444 h-r

[Marlin Junky]

If anyone has recently purchased a 444 barrel for their Handi-Rifle, (or a complete 444 H-R) you'd be helping out a bunch by posting its bore/groove diameters.

Thank you,
MJ

[OBXPilgrim]

Wasn't recent (Nov 2008) but it was .4317" at breech, .4316" at bore - sorry only recorded the groove - didn't figure on any bore riders.

[Marlin Junky]

Wasn't recent (Nov 2008) but it was .4317" at breech, .4316" at bore - sorry only recorded the groove - didn't figure on any bore riders.

Wow, that's fat! Do you still have the barrel? I assume you mean .4316 at the muzzle rather than ".4316 at bore".

MJ

P.S. BTW, is your barrel a 1:38" or current (from what I've been hearing) 1:20" twist?

[OBXPilgrim]

Yes, still have the barrel. Yes, meant muzzle. I did not check the twist, but it was a recent (2008) and I think they made all of them 1:20.

Fat, who you calling fat?

It's actually (slightly) skinnier than my M94 44Mag - .4320" straight. Which shoots .310gr Lee's just fine. I launch 290gr Group Buy Lee's from the .444 at about 1800fps - nice, sweet, accurate load.

[Marlin Junky]

Yes, still have the barrel. Yes, meant muzzle. I did not check the twist, but it was a recent (2008) and I think they made all of them 1:20.

Regarding the 1:20", yeah probably. A 1:38" might be interesting for the lighter boolits though.


Fat, who you calling fat?

Oh sorry, my mistake, I meant phat. :bigsmyl2:


It's actually (slightly) skinnier than my M94 44Mag - .4320" straight. Which shoots .310gr Lee's just fine. I launch 290gr Group Buy Lee's from the .444 at about 1800fps - nice, sweet, accurate load.

Yeah, I never had a problem getting the lighter weight boolits to shoot well through my thinly rifled 1:20 "Ballard" 444 Marlin but the longer, heavier ones are a bit tougher to maintain fine accuracy unless slow (for the 444 anyway) powders are used. I can pretty much throw together a buffalo cruncher load that'll consistently shoot 5-shot 1.5 MOA groups without breaking a sweat by stuffing all the AA-2520 behind a 350 grain boolit that the case will hold. However, when throttling that same boolit back to 1600-1700 fps with 4759, I lose accuracy, big time. I'd say it probably has to do with the high-inertia/shallow-rifling/tight-twist/fast-powder burning curve syndrome.

Nevertheless, that's the reason for my bore/groove question and I'm still trying to decide if acquiring a 444 H-R barrel is worth the effort.

MJ

[6pt-sika]

I bought one of the H&R Handi's in 444 about 6 years ago I think . Kept it a couple years . Never did hunt with it but I did shoot quite a bit of jacketed stuff in it all printed very nicely at 100 yards .

I can't remmember if I shot cast in it or not , but I have a vaugue memory that I may have .

Anyway I sold the gun about 3 years ago to help fund a trip and I kinda wish I had it back LOL's !