Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 444marlin or 4570

what do you think would be the best gun for whitetail deer and why the 444marlin or the 4570 thanks and happy hunting.........

Both are pretty interchangable in the real world of it all..

the 45/70 has bigger bullets available, ( at less velocity)...

the 444, has tons of components because the 44 Rem Mag is so popular...

I handload mine strictly, and don't red line its velocity...

My favorite bullets are the 300 grain Hornady XTP.. with an MV of about 1700 fps...recoil isn't overly stiff at that MV and you really don't give up but like 15 yds point blank range.. because those bullets aren't overly aerodynamic..

But they sure put a big hole on whatever they hit...

and for accuracy.. mine is a tack driver... most accurate lever action I have ever owned...

and it is fun sometimes going out and cutting trees in half with 2 or 3 shots to the trunk...

so my vote is for the 444.. I never saw the need for a 45/70 after having the 444... since 1981...

45-70. That way you can shoot 350 grain hard cast bullets at 2100 fps and flatten any animal in NA.

Never owned a 45-70, but I load for my dad's 444 Marlin. With Speer 170gr Gold Dot, velocity is good and it hits like a sledge hammer. I haven't tried the new LeveRevolution bullets yet, but I don't believe they're available as components yet (correct me if I'm wrong). They should be good performers on deer, as well.

Les - they're both big hammers for deer.

I've only shot one deer, a mulie doe, with my .45-70 Marlin. She went down real hard. Frankly, for deer hunting any of the three big bore Marlins are more than enough.

I think the recoil on the .444 is a fair bit lighter than stout loads from the .45-70, but a guy can load the .45-70 down too. I went with the bigger one, but don't think it really matters much. Especially not for relatively light game like deer.

Regards, Guy

I can sling the same cast boolits I use for practice in my 44mag Redhawk in my 444Marlin.

Whitey ain't that hard to kill. I like the mellow recoil and the devastation that occurs on the other end. Them big old flat nosed boolits tend to let the air out of critters real quick.

Why mess with success, the 45-70, squirrels to Cape Buffalo!
Jim

Considering what a 50 cal muzzleloader does to them, either should thump them fine. The 45-70 floats my boat, it's been around forever and was a military round.

Brian Pearce had a good article a while back (Rifle or HL)dealing with both ctgs. Had a recommended load for the 444 using the 270 Gold Dot he was very impressed with as were some friends of his. If I notice the issue in my stack I'll reference it here. I do know the 270 GDot is a hammer in a 44 carbine.

265 Hornady and the 270 Gold Dot are all I load for hunting in my .444.

I've got both and I don't see a difference for deer. I load hndy 265 in the 444 and barnes original 300 gr in the .45-70 both going 2150-2250 fps. A 400 grain bullet in the .45-70 turns it into something all together different.

A 444 is a 44 magnum on steroids, and a 45-70 is a 458 WinMag Lite.

I have owned both. The real difference is in recoil at the higher velocities. If you want expansion with a 45-70 on deer you are going to have to push it fast and it ain't going to be pleasant. The 444 however has lots of bullets that will perform at velocities as low as 1600 fps on up to 2400 fps. After deciding the 45-70 was more gun than I wanted for deer I bought a 444 and never looked back.

Either will put a smile on your face from ear to ear,i just preferred the heavier case web of the 444 but thats probably nothing...

ditto here is my 444.
Although the 444 can be a brute too! A 355 grain beartooth at 2100 fps is not too shabby!

While on the subject of the Speer 270gr Gold Dot bullet ... Has anyone used these on wild hogs? I'm curious how well they stay together.

I'm planning to use my 629 Classic with this bullet later this month, and my son may use my 44 carbine with the same load.

Pop,

Off Topic but that's some beautiful wood on that rifle.


I went with the 450 Marlin.......I haven't loaded for it yet but it is a tack driver with factory 35ogr Hornady's. I've only taken 1 deer with it but it was impressive at 130+ yards.






Robert

Like some of the other guys, I have both and both are very accurate. With my scoped 45-70 I've killed bear, deer, and pigs. I use a mild load with the 400 gr. Speer at 1600 fps, kills em DRT.

My 444 is a fairly recent addition to my lever collection. I bought it on this forum from another respected member. It came with 3 boxes of 265 Hornady ammo. I'm still shooting them as of now. I added an XS peep sight and love it. Haven't killed much, 1 deer with it. I will say this, that Hornady ammo is pretty stout!!!

As for having to choose one, I would pick the 45-70 out of nostalgia more than anything. Both are excellent performers on game. Here's a novel idea...................buy both!!!:)

Joseph

I too have the 450 Marlin. I do load and no problem... It is a GREAT round.

muleshoe - nice avatar. Best, John