from 60 yards. The last view I had of her before the cloud of Goex FFF filled the view was of her completely off the ground with feet pointed skyward. She did attempt to get up however but unsuccessfully. For fun all day shooting with the 444, however, I like that boolit or a Lee 240 gr. SWC at a muzzle velocity of about 1150 fps. Both boolits have been accurate in the 444 at least in mine but every rifle has its own personality. I also have the 310 gr Lee gas check boolit and it has shot well but I have not hunted with it. All are sized to 429. I would think my "fun load" with the 240 (1150 fps) would be just dandy on deer out to 100 yards and pigs out to 75 yards considering the effectiveness of 44 cal handguns.