I had a 444 and sold it in 1980 or 1981. I was disappointed in bullet selection. I bought a 320 mold for it and it didn’t shoot well. It’s limited in bullet selection and range. But if the range isn’t a factor and the bullets are OK for the user, go for it.
I have a couple 45-70’s and a 45-90. My Marlin 45-70 is the one I shoot the most, the 45-90 and the other 45-70 are Winchesters, I like them a lot but the 45-90 is heavy. If I were to hunt bison, the 45-90 would be my choice and with heavy cast bullets. My oldest son has his eyes on the 1886 45-70 and I’m keeping that one pretty close to as new. I suspect that fewer than 100 rounds have been shot in it.
I have a Browning model 71. I like it a lot and I’m buying jacketed bullets for it when I find a decent price for them. The 45’s do not need jacketed bullets for any kind of game. The 348 is pretty good with cast and it shoots a couple of them very well, but I would probably use jacketed for dangerous game in the 348.
Last edited by Bugger; 04/11/23.
