44 express

[bigted]

So having an older Marlin 444, I often ponder what to do with it to make a gun that fill's a nitch that my 45-70's fail at. It is tough because of the mighty large nitch that my 45-70's cover.

Now my thoughts turn to a fast, light boolit lit up with a max load of fine powder. Letz call it a EXPRESS 44.

Lets say we load the 444 case with a max compressed load of OE 3F powder followed with lets say a 180 grain boolit of a #2 mix lead lubed with a good lube ... say SPG or so.

What do you spose this will act like? Velocity's? Clean burn?

Maybe a duplex load of lets say 5 grains 4227 IMR followed by a full compressed load of GOEX 3Fg powder?

Just an old brain on coffee and early morning hours getting ready for another day running mud on very steep logging roads in the Pacific North West log truck ventures.

Ted

[Don McDowell]

Velocity probably somewhere between 1600 and 1700 fps. Using 3f might not be the best route as the fouling could be pretty hard due to the heat.
Don't compress duplex loads.

[beltfed]

The 444 Marlin was/is already an "Express" cartridge as was originally
designed with a 240 gr bullet at relatively high velocities. Just like cartridges
back in the BP days like the 38-72, 40-82, 40-72, and on into the smokeless era
with the 405Win. All with relatively light bullets for caliber in order to get higher
velocities than then more usual heavier bullets
AND I consider that 45-70 of yours, as you said- hard to find a nitch around it
for the 444. My load in my '86 win and in my Marlin Guide gun of the 300 gr
RCBS and the Lyman 454424 at 260 gr are what I would consider Express loads. Eclipsing the 444.

After saying all that, lacking a 45-70 , I would find it interesting (in my more and more limited spare time at 78 yrs old) to work with a more recent 444 with the faster twist, so a person could get into 300 gr range bullets
beltfed/arnie

[martinibelgian]

Compared to the original Brit Express BP rounds, it would really be a pipsqueak... I believe relation bullet weight / powder was defined as something like somewhere around 3:1 - 2:1. I'd have to check Walsh for that.

[bigted]

Seems like I loaded it with 2F GOEX when we lived in Alaska. Gave up as I recall because of no stabilization of heavy boolits. Never contemplated 180's or lighter.