Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin 336 Lever Actions 444 microgroove barrel

I have a pick between 2 of these one straight grip , the other pistol grip. What are the pro's and cons of a microgroove barrel? They both have that feature.

Thanks

Some people claim less than stellar performance with cast bullets in Microgroove barrels, I couldn't say. More important, IMHO, is the twist. Early guns were 1-38" which was changed to 1-20" in 1999 to better stabilize heavier bullets.

Dont be afraid of the microgroove barrels. Of far more importance is finding a JM stamped Marlin. All JM guns were made before Remington took over and ruined them. I have two 444s with microgroove barrels, and they will shoot with the best bolt guns. They will also shoot cast just fine, just size to .432

I shoot 300 grain cast bullets in both guns and get great accuracy.....like under an inch if I do my part. The 444 itself is a great caliber too, very similar ballistics to the 9.3x62. I've taken a few grizzly with mine.

They are both JM stamped guns. Thanks all for the input, one of the 444's has beautiful wood .

That would be the one then. Or better yet just buy both?

Enabler

Does the straight grip have a shorter barrel? The only straight grip 444 I've seen was the "Outfitter" model, they are highly sought after by Marlin aficionados. Both of my 444s are pistol grip standard guns, my 45/70 is the straight grip GG. My personal preference is the straight grip gun, although I like the 444 caliber better than the 45/70.

The straight grip has a 22" barrel, at tleast that is what the counter guy told me when he measured it . There is a pic on their website and it looks like a 22 as well. The pistol grip one has a 22 as well or so the salesperson said , That said both gunshops are 5 miles apart so it will be interesting tomorrow morning.

Well good luck, you cant go wrong with either gun. For all around use the Hornady 265 grain bullet is very hard to beat.

You may be one of the select few who can get cast bullets to shoot accurately in your 444 with MG barrel. I sure couldn’t get mine to and it was a JM rifle. My 45 70 will not shoot cast bullets either and it’s a 1972 model with MG barrel. There are those members who insist that THEIR cast bullets will shoot in your rifle. I tried several with no luck. In fact, I’ll make you a present of a pretty good assortment of cast bullets if you buy a 444.

The good news is that the 265 gr Hornady jacketed bullet seems to shoot well in all the MG barrels. It sure did in mine.

Marshall Stanton the fellow who started Beartooth bullets has some real good articles on cast bullets in microgroove barrels. The problem is bullet sizing, not rifling. I have two 444s, and both shoot cast incredibly well, IF the bullets are sized to .432. .429 bullets wont be accurate.

My 45/70 also shoots cast extremely well, but again they must be sized correctly. In the 45/70 this means sizing to .460. .458 wont shoot well at all.

I cast and load for another four guns of friends, all have MG barrels, and all of these guns shoot MOA with cast bullets. You should actually slug your bore if your gun wont shoot cast well, then you will know for sure, but your cast bullets MUST be a thou or so larger than your bore. There are a lot more than a "select few" who get great accuracy in MG barrels with cast bullets. Go to Beartooth Bullets or Marlin Owners and see the results for yourself.

Remington put out some junky Marlins for the first few years (I owned a couple), but it seems like they've stepped the quality back up. As far as the straight stock vs pistol grip, I'd just pick which ever one felt best in your hands. I like the pistol grip stocks.

That's the only bullet I've ever shot in my MG 444, never saw any need to look any further.

I agree that the 265 grain bullet is a deadly bullet for this cartridge. For the hand loader, Speer makes a 270 grain bullet that also has a great reputation. Micro-groove rifling was standard for many years and is a worthwhile feature to consider.

Sherwood

I run cast in a few microgroove barrels. Microgroove barrels tend to be oversized, so you do need to slug the bore and if you're not confident of slugging the bore, then default to the largest size that will chamber. The normal advice is to use a cast bullet that is 2 thou over groove diameter. My 45/70 Marlin's barrel measures 0.4585" and one mould I have produces pills at 0.459". This particular bullet is very accurate in my rifle - in fact it's the most accurate bullet in my rifle, including jacketed bullets.

Aside from the oversize barrels the rifling is quite shallow, often measuring around 2 thou in depth. The best thing is to use a larger diameter bullet as mentioned, but using a harder alloy and a gas check also help. Doing this has allowed me to develop cast loads with accuracy matching or exceeding accuracy I can get using jacketed bullets.

1976.... 1/38..... Microgroove



270 gr Speer



240 gr Sierra


Recovered from bear, 300gr Barnes

my 444 Marlin

As has been said, .432” sizing seems to shoot fine in micro groove.