New .444 Marlin

I used to hunt with one when I was a teenager. Still have it in the safe. Nice round, but not practical for the open field hunting I do now.
 
There have been a few doubles available in the past decade.
Most notably, were the Sabattis from approximately 2010-2014. Not many sold, however, so they dropped all mention of the chambering.

SIACE - good, but expensive.

Also a "popular" option (elsewhere - not in the U.S.), is the B. Rizzini BR550e.

And, of course, you can have pretty much any double rifle maker whip one out for you, provided you have the cash available. (I don't.)

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Chatoy...
 
I have an older one my wife got me as a gift maybe 25 years ago. I hunted West Virginia using my old Ruger 44 Carbine until the Marlin 444 came along. I really like that rifle and while I haven't hunted in years the rifle enjoys a place in the safe. I also loaded for it and like 44 Magnum I was always content with 240 grain JHP bullets. Shoot that rifle on a summer day wearing a T-Shirt and you know it! I like the rifle and cartridge for the right conditions.

444P%20Marlin.png


Ron
 
Franken that is a GORGEOUS rifle you made and showed us in those pics. I'm a woodworker and beautiful wood turns me on big time. That stock is one you keep looking at and can't take your eyes off. I have a pretty sophisticated shop I've built up over 35 years and always wanted to see if I could MAKE my own stock out of some of the eye popping wood I come across. I have a CNC router that I THINK I could use (with the right program) to make the (very) rough stock I would then finish with hand tools. I love how yours incorporates the knots and the swirl pattern around them. Thanks for posting that.
 
Franken that is a GORGEOUS rifle you made and showed us in those pics. I'm a woodworker and beautiful wood turns me on big time. That stock is one you keep looking at and can't take your eyes off.
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As good as it looks in the photos, it’s even better in person. I wasn’t a big fan of the brass butt plate when he started on it (it looks good, but I was imagining the recoil and that butt plate, and it didn’t seem like it would be pleasant), but it’s really a nice rifle to shoot in addition to its good looks.
 
Thanks, guys.
I did not intend to hijack the thread, but may have inadvertently.


Denis,
Are there any rumblings yet about other variants (Ps, XLRs, etc.)? Or are they just testing the market with the 'base model' for now?
 
Yes, there are rumblings.
But, if you're not gonna buy any I'm gonna tell 'em not to bother. :)
Just look at what happened with the .444....
Denis
 
I love the fact that marlin offered the 444 with a "non-stupid" rifling twist finally. They still twist the 44s at 1-38 and even marlin doesn't have any good reason why.

But one bullet that is outstanding in the 444 from antelope does to bull moose is the 310 grain Lee gas-check. It's basically a 320 grain LBT with a 2nd cannelure so it drops 10 grains, but it is the cats meow in the 44 mags (if you get a correct twist) and in the 444 (again with the correct twist)
It's the largest 44 bullet you'll see if you use this link.
https://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting/hand-gun-bullet-molds/

If you have the Ballard rifling you'll love it. Cast hard with good lube it's super accurate and doesn't lead the bore, and it kills things like a a 444 should. Exits from big moose and all elk are common.
 
Yes, because SAMMI can't tell anyone why they are twisted 1-38. Even the 44 carbines from Ruger were twisted that way in the 60s and the spec for the cartridge in handguns was 1-20"

When I was the ballistician and later the CEO for Cast Performance Co. I dealt with SAMMI a few times, and I asked them this question directly. So when I say they don't know, I am 100% serious, and I am quoting them.
 
The 444's 1:38" twist rate was set by Marlin, because that's what they were already using for their .44 Mag barrels.
The .44 Mag barrels using that twist rate? I have no definitive answer, but most people that dig into the subject tend to agree that it is a carry-over from .44-40. (And later also carried over to .45 Colt, because less tooling was needed if they kept the same twist rate.) A small group of people believe it is because S&W produced some of their .44 Russian revolvers with that twist rate, and Marlin copied it. But, as with anything Marlin, there's no paper trail to follow.

On the more obscure side, I've read that it goes back to a Russian specification for .44 Russian revolvers and a twist rate of 1 revolution per arshin (Russian 'yard'). However, it is unlikely that an official order would use a 38" standard for the arshin, when the more widely used arshin was 28". (More confusion and discussion could be had by looking at the various Russian 'inches'. But... I really don't think it's the origin of the 1:38" twist, anyway...)

But one bullet that is outstanding in the 444 from antelope does to bull moose is the 310 grain Lee gas-check.
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If anyone here wants to try this, I recommend not going whole hog without testing first. Some 444s can't chamber the Lee 310 WFN without seating deeply (crimp groove inside case), due to the short throat (especially if sized 'large' or run unsized). And others can't be loaded into the magazine tube, because the wide meplat causes loaded cartridges to get stuck in a three-point bind with the loading gate (on the rim), receiver (on the case body), and magazine tube (nose of the bullet). (Clearancing the receiver and/or finger lever can fix that, but most people don't want to modify their rifle(s) just to be able to shoot one bullet.)
It is a very popular bullet with people that cast .44 caliber. So, obtaining samples shouldn't be very difficult.
 
Franken, I shoot the lee 310(WW alloy) in my 444, and yes bullet must be seated deeper. I use the lee factory crimp die to crimp.
My rifle is from '81, micro-groove. With a load of varget i can get under 1.5" at 100 yds
 
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