Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 44 vs 444

How much more range are we talking about between the 44 mag and 444. I guess with a 240 gn SJSP for camparison?

Is the difference worth it?

For what? As questions go, that'a a little nebulous.

And out of what?

I've killed deer with both in a carbine. I keep the range for the .44 Rem Mag at around 125 - 150 yards. The .444 had a 18.5" barrel and I was getting around 400 fps faster with similiar weight bullets. So I would figure at least 75 - 80 yards more with the short barreled .444.

Maybe if you had one of the old Marlin's with the 24" barrel then you could stretch the range a little further with the gained velocity.

Couldn't tell the difference in killing power between the two. Of course this is with Whitetails.

The .444 really shines with the heavier bullets when used on game larger than deer.

If you want more range than 100 yards, forget the .44.
If you want more range than 150 yards, get a .308.
The .44 great in a saddlegun.
The .444 is for big lever guns, for big game, like the .45-70 is.

Geeze, if you're gonna hold them to 100 yards, I'll go back to the 44-40.
Ok, maybe I'll hold that to 75.
The 44 mag is quite capable out to 150 yards on deer sized game if you do your part.

If you are a handloader, there is a trio of pretty good articles on the 444 at Beartooth Bullets website. If you don't handload it might prove to be interesting reading, a bit technical.

As to the 444 being for "big" lever guns, that is a bit misleading. I have one in a Marlin outfitter and another in a Winchester with a longer barrel and synthetic stocks. Neither of those is big or heavy...which you certainly can feel when unleashing 300+ grain bullets from the bench.

I am just wondering WHY anyone would discuss shooting AT deer beyond 150 yards with a .44 Magnum. Sure, it can be done, but it takes a lot of practice, knowing your rifle and being able to estimate range within 10 yards. If the .44 is your ONLY rifle, that is vital. If you have a .308, .243, .270, etc, it is a stunt to shoot beyond 150 yards.

My .444 has a 24-inch barrel and about the same size as an 1885 Winchester in .45-70, which I consider to be in another size class from a saddlegun shooting revolver cartridges. My .44 Mag is a Trails End.

Seriously limiting the .444's potential by specifying only a 240-grain bullet makes the "comparison" ludicrous. With a 265- or 300-grain, it's a cartridge � one that the .44 Magnum can not match.

while I dearly love my Marlin 1894S lever rifle, its a short range proposition. I load my own, using a Speer 270 grain GDSP. Velocity is going to be 1500+ fps.
Now with the 444 Marlin, the same bullet is moving better than 2200 fps. Thats a huge difference of around 700 fps, or somewhere around 46% faster.
The only thing similar is the bullet.

I wasn't discussing shooting deer beyond 150 yards with a 44. I was just pointing out that the 444 is not limited to "big" rifles, and posted two examples that are pretty common.

The 444, when fed proper bullets, is a whole different deal than a 44 Mag. About the least effective thing you could do with it would be to feed it standard 44 mag bullets, would be like feeding a 300 Mag bullets that are optimal for a 300 savage. Recipe for failure. Note the Remington facory ammo using the standard 240gr 44 bullet.

I have yet to try the 275 GD, should be an excellent bullet in these rifles. The Hornady 265 is purpose built for this chambering, but lacks the technology of the GD. That said, I prefer the heavier high quality cast bullets in this round.

Thanks. That about answers my question. Some look at the 444 as a 44mag mag. Kinda like the 38 and 357.

The only thing similar is the bullet.

I have both a 44 & 444 in Marlin rifles...they are both different animals...apples & oranges to say...the 444 really shines with the heavy 300 gr bullets..the 265 Hornady was designed for the 444.....if I recall they come flyin' out of my 444-P @ 2200 fps...why would you want to use a 240 JHP in a 444...maybe plinker loads...but serious hunters would choose the 265...270 or 300 gr bullet...the 44 mag in a 20" Marlin is a wonderful tool..whether on a horse..ATV...or carried through the black timber...if you want a 44 lever gun...get the 444...it does what either one will do very well.....

More like the .38 Special and the .357 Maximum.

My .444 shoots the Hornady 265-gr at nearly 2,400 fps, flat enough for a 200 yard shot at deer, as long as you have practiced with it at that range and know the sights. The 270-gr Speer is a great bullet, too. For me, it's more of a big timber rifle, great for anchoring something so it doesn't run off, and especially good in areas where I might see a deer at 150 yards, a wild boar at 50 or a bear at 25.

now I sight all my rifles about 3.2" high at 100 yards
the 265 grain and 300 grain buulets make the 444 marlin into a reasonably good ELK rifle out at 200-250 yards,if you can place your shots well.at 250 yards your still packing over 1400 ft lbs and less than 8" low, the 44 mag with the 240 grain should from my experiance be limited to about 130-140 yards on DEER where its still got less than 3" of drop and over 800 ft lbs of energy

people that don,t use these large bore lever guns tend to way under rate thier effective punch and reach, all the deer and ELK Ive seen shot with those 44 cal lever guns were cleanly killed, Ive used the marlin and browning 44 mag carbines for years on deer, (BUT I use a 300 grain hard cast) BILL, (one or our occasional ELK trip companions) used a 444 marlin with 265 grain hornadys on two ELK and three mule deer over 6 trips out west, it was very effective!
larger caliber lever guns are SO effective that theres several guys using 45/70 and 450 marlin caliber rifles in camp, and we have had zero complaints
keep in mind a 44-45 caliber bullet that weights 240-405 grains packs a respectable punch even if the velocity is not all that impressive, remember 60 million buffalo were decimated with guns and cartridges that for the most part were similar in caliber and velocity

This sounds a bit contradictory?

Not contradictory. I have lots of rifles which are better for shooting at big game beyond 150 yards. If I were a robot, or a meat hunter, I would take one of them. But if I want to enjoy a challenge, I might take an .270 with open sights, a .30-06 with an sperture sight, a 114-year-old 6.5x55mm sporting Mauser, or my .444 Marlin. I am not going to attempt any shot that isn't easy for me, though. That might be 150 to 200 yards for the .444, or 300 yards for the .30-06.

If you're interested in the 444, go to the Tech Notes section of the Beartooth Bullets website for a three part series by Marshall Stanton. His loads are a bit stout and might be more than I'd push the 444 but there's lots of good info.

Ken Howell hit the mark again with his comments above. With 240 grain bullets, the 444 isn't what it can be. Ward

Had an "original issue" 444 Marlin for many years. Big, clubby butt stock, 24" barrel.

Never had any reason to load heavier bullets in it, 'cause 200gr Speer JHPs or 200gr Hornady XTPs over a charge of IMR 4198, would shoot cloverleafs at 100 yards, (when scoped/rested) and the combo killed every deer I ever pointed it at. Only ever killed one deer with it while scoped, the rest were with a peep sight installed on it.

Oops, did point it at a doe early-on and failed to kill it, right off. Dang thing didn't go bang the first time (excess firing pin sludge, apparently, very cold morning). Went bang on the second hammer drop. I was the second owner, first owner must've liked oiling things more than I did? Took care to never have that problem again, never did.



Only deer I've killed with a 44 mag, were shot with a 6" M629 (issue sights) and the 200gr XTPs, at about 50 yards or less. Any comparisons between the 444 and 44 mag, are merely coincidental, in my opinion.