Is the Marlin 444 action the same as the Marlin 1895 action? I've always wanted a 375 wildcat lever action. A 250 - 300 grain gas checked cast bullet out of a 45-70 case or the 444 case would be fun to work up. The 444 Marlins are a bunch cheaper then the 1895 rifles. Any ideas?

Try marlinowners.com

The 1895 Winchester .405 WCF should meet your need with 300 grain bullet . Though 300 is standard, you can handload .411 bullets from 210 to 400 grains..
Buy one and start shooting and save yourself all this research.

Already have one of those. I bought one 405 and two 30-06. The better 30 06 will remain that way and the lessor will become a 375 Whelen. I had Mountain molds make a 350-grain gas checked bullet mold that was grand. Many years ago I had a Mark-X Mauser converted to 375 Whelen. I like to tinker and find the accuracy load for that individual rifle, with the bullet molds I have. Thanks for replying.

The 444 receiver starts out the same as the 336 and 1895. The bolt face, loading port and gate, magazine opening and tube, carrier, lever, and extractor all differ from the 1895.

Any time you start necking down 45/70 or 444 cases for Marlin rifles you run out of OAL very quickly due to the tendency for smaller diameter bullets to be longer.

Excellent information. I'll have measure my 250 grain cast bullets and see how much would be down in the case,

You could easily pattern the 375 JDJ. Case length is 2.2” and based on the 444 Marlin hull. The JDJ was set up for the Thompson Contender single and therefore uses spitzer bullets at COAL of 3.1”. Going to a non spitzer flat nose gas check would get you in the proper length of the Marlin Action or Winchester 94. Both will handle about 2.62” in COAL. In fact several JDJ cartridges use the 444 Marlin as their parent case.

Follow up to your Marlin 336 vs 95 receiver question. The 95 is a 336 that has been opened up quite a bit and relieved of steel to accept the 45-70 rim at 0.608”. The 444 Marlin rim is similar to the 30-30 WCF and would fit nicely in the 336 at 0.514”, the 30-30 WCF being 0.506” rim. However the 444 Marlin lineup utilized the 95 action. A better wildcat, although not as well equipped in bullet selection is the stepped down Barnes 416 utilizing the 45-70 hull necked to .416. 300 gr at 2,250 fps, 400 gr at 2,000 fps. Several 50 Alaskans have been built on both 336 and 95 Marlin actions.

A practical 375 wildcat on a 336 action would be a 375/308. The case length is the right length and there are moulds and FN jacketed bullets available to maintain an OAL that cycles properly. Cases are strong, easy to find and inexpensive.

I have the rimmed version on a Win 94BB. Unfortunately rimless 308 cases don’t work in my rifle and I need to use rimmed 307 and 356 cases to form my brass. Marlins do work with rimless cases (they’re chambered in 35 Remington, whereas Win 94’s weren’t) and I think it’s an overlooked practical option.

Excellent info. I had forgotten the 375 JDL. Thank you