Would like to hear some opinions on the use of lighter bullets in the 444. The current trend seems to really lean toward heavy (300 grains or better) bullets. I personally like the 300 grain jacketed bullets in this caliber, but I wonder if deer and bear hunters are missing out on the more dramatic expansion offered by the 240-265 weight bullets. These lighter animals only need so much penetration. Thoughts?

I've shot light 44mag bullets but not really impressed at range as they quickly run outta gas.Killed deer this year with 265gr Hornady's and they were much better but now exclusively shooting the Cast Lee 310 grainers and they will be my go to from here on out.



This 6 cavity is a super mold

Overexpansion (lack of penetration) could be a problem. The .444 is quite capable of moving the light bullets far faster than their design velocity. They tend to become a varmint bullet at those elevated speeds.

I had the best performance with the 265 and 300 grain bullets. I never tried cast. They would certainly open up some possibilities in that cartridge.

Using the 265's, did you get pass throughs? If not, what did the recovered bullets look like and weigh? Would like to hear about the condition of those bullets.

The 265 Hornady is a good bullet in the 444 both my kills were clean double lung pass throughs.Both shots were ranged and neither over 150yds.At present I'm duplicating some BPCR ballistics with this 310 gr cast at about 1350 fps with Blackhorn 209..it's working out way beyond my original expectations with consistent velocity and good long range accuracy.From what I've seen so far this stretches the 444 out to 300yds with proper sights.Hope I get a chance this fall to take that shot!

Never found any, all were pass-throughs. It's my impression that the 265 is about the best weight for a combination of punch and trajectory, and worked very well on deer. I wouldn't have any problems with using them on bigger game.

Those bullets FlyboyFlem is using would work on anything on this continent. They also have less meat damage than cup and core bullets.

Thanks for the information guys. Yeah, I've heard it said to never underestimate what a good cast bullet will do. Sounds like it ought to be a comfortable load to shoot as well!!

I just noticed your post count WELCOME to the FIRE !!

As I recall, the 265g bullet was brought out because the the standard 240g bullets were not performing well at the speed the 444 could drive them.

My guide gun is mainly my bear gun and I use the 265s, no pass thrus on bear but I shot a buck this year with it at about 80 yds. and it passed thru the chest. I like these 265s as I don't want a pass thru on bear as I may need to kill one on the ground with dogs in the background. Mike

epcur, that's a good point. We've talked about that very thing in our small bear/boar hunting circle. I still favor the 300 grainers as an all around bullet, but in the heat of a dog fight I think overpenetration is an issue to consider. Also, quicker expansion WITH good penetration and bullet integrity might end that fight just a little quicker.
I've had a little experience with the 265 grain on deer and it performed well. I've also loaded and tested some Speer 270 grainers and liked how they shot. I'm thinking that weight range might be the ticket for bears and hogs.

Didn't mean to spell your name wrong, Lepcur. Also meant that we have a small circle of friends who hunt bears and hogs. Didn't mean we hunt small bears and hogs, haha!! If it's Catahoulas you're talking about, I've had two but didn't hunt them. We used them to catch a lot of stray cattle for quite a few years. Grittiest dogs I've ever seen.

The Hornady 265 FPs are legendary for a reason. I would never feel sorry for myself if I were "limited" to that bullet. Just happens to shoot cloverleafs @ 100 yds out of my 444S.

I shot my last two Hornady Light Magnum 265 FNS last season... Wish I had a hundred boxes of them...

I get good short range service out of Remington 240 FNs... The '70 model 444 loves them in a 24" Barrel...

I bet the 250 gr Partition would be a real killer in a 444. It is what I use in my old Ruger Carbine.

for deer hunting never had a problem always a one shot kill with 240gr but have decided to get 265fp to load up and try this year

This is good info for me as I just picked up a triple 4 a couple of months ago. Sounds like the 265 is a no brainer.

My experience with the .444 is mostly on deer and hogs. With the lightweight 240 grain bullets a pass through is rare except where only rib bones are struck (in and out). They just expand too fast and tend to destroy a lot of meat.

The 265 grain bullets are a definite improvement with pass throughs on deer quite common. On larger hogs (250 pounds and up) however they still are sometimes lacking in penetration. They kill well, but don't always exit. I would expect similar performance on bears.

For me, the heavier 300+ grain bullets are just the ticket. Almost always get a full pass through. I've always thought that the .444 should have been loaded with a bullet of 350 grains or so. This would put it into the same class as the .45-70. With lighter bullets it just can't keep up with the .45-70 on heavier game.

As far as trajectory, the Marlin rifles are very strong (as can be seen by some of the .45-70 loadings). It is no real problem to push a 300 grain bullet to 1600-1700 fps in the .444. That gives a good trjectory out to 250 yards or so (a bit more if you practice)and still have enough bullet speed to kill cleanly. Maximum loads will push the 300+ grain bullets to over 2100 fps.....a true "killer" loading and flat out to 300 yards.

The downside is that the recoil is a bit brisk with the Marlin stock design. It's not intollerable, but definitely more than the lighter bullet loads. That's the price you pay for performance.....there ain't no free lunch!