I recently acquired a lovely JM Marlin 1894 in .44 mag. I’ve been loading the standard .240 xtp for it, but want to try some Speer gold dot/deep curl if anyone has a couple hundred sitting on the shelf. 240 or 270 grain are both of interest to me. Thanks!
I've been loading for a 1970s Marlin 1894 for years. Marlin 44 cal rifles typically have a 0.431" bore, versus most 44 revolvers with a 0.429" bore. The Speer 44 caliber bullets are 0.429" diameter and do not group as well for me as do the Hornadys at 0.430" diameter. Sierra 44's are in-between at 0.4295" My best results are with Everglades Ammo 0.431" diameter 240 grain jacketed soft points. Unfortunately they don't have a 0.431" hollow point. 0.432" hard cast bullets work well for mid range loads.
YMMV.
I really appreciate that information! I’ve seen people mention that the marlins are slightly oversized bore, but I haven’t slugged my barrel to verify. And to be honest I often forget to think about the bore size variance. I’ll do some looking at the Everglades. I’m not beholden to a hollow point; I just went that route as it seems to be the standard folks use for deer. Have you had good success on critters with that bullet?
I know also that there’s not much better than a keith style bullet for whacking the crap out of a critter though, so I may chase that option some. Have you had ran pure leads hot, or heavy (up to ~300) bullets to see how they work?
To OP. Just used 240 gr. bullets. When launched from a Marlin at a whitetail 50 to 75 yards away, the 240 gr JSP bullet will go through the deer and make a large exit hole for a good and short blood trail. Also much less meat damage compared to the same shot with a 308 or 30-06.