444 Marlin, What Boolit do you shoot?

[THerbert]

I have a 444 Marlin with the Micro groove barrel. I have no desire to shoot j-word projectiles, so what's your favorite load in this ctg? I have the Lee 429-240-SWC mold, and the 429-240-RF, that I shoot in my .44-40s. Any other ones I should look at? I don't need high power hunting loads, I just want to have fun, punch paper and ring steel.

TIA!

[longbow]

I'll suggest slugging your bore. I believe that the .444 suffers from the same malady that the .44 Mag. Marlin does ~ fat bore! Not really a malady I guess if you know it is there.

The Marlin rifles tend to run about 0.432" groove diameter rather than the nominal 0.429"/0.430" that handguns run. Not exactly sure why but there it is.

I had horrible accuracy with my .44 Mag. Marlin using the Lyman 429421 which cast at exactly 0.429". My groove diameter is 0.431"+ so now I use 0.432" boolits minimum and up to 0.434". Accuracy is much better.

You might check on the Ranch Dog designs available through NOE. They are designed specifically for Marlin rifles.

Longbow

[leadman]

I had a rechambered 44mag to 444 Marlin barrel for my Contender. The Lee 310gr RFN GC shot real well with alot of recoil at about 1,900 fps. I also used a 225gr SWC GC for light loads that shot extremely well. Can't recall if it is a Lyman or RCBS mold, leaning towards RCBS.

[WALLNUTT]

I'm not sure but I think 444 rifles have a slower twist than 44mag barrels and might have trouble stablizing a 310g bullet. I'm sure someone with more experience than I will comment.

[tdoyka]

my tc encore with a MGM barrel really liked 200gr xtp with a load of trail boss.

like longbow, i would suggest slugging your bore. mine slugs out at .429". i know that most marlin's like .432" boolits, but my MGM really does like them at .430".
after i find my deer load(265gr ranch dog), i'll be like you...punching paper and the occasional groundhawg with trail boss and a 240gr cast boolit.

[Wally]

I use a Lyman 429244 & an old Lyman 429640 w/aluminum GCs sized to .431" and 17.0 grains of Unique. Last weekend I was consistently hitting a 4" plate at 200 yards in a 12 MPH wind.

[THerbert]

I just slugged the bore, and it appears to be ~0.431". I guess a 0.432"+ boolit mold is in my future...

[coxa2]

I shoot the Lyman 245 SWC under 10grs unique. Only problem is that they don't cycle very well.

[quilbilly]

In my 444 I shoot both the Lee 300 GC boolit at 1850 FPS and a 265 gr SWC-PB at 1200 FPS both shoot and cycle well unless I accidentally load the new, short Hornady brass. I am sizing to 429 with lubing with Alox.

[GhostHawk]

Mostly the Lee .430 310 grain Gas Check, but also some .445 round balls run through the .430 sizer, and some .429 214 grain.

Best accuracy so far by far has been the .430 and I'm about to beagle this mold and see if I can take it up to .431 or .432.

Sizer is about to get a bore job to .432 as well.

[WALLNUTT]

NOE has just come out with some moulds just right for 444. They're old SSK designs.

[utahtrapper]

444 1965 first year made 24 inch barrel micro groove
Run 50 grains RL 7 and 290 lfn Beartooth size .432 and 1 inch groups at 100yds
Nice muley and cow elk fell to this combo. Elk went thru both shoulders and kept going.
Muley left front shoulder exited right rear hip DRT and you could almost eat up to the hole. No wasted meat

[Lloyd Smale]

mine is outfitter with normal rifling so I don't know if I can help much with the micro grove. My gun just loves the ballistic cast 340 lfngc. It has two crimp groves so it can be seated deep to work in a 444. heres an article my buddy wrote about his. Go to the leverguns website and youll find a few more articles on it. click on the articles link. http://www.leverguns.com/articles/anderson/444Outfitter.htm

[dnepr]

I also shoot the lee 310 . Mine is a 1 in 38 twist micro groove . They are wcww and sized .0015 -.002 over groove diameter . I also found they had to have a muzzle velocity of 1300 fps before they stabilized enough to shoot decent

[utahtrapper]

This combo runs 2200 fps



444 1965 first year made 24 inch barrel micro groove
Run 50 grains RL 7 and 290 lfn Beartooth size .432 and 1 inch groups at 100yds
Nice muley and cow elk fell to this combo. Elk went thru both shoulders and kept going.
Muley left front shoulder exited right rear hip DRT and you could almost eat up to the hole. No wasted meat

[Teddy (punchie)]

So how the recoil from a 444? I seen a few at the last show and didn't even ask about the price thinking little too mush. Thanks !! Teddy

[THerbert]

This is my second one -- I traded away the first one after shooting only Remington factory 240 grain factory ammo in it. The recoil was "uncomfortable." That was in my younger days, before I figured out that if you reload, you don't have to shoot factory-level loads. Now, the only thing I hunt are paper targets and steel plates, so I can tailor my loads to whatever I want them to be. I wouldn't want to shoot a 2200 fps round out of that rifle. It, too would be "uncomfortable."

[Beerd]

yes, 2000+ ft/sec does get your attention
but the big smile it puts on almost everyone's face when they touch one off is "priceless".
and like TH said, you can always load them to go a little slower
..

[Shuz]

MP-Molds has a nice, nominal 300g mould designed for the .444 Marlin. I use ww+1%tin and size them to .432, and then heat treat them because I'm driving them over 2100fps. Powder I've found to really work well is Alliant's Reloder 7. Remember in the 1:38" twist like yours, velocity is your friend;especially shooting the "heavies for caliber" like the 300 grainers.

[3584ELK]

NOE has just come out with some moulds just right for 444. They're old SSK designs.

That's my bullet, but I am struggling to get it to shoot better than Hornady Superformance 265's.

[rrob692326]

I shoot a LBT 405 grain sized .431 out of my 444 contender. Imr 4198 gives me all I can handle without a brake. About 4 feet penetration in a pine log. Have not recovered any boolits in pigs as they zip through completely.

[OnHoPr]

Well, if you just want to ring steel and punch paper. The boolits you mentioned should do the trick. Cast AC in some form of alloy from straight WW to a micks with the faster powders and well lubed the boolit should obturate to the barrels dimensions with recoils like the .410 or light 20 ga. No GCs would be necessary and less lead consumption.