Patching for a 444

[Marlin Junky]

Would it be possible to PP for a .444 Marlin or is the throat too short and its angle too steep? I've got a 444P and I think an RCBS 44-240GC mould and it would be pretty easy acquiring a .427" Lee PT die. I've heard these guns like .432" boolits so sizing to .427" before applying two wraps of .002" tracing paper sounds feasable. I think I even have a Lyman .431" die for my 450 press. It may be a bit easier learning how to PP with a bigger caliber than starting with the .30.

MJ

[docone31]

With your .444, I think your board is going to make short work of patching!
The .30s seem to need a roller from what I have read from others here. Their board work with the smaller calibers frustrated them.
Not talking about you Dennis.
I bet you can make it work.
I like the .444, much better than the 45/70

[Marlin Junky]

I like the .444, much better than the 45/70

docone31,

So you have had good luck using PP'd bullets in Marlin .444 chambers? What's your favorite .44 mold to use for patching bullets for use in the .444? Do the SWC's work OK? Why do you like the .444 better than the 45-70?

Thanks,
MJ

[docone31]

I have never paper patched either the .444, or 45/70. I just prefer the charasteristics of the cartridge over the 45/70.
I never cast for either. I used jacketeds.
In the 1895 Marlin, the 45/70 was a painful cartridge to me. The .444 seemed to be recoil free. It is the same with the .44mag in the Winchester 94. That one clobbers me, while the .45LC is sweet.
Go figuire.

[longbow]

I have done some paper patching for my .44 mag 1894 Marlin and it has worked well.

Mine is microgroove and I have found that I have gotten best results using a boolit of 0.421" diameter patched to 0.432"+

One of the members wanted to use 0.424" boolits and asked if I had tried any that large. I hadn't but knurled some to 0.424" and patched with thinner tracing paper to 0.432". Accuracy was poor and the paper shredded into little bits. I normally get fairly large "chunks" of paper.

Most of the paper patching I have done is with .303, .308 and .44. For the .30 cals. they like bore size boolit and patching to groove size. The .44 microgroove likes the undersize boolit (bore size is 0.425" so boolit is 0.004" under). I am thinking that there is less room for the paper and lead to go with microgroove rifling than standard deep rifling.

So, the short answer is your .444 will probably work with paper patching as I bet the throats are similar. If you have Ballard rifling you may get away with the larger diameter 0.427" boolit but with microgroove you may have to go smaller.

Longbow

[pdawg_shooter]

I have patched for the 444. This rifle had the microgroove rifling and it took a bit of experimenting to make it work. The grooves are so shallow I sized to bore diameter and wrapped with 9# paper. DID NOT work. I went to 16# and resized after lubing and things worked fine. I think the 12 lands and grooves displaced so much paper the 9# didnt stand up to it. If you patch you might slug your barrel and size .001/.0015 over BORE diameter, patch with 16# paper lube with whatever and finish size as large as will fit your throat. Good luck and have fun!

[Marlin Junky]

I don't think this particular rifle (well, it's actually an 18.5" ported carbine) has any throat. Is that a concern?

I was going to wrap RCBS 44-240 castings (BHN 10) after sizing through a .427" Lee PT die, with two wraps of .002" thick tracing paper that the manufacturer claims has a 25# basis weight. After which, I'd run the dried, lubed bullet through a .431" Lyman 450 die. I assume there's no cotton content in this particular tracing paper but I don't have a problem picking up a small roll of 100% cotton tracing paper and giving it a try. IIRC, the 100% cotton stuff is actually thinner than the other stuff by approx. .0005" (.0015" vs. .0020").

If I do patch the SWC, should the wet patch extend past the first driving band and if so, by how much? If the SWC won't cut the mustard, I don't have a problem buying a Lee 430310 at the same time I buy one of their .427" PT dies. I don't care for Lee molds but at less than 20 bucks, I don't mind trying this boolit out cast of soft alloy and patched.

MJ

MJ

[longbow]

I guess I should qualify what I said about boolit diameters and paper thickness. I shoot as cast and as patched ~ no sizing at all. Many size either before or after paper patching and that may make a difference.

Also, I generally use ACWW or a little softer.

Generally I have found that my guns like a bore size boolit patched to a little over groove diameter. My .44 Marlin is the exception in that it seems to like the undersize boolit.

Also, with regards to throat, my .44 boolits have to be seated with almost no paper showing so there certainly isn't much if any throat but they shoot fine.

Your .427" boolit sounds large to me but if you are sizing after patching it may work out for you. docone31 uses a much larger .30 cal. boolit than I do but it works well for him and he sizes after patching as well.

If you are patching grease groove boolits I think you should wrap just a little past the front driving band so the paper will just fold over the front edge. I have not patched grease groove boolits so can't speak from experience.

Longbow