Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Is the 450 Marlin dead?

Don't know if it's dead or just another niche cartridge. I think Browning still sells a BLR, in addition to the Marlin. The .444 never set the world on fire either, but hangs on because it does its job.

My thoughts were it was never alive.


One more time one had to think, what's the point.
Heavy 45-70 loads are more available than 450 loads.
And it was a duplicate.

These attempts at a new cartridge can't be well thought out.

30TC.
Here we have a short action cartridge that is more like a standard 06 than a 308.
Using special powders only the factories have.

So, to get that performance, you need Hornady's hot loads.
Which match their hot 308's.
Makes sense?

But, they necked it down to 6.5 to make the Creedmoor and set the world on fire. Worthy sacrifice.

Perhaps if you look at it from the perspective of when it came out it would make more sense.

When Marlin came out with the 450 Marlin (in 2000);

It was pre-internet (at least compared to what you can do today!), Buffalo Bore and Garret Ammo was not widely available like today (were they even around?), so buying hot loaded 45-70 ammo was a no go. None of the ammo companies loaded hot & heavy 45-70 for fear that some dingbat would take-out half the firing range when he loaded one in his trapdoor.

At the time I felt the same as You, as I reloaded for my Ruger No.1 and Marlin 1895, and for me there was no reason for it.
Of course today there is less reason for it, but it is much easier to set up a bolt rifle for the 450 Marlin than to find a Siamese Mauser and work out the feeding (had one of those also... fed great).


Now regarding the 30TC, I am totally with you there. Like many... it was undoubtedly conceived after a night of heavy drinking.

Jerry

Not dead, and probably won't be for a long time, but it is feeling poorly.
I went with a 444, which is still pretty available but not as much as the 45-70 that has surged.

It won't be dead as long as there is some factory fodder available. Right now, though, that's the only way I can find brass!

Fortunately, since most don't use them to shoot p-dogs, one doesn't need all that much brass.

A lot of the 450 Marlin seems to be “not well thought out.” To me it should have been brought out in a short action bolt at the same time as a lever action. My thoughts were a good thumper in a strong,compact bolt gun. I don’t need all of the horsepower and extra expense of a 458 Win Mag but a 400 grain.458 bullet at 1800-2000 FPS makes a lasting impression on a black bear fighting with hounds. 450 Bushmaster? Bullets in .452” just don’t Appeal to me for what I want. A lever action 45-70? Likely what I’ll end up with but as of late the QC of Remlin is a bit concerning and, a bolt is just stronger. I still may go with a 458X2” if I figure out where to get the work done. I have a Ruger M77 with a .308 bolt face so, new bolt,barrel and feed rail work.

I have one in a Marlin lever. I really like it for hunting off horseback, but it does kick my ass.

I killed a whitetail and a shiras moose with it. Good round but pretty specialized in it's application, especially if in a bolt rifle. Personally, I'd go 45-70 if I were to do it again.

No. Just use it.

Just looked, and Ruger lists the Number One, and Browning lists several models of their BLR so chambered, including the takedown version, so it ain't over just yet. Didn't even look at Marlins as despite some recent favorable press, there still seem to be some issues with them, unfortunately. Not for me, but a BLR, especially a takedown, might be handy in some cases. I doubt the BLR can be made to handle rimmed cases, so the .450 makes sense there.

Never even thought about the BLR. Might be worth considering. I hear they’re pretty accurate for a lever action.

Heavy loads were available, but only loonies would have known.
And there's the rub.

Who but a loonie doesn't think of the 45-70 as a short range cannon?
Who sees the "need" for something to fill the gap between 45-70 and 458?
How many want a short range anything?

Loonies do,
But they know of heavy 45-70 factory loads, or can DIY.
Or, can download the 458.

A lighter bolt in 450 would make sense to loonies, but as stated...

So, those who would want the chambering werent offered the gun that made most sense to them.
and few others felt the need for the thing to exist.

When I bought my BLR in a .358 Win, I was a little hesitant, but it's a light and handy. Great rifle. You can shoot mine anytime you want to do some shooting.

Marlin, same company that brought you the 45-70 - 1895 platform let’s the 444 Marlin swing in the wind while promoting the 450 Marlin and stops chambering the the 444 altogether. Then stops chambering the 450, now is chambering the 444 again. They sure wasted a lot of time in their business plan with that path. The 444 and 45-70 should have remained the two big bore lever chamberings throughout. There is a much greater fan base for the 444 than the 450, but both are tremendously less popular than the 45-70.

i really like my micro grooved JM Marlin 444. I enjoy shooting it, and my hunting buddies like it as well. with 265 grain Hornady factory loads, it is accurate and has all the recoil i want out of a big bore. the 450 Marlin would knock me into next week i am certain. i looked long and hard at the 450 when they came out... an aficionado's cartridge for sure. it isn't dead until you stop shooting it.

I bought a 450 Marlin Guide Gun almost immediately after they became available over 20 years ago. It's my carry carbine (iron sights) when not hunting here in Alaska. I absolutely love the rifle. I still have @ 60 original Hornady loads here (350 grain JFN, @ 2100 fps), @ 200 once fired (by me) cases, and @ 200 new cases from Hornady. During this most recent ammo crisis (beginning March 2020), even bullets were difficult to find. I finally got 200 Hawk bullets (350 grain JFN) and a few other powders for testing, trying to squeeze out another 100 fps. But before doing it, I wanted to get more brass (bullets and large rifle primers finally appear to be available now).

I just learned that I'm screwed, blued, and tattooed.

After regularly shopping online for brass over the past 3 years, I finally checked Hornady's [bleep] website (the new "Are you 18 years of age" lawyer roadblocks will eat up a half hour of your life) to find that brass not listed. I called. I was told that the brass is no longer available. They manufacture it only for their [bleep] 325 grain FTX plastic-pointy squirrel ammo. I pointed out that Buffalo Bore manufactures 450 Marlin brass, but Hornady told me that they do not sell brass to them. I checked Buffalo Bore's website, but the brass isn't advertised. I suppose I can waste another hour of life to hear that they, too, only sell loaded ammo.........

So you get brass by buying unwanted ammo loads and pulling bullets or firing it. Period. But wait; it gets worse. Hornady's 325 grain FTX load is in brass 1/10th inch shorter than their original brass, because the lighter 325 grain bullet has that pointy plastic thing in front making the bullet longer, even though it's lighter. So buying once fired brass will be a turkey shoot.........and you're the turkey. The shorter brass means reduced powder charges in order to achieve critical OAL length for crimping the straight walled case.

Really pisses me off.

Put a gold sling on it and kill deer expensively.

Maybe one day starline will start making it if no one else is. That is if they ever get caught up on everything else. Yoy 450 guys should all give starline a call. Theyre great people and there brass is great.

I load the Hornady 350g flat point bullet they used in the 450 loads in my 45/70 guide gun at almost 2100 fps. It's a powerful load and good bullet but it kicks too much for any chance at a follow up shot in my non ported guide gun. I'm starting to load cast bullets in it and slowing them down to 1500-1600 fps. I'm kind of dreading shooting up my old hot 350g loads.

Bb

The what?

Todd