Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin 336 Lever Actions 35 Rem or 444 Marlin?

I just found this site. I've been looking at getting a new or late model used lever action Marlin 336 or 444. I have pretty much limited my choice to the 35 Rem or the 444 Marlin. Unless someone else has other alternatives I should consider. I know history says 30-30 but I've just never been a fan of a 30-30 for no good reason other than I guess I just want to be different. Most of my hunting shots are short range at between 50 and 100 yards. I want a hard hitting fast killing round so I don't have to track the wonded animal far. I also want a whopper of a blood trail for what distance I do have to track. But I also want some meat left to eat. I like the theory of the whack of the 444 but am concerned of the meat damage. Also which caliber would offer more versitility for other than deer. My long gun is a Model 70 .270 win for an alternate gun for distance shooting etc. I now want a short gun.

I'd appreciate any recommendations, or past experience with these 2 rounds.

Thanks

Typically with big, fat slow bullets you can eat up to the hole. I killed a caribou this fall with a .444...rib shot with no meat damage, other than some on the ribs themselves.

Welcome flyingeagleeye,

Good luck with that. If you don't bust both shoulders, or hit the spine, it's always a bit of a gamble. If you do punch through both shoulders, you will likely lose a fair amount of meat, whether it's a .35 or .44 cal..
The .444 .
How short? The current production .444 has a 22" barrel, which probably makes it at least a couple inches shorter than your .270, overall. The .35 Rem has a 20" barrel. You might find a ".444 Outfitter" with an 18.5" barrel, but I think they were all ported. (Very loud!!) Could take a hacksaw to that 22 incher, if you want, I guess.

eagleeye

I have a .35 Rem. in a Marlin 336 and I really like it for hunting at short ranges in wooded areas. It wears a Lyman receiver sight and I had a Pachmayr recoil pad fitted, along with sling swivels. It's fun to carry and not as cumbersome as my bolt rifles. Thanks...

I have a 336 in .35 Rem (1977) and a Model 1895(1974) in .45-70. Yet to kill adeer with either as I found them during the off season. You cant beat the 336 for easy toting/ fast handling, but why go for a .444 when you can have the .45-70?(little piece of history).

If you get one , mind that semi crescent butt.

Gator1

Because the .444 has its own sense of cool it carries around. And if you have a .44 pistol (or four, as I do) you can use the same bullets for reloading -- from 180 gr to 320 or more.

Though I prefer the Winchester 94 Timber Carbine and Black Shadow to the Marlin. Lighter, easier to handle, and no more felt recoil than the Marlin.

270 gr bullet at 2100 fps is sufficient to most purposes...

After all, it's really a 10.8x57R...

My first deer gun was the 336 in 35 Rem. Purchased around 1972. I harvested 8 to 10 deer and never had one go 10 yards. I shot the 220 grain bullet, it knocked them down and they never got up. It kicks like a mule and is only good at short ranges.
DEAN

I have a 336A .35, with the 24" barrel and 2/3's magazine. I LOVE THIS RIFLE!!! I love the way it handles, carries and shoots. Just as soon as I finish with my latest purchase, a Win 64, I am ready to add at least two .35's in the exact same configuration.

The only thing I've shot with it, is a buffalo at 40 yards. One shot behind the ear and down it went.

Not as much experience with the .444. My dad has one and as soon as I can,"borrow" it for a period of time I will let you know. He really likes it. But has yet to shoot anything but paper.

If you handload, go .444, if not, go .35.

I don't know, the 444 with Hornady's factory loaded 265 grain looks like a sure killer with lots more penetration than the 200 grain 35.

Jeff

A close friend has a .444 Guide gun. He has taken many dear with it and loves it. He also has taken bear, elk and moose in Alaska. It seems to be all around a good gun and less punishing than mine in .45-70.

Interestingly, he is looking for a .35 Rem. He thinks it will make a better deer/bear gun now that he lives in the lower 48 again.

I don't own either one but have seen them both at work. Given those two choices, I would go with the .35 unless you reload, then I would go with the .444.

Have you considered .38-55 or .375 winchester?

bol

I have owned and shot deer with 30-30s, 35s, 356s, and 375s. I have been overwhelmingly unimpressed with both the 35 and 375 at any distance over 100 yards. The 30-30 with 170 grain Partitions is deadly on deer, as is the 356, which would be my choice in a Marlin tubular magazine lever action. I have read what Marshall Stanton has written about the 444 on his beartoothbullets web site and I am impressed.

BTW, I happen to have a very nice 444S pre-safety that is gathering dust and I would sell for a very good price if anyone is interested.

Jeff

What distinguishes between the "S" in the 444S?

Barrel length? Ported?

Is is straight grip or pistol grip? I prefer the pistol grip.

What year is the 444S you'll sell?

260Remguy/Jeff,



If flyingfool isn't interested in your .444, I might be with some more details and price.



Thanks.

I've had a 60s vintage M444 w/24" barrel for over 20 years and acquired a 1951 vintage M336SC in 35 Rem. a couple years ago. Haven't had to track a deer shot with either thus far, doubt I ever will. Both are equally adept at removing large amounts of lung/heart tissue and dropping deer pretty much where they stand. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Both are very accurate, un-scoped and a joy to hunt with in the woods, although the 35 Rem. carbine is a bit handier. Triggers on both rifles are very smooth and predictable.

i own a marlin 444 and love it nothing wrong with 35 but the 444 stands by itself and as far (but why go for a .444 when you can have the .45-70?(little piece of history). if thinking that way why not go with the 450 marlin and be able to shoot the 45 at potental instead of loaded down rounds.cause of to many old rifles that can't handle the pressure's

If you intend to reload, the .444 is a whale of a cartridge that can be made to do serious duty. If not, the .35 Remington is less expensive and more available. The .35 can be made to perform better with handloads or custom ammo too, but I don't think the improvements are as significant as they are in the .444. When it comes to killing deer, both do a good job. I'd think that the .44 caliber would have a lot more "whop" at the short ranges most deer get taken at though. If you think of a .444 as a .44 magnum on steroids then you get the picture. One thing about bigger bores, is the fact that bullet expansion isn't necessary to deliver the goods. A .444 would do virtually as well on deer with a cast lead bullet as it will the most expensive jacketed.AW

There is not much difference in the trajectory between the 35 Rem. and the 444 Marlin. the 444 has more punch when it gets there. The 35 Rem may have better penetration than the 444 because of tougher bullets. The factory 240,s in the 444 are soft and don't penetrate very well in my experiance. Hand loads with better bullets will fix this.

Sorry , I'm not cool with computers. Another advantage with 444's is that you can shoot 44 magss in it with fair accuracy if that turns you on.

My own tests found that the 240-gr factory Remington load had the same penetration as the 180-gr .30-06 at 50 yards.

The 265 Hornady and heavier loads are even better.
See this discussion
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/445111/an/0/page/0#445111

While you might ge by doing that without incident, the .44 Mag cartridge is 0.136" smaller in diameter just ahead of the rim than is the .444 cartridge. (According to Speer #12.) I would think the shooter would be asking for a ruptured case and all that goes with it - not something I would try.

I disagree about tha advantage of handloading. The 444 isalready loaded up to potential with the 265 Hornady loading. The 35 Rem is greatly underloaded. Loaded to the 43000psi that the Marlin is capable of the 35 Rem could become quite a boomer. If 2010ft/sec with 220 grain bullets is possible at 33,600psi (Hodgdon 27) What would 10,000more PSI do? 2200 I'd say. Given the BC of the Speer 220 grain bullet it would overtake the 444 at 150 yards or so.

North61, you are quite correct concerning the potential of the .35 Rem. In fact, Buffalo Bore loads a 220 gr. bullet at 2200 fps (for about $35/box, ouch).

Now, where I live (southwest Missouri), the Remington factory .35 Rem. load is powerful enough. But it can do more, as long as it's used in a modern rifle instead of the auto it was designed for 100 years ago.

I tried to send you a PM but your box seems to be full. Did you sell your .444 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Carlos

They want 40 bucks for a box of twenty! Two dollars a round for the 35 rem, thats crazy, just buy a .358 win or 35 Whelen. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I have owned two different 444s and just love that round. Georgia Arms loads speer 270gr Golddots for about 20 bucks a box of 20, not anymore expensive than a good factory load for a 270, 308 ect. This round is extremly versital (sp) if you reload, if not the Hornady LtMag 265gr and the 270gr gold dots from Georgia Arms will really do 90% of what you would ever want from that gun. But if ultimate versitility (and ammo avalibility) is what you want, get a 45/70 Way more factory offerings.

No, you don't want to do that!

I have both a 35 Rem. and a 444 Mar., both are Marlin rifles. I use the 35 Rem. as my brush/woods rifle when deer hunting. It has a Leupold VX-II 2-7x33mm Shotgun Scope on it. This is an awesome little set up that works great, its basically my go to rifle since most of my deer hunting is done in the woods where my longest shot will be well under 100 yards. I got the 444 Mar. for black bear and wild boar hunting (haven't done either yet). I'll probably put the same scope on this rifle that I have on my 35 Rem.

If you're only going to hunt deer then I would get the 35 Rem. If you think you might want to use this rifle for deer and larger game then I would get the 444 Mar. Remington's factory 240 gr. Core-Lokt ammo will perform like lighting on deer shot in the shoulder or heart/lung area and is all you'll ever need for deer hunting. You can get heavier loads for larger game! Just my opinion! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

You might also consider a Browning BLR in 358 Win. The 358 Win. is a great cartridge for deer, black bear and boar hunting. It has more range and shoots flatter then the 35 Rem. and 444 Mar. Here is Winchester's ballistics for this round! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Are you still givin' advice to the guy who posted this almost a year ago and never replied back?! Just checkin. Anyway, a couple of points that may help you with your Marlin 444 set up for bear/hogs. Go with a smaller scope with a wider field of view. A 1-4x20, 2.5x20, etc. Nice to have when hunting potentially dangerous game and they get in tighter on you than you planned. Any more power is not needed anyway. You will find the wider field of view extremely important, definitely more so than higher power. Secondly, stay away from the POS Remmy 240gr loads. They are what gave the 444 a bad name in the first place. They are 44mag bullets and do not perform well at 444 velocities, not even on deer IMHO. If you must use factory rounds, the 265 Hornady is much better, and was designed specifically for the 444. Good handloads can still better it in both the velocity and accuracy departments. I handload the 270gold-dot the most. It flattens black bears with a surprisingly high degree of weight retention. I'm surprised Remington even bothers to load the 240gr 444 anymore. Nobody who knows anything about the 444 will buy it. Hope this helps, anybody who makes fun of Rosie O'Donnel is alright in my book---2MG

I never even looked at the date of the post, just figured I'd give my $.02!
I'm really comfortable with a 2-7 scope. I turn it down to "2" power and I have enough field of view.
I disagree with the Remington's 240 gr. being POS for use on deer. I've seen deer shot with then and I was really impressed at how well they worked, like I said, it was like they were hit by lighting. For black bear and wild boar I agree and would probably uses at least Hornady's 265 gr. factory load!
Thanks! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

NYH2-- You may be able to convince me that the scope is okay(there are much worse choices). I figured in upstate NY the bear hunting terrain was really thick. Maybe we hunt in different conditions. In Michigan it's REAL thick. I used a 2.5x20 and it was all the magnification I ever needed. I recently sold it to my buddy to put on his 444. I switched to a 1-4x20 and really like the wider field of view on 1x. Especially when I'm walking down a trail with 2 sets of little bear tracks and one set of big bear tracks Where I hunt it's so thick it's dark on a sunny day. The bullets you'll have a harder time of convincing me that they're worth a damn. I have lots of articles bad-mouthing them. The most recent one I can think of is one by Brian Pearce in Rifle Magazine. My opinion is based on experience though, not magazine reading. Of all the 444 loads out there, it is by far the least effective IMHO. The bullets are way too frangible even on shoulder shots on deer. Definitely no good on anything bigger. The bullets simply don't hold together. This load is the least penetrating of all 444 loads by far. On deer you pretty much have to double lung 'em or blow a perfectly good neck roast all over the forest floor. Anyway, sorry if I came off wrong in the previous post. Take it easy---2MG

Not at all! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

You might be on to something with the "scope thing". The only experience I have with a really low powered scopes is an older Tasco 1 power scope I have. I just don't like it at all. I guess if it was a 1-4 power (Leupold) scope it would be better, I could always turn it up to 4 power if I want. I really hate the looks of a scope that doesn't have larger "bells" (both front and rear) then the scope "tube". Having said that....its more important that it works good instead of looks good. Thanks! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Try it, you'll like it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Mine is a VXII. The only thing is, it has the regular duplex. I wish it had a heavy duplex, but I got it and a set of Warne rings for $140, so I can't complain---2MG