44 Magnum or 444 Marlin

[Buddy]

I'm going to buy a Handi Rifle to carry behind the truck seat and use for a plinker also. Since I've got so many 44 Magnum handguns and casting/loading equipment I thought I'd go with a 44. I've shot the 444 Marlin in a Guide Gun and thought it had way more recoil than a cartridge of its ballistics should have. The Handi Rifle is way lighter also. I've almost answered my own question, but I think I'd like to try the 444. Anyone shoot the Handi Rifle in this caliber want to offer up a little info before I buy something that's gonna loosen my teeth? I don't really need one but you know how that goes. Never was a good excuse to not buy another gun!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

What is the rate of twist on each ... ?

If the rate of twist is less than 20" than I'd stick with the 44

[John Traveler]

That's the main problem with factory .444 Marlin rifles.

The extremely slow twist rate limits one to 265 grain bullets.

In a custom-barreled rifle with faster (1-20 or 1-22 twist, you can load up with much heaver bullets and have them remailn stable.

[Buddy]

I'll have to check that out. My Dan Wesson pistols are 1-16 twist and shoot the 310 gr bullets very well. SBH has 1-20 and does pretty good with heavyweights.

[pmeisel]

My 444 Handi has the fast twist. It kicks enough to notice but it's not a shoulder breaker.

When I go to the range I usually limit myself to about a dozen shots. That's fun, not punishment.

It's a great gun for the woods hunting I do.

[leadman]

The 444 is a good cartridge but like all cartridges now somewhat expansive to get into. It does download o.k. so that is not an issue.
If you buy a 44 mag and decide you want more power later it can be rechambered to 445 SuperMag and you can still use your 44 mag dies to reload it and fire 44mag in the gun.

I have a 44mag H&R that I had rechambered to 445. It will push a 265gr Hornady almost 1,900 fps.
You can also have the 44 rechambered to 444, which I did with a 14" Contender. Lots of recoil there!

[dualsport]

Devil's Advocate here, maybe the .357 would be better for a plinker/truck gun? I think the H&R .357 comes with sights, I know the .444 barrel doesn't. Can't really go wrong with any of those 3, .357, .44 mag., or .444. Lots of versatility when you cast and handload. But, .38 Special brass is free for the taking at most ranges, or dirt cheap when bought in bulk. A heavy .357 cb load from a 20" barrel is no cream puff if things get serious. The new .444 H&R barrels are 20" twist, IIRC. You can always add more barrels later, even shotgun barrels. Let us know.

[jerry_from_ct]

I have a 44mag H&R that I had rechambered to 445. It will push a 265gr Hornady almost 1,900 fps.



I always thought this made more sense than a .444, better dual usage capability.
The 445 will do just about anything a 444 will do and more efficiently in a shorter barrel.

Sorry to see CZ ditched the DW in .445 supermag.:(

[Papa Jack]

What is the rate of twist on each ... ?

If the rate of twist is less than 20" than I'd stick with the 44

Info I have on the twist rates of H&R Handi-Rifles is :

.44 magnum= 1:38
.444 Marlin Original H&R 1:38"
.444 Marlin 2007 and later 1:20" ( includes .45-70 and .450 Marlin )

Check Grey Beard dot Com for a complete listing of H&R twist rates ..... Papa Jack

[bigted]

that 444 will do about anything you want it to. only thing that the 45/70 has over it is a heavier boolit capability. my 444 went thru a huge moose here in Alaska twice now and did a thru n thru. it also will carry its 265gr to 200yds with very little need for holdover and still have plenty of snoose getting there.

i like the 44mag as well but in .429 caliber ...why not go with bigger rather then smaller and later wish you had bigger?

[Marlin Junky]

A plinker you say? The .444 is a serious big game cartridge. I've tamed it with SR4759 but I would say the .44M would be a better choice for you. I'm also considering a .444 barrel for my H-R but will probably never load the cartridge to it's full potential in that platform. I've done 2400-2500 fps with 250-260 grain paper patched boolits from my .35W H-R with surprising accuracy; however, I don't think the gun's design is up to that kind of punishment over the long haul. If you wish to "plink" with more authority than a 300 grain boolit at 1600-1700fps, then the .44M may not be enough gun for you but you'll flatten any critter in WV with it. If you want to shoot 300-400 grain boolits at lazy velocities then you'll need the faster twist of the current .444 H-R barrels (1:20").

MJ

P.S. In defense of the .444, just about 3 grains of A2400 beyond what the .44M will safely digest will get you virtually the same velocity as the .444's little brother; however, the .444 will do it at way less pressure (10K+ PSI less) which will mean a softer boolit can be used to equal the accuracy of the smaller round. This also means if you restrict your 444 to top end 44M/45C loads or a bit more, your 444 brass will last forever (I run mine in the 1700-1800 fps range with less than 30 grains of SR4759). In the 444 you've also got a cool looking case that can be used with black powder... how's that for fun-factor in your inexpensive single shot?

[Buddy]

Papa J are you kidding? A 44mag with a 38" twist? That would be useless to me. I like the idea of the 444 being downloaded somewhat. I have an AC separation of my right shoulder that I did not have repaired. (yea, I know STUPID.) I can shoot an '06 all day but if I shoot full power loads in my 300WSM I give up after about 10 rnds. That's why I've begun shooting my 44's for most everything. I'm really leaning toward the 444 although being a DW fan/shooter the 445 SuperMag sounds interesting. I really thought this would be easy. I need to think this over.

[dualsport]

I have an H&R .444. Recoil is up there in the 45-70 range in the same gun. Might be rough on your bum shoulder. I also have a couple .223 barrels, now there's a plinker/truck gun. You could load cbs and carry some heavies too, for just in case. They have a ultra light barrel(youth?) .223 with open sights on it. Mine has a 9" twist and will shoot anything from .22lr level cb loads up to military 62 gr. green tip penetrator. I know you're thinking of sticking with a .44, just throwing out some ideas. Everybody needs a .223.:mrgreen:

[mdi]

Since I reload, I'd go with the .444. I'm sure it can be loaded from .44 Special levels all the way up to T-Rex killer ammo...

[dk17hmr]

I would go 444 marlin that way you have the option to go full bore moose and elk stompers. My 444 is a TC Contender with a 14" barrel and its a ball to shoot.

My NEF Truck gun is a 30-06.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=117848

[Buddy]

I'm going with the 444 I believe. I've got a couple of .223's but I can't throw a $1k rifle behind the seat. I'm going to use this purchase as a challenge. I just love casting/shooting/developing loads to get the utmost from a rifle then I get kinda bored and try another one. Retirement is great I just wish it paid a little more......Buddy.

[6pt-sika]

I had one of the H&R Handi rifles in 444 and it shot jacketed nicely !

Sorry to say I sold it before I ever fired any cast in it !

But I have way past several of the Marlin 444's with the slow 1:38 Micro barrels and I'm able to get bullets u to 375 grains in weight shoot pretty darned well !

So "if" you could find a decent used Marlin in 444 for $300 that would make a good truck gun also and only a couple dollars more then what the new H&R will cost !

[Four Fingers of Death]

If you carry a 44Mag handgun, maybe you'd be better served with a smaller calibre for the rifle, like a 22Mag or a 30/30.

I have marlins in 44Mag and 444. I also have several 45/70s, a Trapdoor and a BPCR.

A 444 can do anything a 44 can do, but a 44 can't do everything a 444 can.

I reckon a 45/70 would be a better bet that a 444, ammo is available everywhere, but if yor close your eyes and buy 100 brass for the 444 and don't go gonzo with the loads, I reckon they would last a long time.

My Marlin 444 and the 45/70 that I foolishly parted with rattled my teeth, I am sure your Handi Rifle will do the same, :)

[6pt-sika]

My Marlin 444 and the 45/70 that I foolishly parted with rattled my teeth, I am sure your Handi Rifle will do the same, :)

My 444's and 45-70 aren't that bad recoil wise and thats with pretty stout loads !

However I had a second stock done for the 45-70 with a nice THICK KickEez pad . The Handi rifle I had with variouse handloaded jacketed bullets wasn't that bad either or atleast that was my take .

[6pt-sika]

My 444 is a TC Contender with a 14" barrel and its a ball to shoot.


I went the long way recently . Got a older custom made 444 Contender barrel , then I got a older TC 2 barrel combo and sold both the barrels and one of the forends .

The frame is early to mid 80's and my barrel is stamped 1981 . The barrel is also 12". I've been getting decent results at 50 yards with the Lyman 429215 and RCBS 44-225 SWC .

[Four Fingers of Death]

Now, you could just go out and buy one of those big a$$ed BFR revolvers in 444! That would be something else!