Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 444 advise needed

Flash I have acquired a H&R handi rifle in 444 marlin for the purpose of hunting deer in the Louisiana thickets and swamps where 75yds is a long shot. I am a avid hand loader that has never loaded straight walled rifle cartridges.
Here is what I am starting with
50 hornady brass
50 240 gr soft point bullets
100 300 gr hornady xtp
Lee 240gr tumble lube mold and plenty lead
Varget powder
Blc-2 powder
Win 296

I am hoping the 300gr xtp will be adequate for hogs and deer any suggestions on other powders or bullets is appreciated.
How strong is the handi rifle compared to the say a marlin lever? I am hoping to achieve 2k fps with a 300gr.
Thanks for your responses in advance.

powder 4198
bullet should be the Hornady 265 flat point but I think they have discontinued them.

get all the information about your bullets you can get because many of the 430 bullets are designed for 44 Magnum and you will get much more velocity than that..

A 240 gr soft point at just over 2000 fps will freight train those swamp deer of yours.

I use the zero brand 240 gr .430 dia soft point with Accurate 5744 out of my Marlin 444 at 2035 fps on our mountain deer and it just works.

I use 270gr. Speers and H4198 out of my H&R at approx. 2200 fps. It knocks the snot out of deer and pigs in Mississippi. No reason the 300gr. XTP won't as well.

I'm not an engineer, so can't say one way or the other on the strength question, but I use lever gun data for my H&R 4570.

Here's a link to Hodgdon load data. You should be able to get at or near your 2000 fps goal.

https://hodgdonreloading.com/rldc/

I take a different approach with the 444 than a lot of folks... but then again, I have owned one since 1981. A Marlin lever action. I've done a lot of loading with the 444, up and down in velocity. ya learn a lot of things by doing that sort of stuff.

First off ( and MOST important ) is the bullet. Most of these are designed to run on 44 Rem Mag Cases, or 44 Specials.
THEY DON'T NEED VELOCITY to work real well at all. I am speaking especially of Hornadys, because that is what I use the most of, and they developed the 444 with Remington & Marlin originally.

I am a big fan of the XTP in the 444. I tend to use the 300 grainer. However it and even down to the 180 grainer XTP, have the aerodynamic quality of a parachute. Takes down their velocity quickly. I can push a 240 grain bullet to 2400 fps, and that gives me a Max PBR of 175 yards. If I slow the bullet down to 1750 fps, using a load that will reduce recoil by 50%., I have a Max PBR of 165 yds. 10 less yards! The lack of aerodynamics of the bullet sheds most of its velocity right out of the barrel. Two clicks on the elevation knob and I'm there, at the exact same Point of Impact.

I've loaded this rifle for kids down to 12 year olds to use out hunting. Even with bullets down to 180 grain XTP, they don't fail to kill a deer instantly with a decent shot placement, which is even easier by recoil deduction. With that reduction, I'm talking about a charge of 15 grains of SR 4759. But you can substitute a host of other powders, to include good old Unique.
And I've had kids drop deer at 75 and a 100 yds with that sort of load, with the 180 or 200 grain XTP.

My second point, which I've explained above, is the powder charge. You don't need max velocity with this round, and its not hard to make it a 150 yd load plus. Velocities even at 1300 fps is more than you'll get out of a 44 Mag round from a handgun, or a lever action, and those work well at 100 yd ranges. A 300 gr XTP is just giving you a wider margin of penetration capability, which isn't really needed, but why the hell not anyway??

Anything over 1700 or so MV is a waste of powder and gives you a lot more recoil to achieve it.

Check out load data in a cast bullet manual and you'll find something that you like I'm sure.. you'll love the lack of recoil, which just becomes a pleasant push. It doesn't beat up the shooter. 75 yds isn't a big deal with the 444. I've used it a lot in Northern Minnesota swamps, which can be almost as much of a jungle as Louisiana Swamps.

Give it a try and I think you'll see and enjoy what I am talking about.

Well this certainly has me rethinking the velocity!
Has any body loaded the 265 gr flex tip? I have a full box of 265 fn hornady ammo but was wanting to save them for a special occasion possibly a Canada bear hunt.
It is my understanding that the 265fn was designed for the 444 velocity.

I'm using my supply of Hornady #4300 with H4198
in my 444 rifles, Marlin and H&R both.
Have to find something different after those are gone.
That's the optimum bullet I've used in mine, and
they're a couple of grains shy of max load.
Not exactly sure how fast since I load for accuracy
and velocity is secondary.
All animals hit with it have expired with just one
taste. Performs exactly like I want it to. In and out
with everything in between pulverized. Two nice
holes to drain blood and let air in where it doesn't
belong.
I've tried the gummy tips in 357 and 44 magnums
and 30/30 and 444, and the Lever powder.
Any improvement wasn't noticeable and the
accuracy wasn't acceptable ( to me) so it's
an unnecessary expense.
IMO there's not anything that's going to escape
with 2 444 Marlin holes in it.
Like the old men with snuff juice on their
overall bibs say- the bigger the hole, the faster
the boat sinks

Good Luck

I think the flex tips would work just fine but keep in mind you have to trim your cases down further and they will not be an acceptable case for other bullets after that...

I use RL7 in mine. Plenty accurate for what I’m using it for.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if loading for a single shot, there's no reason to do the short trim. That's just so they'll cycle in a lever gun.

Plenty of "short" once fired Hornady brass out there too if one takes the time to find it.

out of the Hornady number 10 manual
"the data below was developed with the ftx bullets. due to the longer ogive it is critical that the cartridge cases be trimmed to the specified length"

so I personally would take that as keeping the bullet out of the lands. but if one is into measuring distance to land and setting the bullet back . 020 or whatever the number your gun shoots at best I would say that might be irrelevant but if you're loading the book specs... and I also take that as meaning to get the case to roll crimp into the bullet on the cannelure

i load alot of "down loads" in my 444 Marlin (TC Encore with 23" MGM barrel), but in, instead of jacketed bullets, i use cast.

i have 265gr Hornady FN galore (no, i will not sell them). i also used a 200gr and 240gr Hornady XTP, which i loaded Trail Boss for. at 50 yards with 200gr XTP and TB and 26 bullets of them go intyo 2 1/2" group. i use Reloder 7 and 265gr FN going 2300fps+ with a 1/2 - 3/4" group at 100 yards (5 shots/bench). it shoots great but i had to throw away bloodshot meat. either the shoulder, behind the shoulder and neck shots were alot of wasted meat.

then i tried cast bullets and i instantly fell for them. 250gr penta HP, 255gr SWC, 275gr Ranch Dog, 280gr LFN GC, 280gr WFN GC and 300gr FN GC. i tried them using 2400, H4198 and Reloder 7. every 5 shot group was sub minute at 100 yards.

the 250 and 255gr loaded up with 2400/tuft of Dacron goes 1500-1600fps. the 300gr with 2400/tuft of Dacron goes 1624fps.

the 275gr and the 280gr with Reloder 7 or H4198 will go 1800-1900fps. i settled on a 280gr WFN GC with Reloder 7 that goes 1937fps. i shoot deer out to 60ish yards and it's either DRT or jogs about 20ish yards then fall over. i also shoot them behind the shoulder, about a 1/3 of the way up. i haven't found bloodshot meat too. just a .431" going in and .5 or .6" coming out. the lungs are trash, but every once in a while, there is a hole going into and out of the heart muscle (depends on shot angle).

i shot a 150ish lbs doe at 40ish yards this year. i had time to wait, because she was eating. i guess it was around 10-15 minutes when i had the shot. i could see were the bullet hit and the doe's side was covered in blood when she jogged about 15ish yards and fell over. then a few days later i had my 9.3x57 with 275gr WFN GC and IMR4895 going roughly 1850-1900fps. i shot another big doe (200lbs+/- dry doe) behind the shoulder at around 15 yards. she ran about 20ish yards and fell over.

i found that you didn't need max loads for deer. just light load, little to no recoil and you can save on powder.

I was under the impression that was only necessary to function in a lever gun?

I have a CVA V2 Scout in 444 Marlin that is my primary deer rifle. I use the Hornady 265 gr FP bullet fueled by RL7 powder (both of which I have a good supply). Very accurate and awesome on deer (and hogs). With this being said, I'd listen to the sage advice of Seafire, regarding lower velocity/pressure loads. The H&R Handi Rifle IMO is not the most durable weapon, so shooting lower velocity/pressure ammo would be a good thing. I used to have a Handi Rifle in 500 S&W that was scary accurate with Federal ammo loaded with Barnes' all copper bullet (either 275 gr or 325 gr - can't remember which one). This rifle quickly started giving me troubles and a gunsmith stated it would cost more to fix the problem than the rifle was worth. YMMV.

I have an H&R 444M.

I've used H322 with 240ftx and 300xtp and got good accurate loads.

not at all, you can make the 444 a single shot or a bolt. Seafire and his downloads are great for H&R and CVA actions.

you can buy cast bullets already made...

https://bullshop.weebly.com/-44-caliber-cast-bullets.html

https://www.mattsbullets.com/44-caliber.html

https://www.montanabulletworks.com/product-category/pistol/?filter_caliber=44-mag

After studying the the limited amount of suitable amount of 444 projectiles I came across the Sierra 300gr sport master sp there is very little out there on it buti found this!

Yeah, but can you even get them?

Most things Sierra are just about non-existent right now.