444 Marlin 265 gr InterLock® FP Superformance®

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Alaska444

Moderator
I am intrigued by this new bullet by Hornady approaching 3400 ft-pds of muzzle energy for the Marlin .444. I have used the Buffalo Bore 335 gr at 2025 fps which dials in around 3000 ft-pds of muzzle energy.

My question is whether the Hornady is a better choice for woods defense here in Northern Idaho. A larger, hardcast bullet slower or a FP bullet in 265 gr at a much faster speed. Sticking with the .444 as the platform, which is going to offer the best performance as a woods gun with the best penetration and the best stopping power against bears? My guts says stick with the Buffalo Bore, but this new bullet is intriguing to me and gets us into new territory with the .444 as far as factory ammo performance.

http://www.hornady.com/store/444-Marlin-265-gr-interlock-FP-Superformance/

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=156
 
I'm shooting this bullet out of my 444S at about 75 ft per second slower than their factory stuff. It does not take a back seat to the 45-70 at all. I've decked 500+lb hogs like a Peterbilt hit 'em. It hits hard and the bullet has performed admirably for me. I hunt with both 444 and 45-70, with either one, there's not a lot that's gonna walk over you if make the right shot. Both are deep penetrating cartridges but the 265gr bullet is designed with only one cartridge in mind, the 444.
 
JACK308
Senior Member

Join Date: July 10, 2011
Posts: 222
without looking at the stats on the 444 vs 45/70 I think the winner would be the 45/70 HANDS DOWN!.
Click to expand...

Sorry, BOTH of these are .444, not 45-70.

My question is which is going to be the better woods bullet. I understand a lot of folks like the 45-70, but that is not the question. Which is the better bullet in .444? The Hornady fast 265 gr at 2400 fps, or the Buffalo Bore 335 gr at 2025?

My guess is that the hardcast larger bullet even though slower is going to give me better penetration and be better against bears. Going to the Hornady H.I.T.S. calculator, it appears that the Buffalo Bore is much better.

Buffalo Bore H.I.T.S 335 gr .444 at muzzle = 1757 (Good for Dangerous Game)

Hornady H.I.T.S 265 gr .444 at muzzle = 1304 (Good for Large Game)

So according to the Hornady rating, the Buffalo Bore Ammo is better. Not sure how well the Hornady ratings correspond to other ammo ratings such as the Taylor scale for instance.

Taking the H.I.T.S scale and applying it to the .450 or 45-70, 350 gr bullet at 2100 fps rates a 1749 rating which is actually below their rating for the .444 bullet above. I suspect a lot of folks would dispute that finding which puts the Hornady H.I.T.S. scale in question. On the other hand, the Garrett's Hammerhead 540 gr 45-70 scores 3080 on the scale which corresponds to the ratio of the Taylor chart for these loads.

Thank you
 
Thanks, best factory bullet/cartridge combination for bear defense/woods gun. The Hornady vs Buffalo Bore.

I am more sold on the Buffalo Bore which has a better bullet in hard cast, but it is slower. Nevertheless, I suspect it will have better penetration than the smaller but faster Hornady. I don't have any real life experiences that I can find to prove that.
 
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