Greetings,
Please share your 444 Marlin success stories. Any comments welcome.
I load a lot of 44 Magnum and have a good supply of 240 Grain Jacketed Soft Point Bullets and I cast and have maybe a half dozen 432 diameter molds.
Thanks,
Bluejay
I can pass on, if you want 44 Mag velocities for plinking or short range stuff... I load those a lot for jr high aged kids..
about any 44 Mag load data will yield pretty much the same velocities as a 44 Mag in a rifle...from a 444 case..
I've even used Large pistol primers with zero issues in them...
For my own hunting, I use the 300 grain XTP, with a charge of SR 4759, anywhere from a lowly 15 grains to
as much as 35 grains....I know 4759 is no longer made, but sitting on 4 eight pound containers of it, I won't run
out of it...
the 35 grain load averages about 1850 fps out of my Marlin....
I learned a long time ago, any load with those flat nose bullets that are as fast as you can get the Muzzle velocity
is a real waste of time...there is no aerodynamics to those flat nose bullets, they are like shooting a parachute... they
slow down quickly... and most of those bullets are really designed for 44 Mag velocities anyway...
say the 240 grain XTP, the difference between 2400 fps out of the muzzle, vs 1850... is a lot less recoil for the latter
and the loss of about 10 to 15 yds of point blank range...say 160 yds vs 175...and with what seems like half the
recoil....no one ever believes that until they try it out for themselves...
just what I have observed.. so I quit loading 50+ grains of H 322, and went with the lower SR 4759 charges...
for the boys I've let shoot it, 15 grains of SR 4759 and a 200 grain XTP, has zero recoil.. yet matches a 44 Mag
and at pistol distances, it'll cut a sapling in half with one shot...boys get excited about stuff like that..
never played with cast in mine....except a box of 500 of some Laser Cast bullets someone sold me for cheap
a long time ago...best of luck with yours....