Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers 444 Loads?

what do you use?

I was using several handloads in my .444-Marlin 1895 but this year I tried out that Hornady leverevolution ammo in the 265 grain bullet weight. It was very accurate in my rifle at 75 yards, using iron sights off the bench. A great bullet for the woods on deer, moose or elk.

I have handloads for hardcast bullets in the 285 weight and 310 bullet weight. The later would be a train wreck if used on a bear! These things really penetrate and break bone etc.

My barrel is a 1/38 T so anything over ~0.850" shoots patterns...3-5".

So far I've tried 180 gr Rems...hi velo, little recoil but probably would grenade in any good sized animal...240 gr jacketed - excellent choice for deer for higher velo, good accruacy and original 444 M bullet weight...265 gr Hornady - best accuracy, excellent velocity, one of my favs...265 BT LFNGC cast...didn't do as well as I wanted accuracy wise, but OK hunting accuracy...300 gr Horn XTP - very good velocity, accuracy 1 3/4" at 100, slightly less energy at 100 than the 265 Horn...270 Speer Gold Dot - 3/4" groups at 100, high velocity and energy at 100 yds and toss-up between it and the 265 Horn...310 BT WFNGC - I liked this bullet but the rifle didn't, patterns and some sideways hits on paper, definitely not stabilized. I tried H4189, H4895, Benchmark, RL10, 8208, RL-7 AA2015, H322 and H335. Ran out of AA2015 before getting anything good - RL-7 very good as was H4198.

Read the information on Beartooth on the 444...lots of very good stuff there.

I have 3-400 different weight bullets to use up on sageratz and other varmints, but I will probably only use the 265 Horn JFP, 270 Speer GD and 300 Horn XTP for deer and maybe elk...and the 450M BLR/450M Marlin switch barrel with 350 Horn JFP or 400 gr jacketed something for the bigger game...and I use 430 gr TrueShot and 450 gr BT in my 458 American SMLE.

Of course if T-RexSageRat happens to show up on the wrong side of the fence I have some 720 gr 45-120's just waiting. Hahahahaha

For a 1/20 T barrel you probably will have a hard time besting the Hornady Lever----stuff, but it won't shoot in my 1/38 T.

I have large caliber rifle to do one thing...shoot heavy bullets at BIG animals...doesn't matter one whit if I could kill it just as dead with my 6.5 Swede or probably with my 243 with a solid bullet...it's the principle of the thing...big goes with big...big guns, big game, big dogs, big engines...BIG TRUCKS... My only problem is I have to grow a little more to get into the BigBoy club...

Luck

Barnes 225 grain XPB and IMR4198. I did penetration testing with this and the Hornady 265 grain (not FTX), and the Barnes out penetrated the Hornady. I've taken 3 or 4 elk with the Barnes, and 1 mule deer; it was a bit of overkill on the mule deer...

The only bullet weight I have reloaded so far is the 240 grain XTP, that is pushed by TAC. It almost clover leafs at 100 yds. Other than that I shoot LE's. They shoot to the same POI (100 yards).

I tried the 240 XTP, got cloverleafs at 100 yds, but they exploded on a couple of hogs I shot. They were DRT, but it was messy. I have enough of the 265 gr fp to last me the rest of my life, and they'll handle anything I might come across. H4198 is my powder for the .444 & 45-70. Enjoy the rifle and I hope you're NOT a big fan of blood trailing...

Before a bud got into it, I used to load the 265 Horn and Rl-7 in R-P brass for him.
He tagged alot of game with that combo, from Colorado to Maine, up to Canada and back down to Arkansas.

Gunner

I started using an H&R 45-70 for Miss. primitive season but got turned on to the .444 doing testing at the factory. Found that I really liked the .444. I never trusted the lighter bullets so worked up to a max load of H4198, Win. LR primers and the Speer 270 gr. GD bullet. It's a consistently accurate load on paper. It's also very much hated by deer and hogs that encounter it.

300gr. WFNGC Cast Performance and 42grs of H-4198

Thanks fellas

Hornady 300gr XTP
47.5gr Benchamrk

Stout, very accurate load.