A friend figured he owed me a rifle and had just come by a new Marlin 444 which he presented to me.It looked like it ought to do well as a pickup rifle , being short and all.
I've now shot up two boxes of factory loads and have reloaded about 20 of them , 3 or 4 at a time.I've got the third scope on it now and I know that's not the problem.
Up until today I have been shooting it at about forty yards or so out of the pickup window.The factory rounds were used in zeroing the scopes and busting jugs just to get used to it.I wasn't impressed with the accuracy , but laid it off to operator error for the most part.
The 240 gr. cast [KEAD] bullets I had on hand for my Blackhawk delivered about 6 in. groups at 40 yards with 4198 or plinking loads with LILGUN.
So I read on here what some of you liked and ordered 100 Cast Performance 320 gr. I started with 40 gr of 4198 - still shooting out of the pickup at 40 or so yards.POI was 6 inches to the right and about that low.Group size was 5 in.
So I loaded some with 41 gr and shot off my bench at 100 yards.DISMAL!I know I wasn't flinching because this rifle-unlike my old 1895 - has a safety button which I forgot to push off 2 or 3 times.[That maybe the only use for the damn thing!]
I could be charitable and claim a three shot group size of 5 inches at 100 yards with 41 gr of 4198 and the 320 gr.CP bullet.
I know some stuff to do to make a Ruger No. 1 or a bolt action shoot better,but this Marlin just seems to have "loser" engraved on it.
My old 1895 , even after I had the barrel cut down to 20 inches will still put 3 of the 350 gr Hornady[or just about anything else for that matter] into 2 or 2 1/2 inches at 100 yards.
BTW Both of these rifles wear Loopies.
Any use trying jacketed bullets ?
