Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 44mag in a 20" barrel

Looking for some info on some 44Mag loads for a Marlin 1894.

270 gr Speer Deep Curl, 21 gr H110, mixed brass, WLP. Shoots great from my 20" Marlin.

I've killed a bunch of deer with the 240Gr XTP from Hornady over H110. Plenty good inside 150. Never needed to shoot one farther with it.

If you just load for the pistol you will be amazed by the speed one gets in a rifle.

My 31 mag gets 1500 fps in the blackhawk and in the marlin rifle it's some where in the 2300 fps.

Same holds true for any other pistol rounds.

Then if you have a pistol as well as a rifle you don't have to worry about blowing up the pistol or you.

+1 on the Hornady 240 XTP and H110, my go to load in my Ruger 77/44 for whitetails.

Amazingly I actually have 240gr XTPs and some W296. That's the only 44cal bullets I have right now.
Anyone have any Velocity data on these?

Many, many moons ago I loaded a crap load of ammo in 44 mag and 444 marlin for a buddy of mines friend and his dad, they went on a nationwide two year [Canada too I think] hunting campaign with their lever marlins, iirc, they killed black bear, caribou, moose, elk, and deer all with the 265gr Hornady flat nosed soft point, I used H-110 in the 44 mag and RL-7 in the 444.

Good luck and happy shooting.

H110 or Win 296 & a Horny 265 gr flat point

Spend another $12 for a Lee factory crimp die.....

must have for a full nuts load.......

I use all the above bullets, H110 mostly. But also 2400.

I cast 240, 245, and 250 grain bullets for my revolvers. I understand you can modify the Marlin so that it will feed semi-wadcutters and I plan to do so - there’s several places where I’ve seen the modifications shown - I just have not done it yet.

Are the FTX bullets worth trying?

I wouldn't fool with them, you want to punch completely through the game, two bleeder holes are king!

+1 on 240 grain Hornady XTP
+1 on H110
+1 on Lee Factory Crimp Die

Right there is the best way to answer your question. FTX performance varies too much. One time they will make you Happy the next time you loose game.

This.

They are, IMHO, very fragile. Used them a couple of times on hogs at 100 yrds out of a 35 Remington and the hogs ran to the next county.

I got it already.
Thanks for the info on the FTX. I don't have many of the XTPs but that's where I'm going to start

Using 24.0 gr of W296 I got an average of 1680fps out of my Marlin 1984.

20.0gr of 2400 got an average of 1619fps.

I think the rifle versions of the FTX are pretty good for deer and hogs, but the pistol versions probably won't stand the added velocity from a rifle.

I have found the 240 Speer Deep Curl HP is a much better bullet than the XTP. 2 deer last year didn't like it a bit

You've piqued my curiosity. What did you find better?

I use XTP's in a bunch of deer loads and all my EDC loads, but I've never had a good comparison with anything else.