Marlin 444

[msmith1228]

I have decided that I need a 444. I know there are several different models out there. Which is considered best?

Mack

[6pt-sika]

I'm kinda biased on this question as I own 26 Marlin rifles chambered for the 444 cartridge !

Personally I like the oldest version the best the ones that were made from 1964 to 1972 with the straight grip stock with the monte carlo and 24" barrels . The original version of the 444S made from 1971 to 1975 was alright also .

Incidently both of what I mention have barrel bands . After 1975 they did away with barrel bands which some folks seem to prefer .

All the guns until 1998 had the slower twist Micro Groove barrels and can only handle cast bullets up to 375 grains .

I also have a later one that was made in 2001 with the faster ballard twist barrel that does great with 400 grain cast bullets .

The 444P was another model that has a cultish following now . This one looks just like the Marlin 1895G Guide Gun . Had two of those over the years and both shot jacketed and cast very nicely .

They made another called a 444XLR which was very similar to the standard 444SS that is made now except it was stainless 24" and laminated stocks .

OF my 26 all were made 1975 or earlier except the loan rifle that was made in 2001 .

And for further note I shoot cast in ALL of them . Nothing against jacketed I just like casting and shooting my own bullets in my lever rifles !

[Old Savage]

Both the Marlin and the Winchester BB are great rifles. I have had both and I think it is a matter of personal taste - though, the Marlin is easier to get. Both yielded groups in the inch at 100 yd range. The BB with open sights at that. Winchester will take higher pressures according to one Paco Kelly.

[6pt-sika]

What I like to refer to as the First Model 444 are pictured below . The scopoed one dates to 1964 and the other dates to 1972 . I now have 18 of this style in my accumulation .





Here's what I call the Second Model 444 and is also the first version of the 444S . I have no less then 7 of this style in my accumulation .



Here's a standard 444SS of the style you can get today . This one was made in 2001 . Still have this one .



And this is what the 2001 rifle looked like after I had it restocked .




The 444XLR with an 8 point buck I killed a couple years ago . I've sold or traded this one off although it was a fine rifle .





And finally a 444P with a spike buck . I had a pair of these and have sold them both off now !

[Canuck Bob]

I own a mid 70s 444S with the thin forend and barrel bands. Edit: the one 6pt sika calls the second model above. It has a straight comb stock with a pistol grip and 22" barrel, both of which I prefer.

One thing that some think is an issue. The later versions came with much quicker rifling twist. They are called Ballard rifled barrels as oppossed to the older Micro Groove barrel with a 1-38 twist. It is only an issue if you plan on handloading the heaviest cast bullets above 350 grains or heavy bullets at lower velocities. I prefer my Micro Groove, it is very accurate.

I also like the 265 Hornady FP bullet as an all around bullet up to moose. It is available for handloading or in Hornady factory ammo. The Remington 240 gr factory ammo is fine as well and contrary to some reports it is not a pistol bullet and handles the 444 power well. My preference is bullets in the 265 to 300 gr range but many, including 6pt sika above really like the heavier bullets. He has good performance from heavy bullets in a MG barrel and he really knows the 444 Marlin best. The 444 handles heavy cast bullets very well and Ranch Dog Molds makes a couple of choices designed for the 444 and highly regarded.

I own both Winchesters and Marlin and would pick a Marlin for a hunting rifle if a guy didn't already have a preference for Winchester. The Marlin is a bigger fitting rifle, scopes easy, and has a side port for ejection. I hunt in Canada after moose mostly. Open top breeches are always filling up with snow and debris when working heavy cover. The Winchester is much better than the average bolt action in this regard however.

[AJMD429]

I now have 18 of this style in my accumulation.

Wow. . . th-th-that's an a-a-arsenal. . . you must be some kind of terrorist or something. . .

. . . good to know I'm in good company...

Not with .444 Marlins though - my gun-gluttony is with Marlin 1894's - .44's, .357's, and even a .32-20 and a .218 Bee now. Love them .444's though.

[6pt-sika]

I now have 18 of this style in my accumulation.

Wow. . . th-th-that's an a-a-arsenal. . . you must be some kind of terrorist or something. . .

. . . good to know I'm in good company...

Not with .444 Marlins though - my gun-gluttony is with Marlin 1894's - .44's, .357's, and even a .32-20 and a .218 Bee now. Love them .444's though.

Obviouisely you didn't read my first post as I have 26 Marlin rifles total chambered for the 444 and then one more in 45-70 for a grand total of 27 Marlin lever rifles

[AJMD429]

Obviouisely you didn't read my first post as I have 26 Marlin rifles total chambered for the 444 and then one more in 45-70 for a grand total of 27 Marlin lever rifles

I'm going to go hide under the bed now...

Our family likes Marlins, too, actually - the six who gathered for Thanksgiving a few years ago had these between us (and went shooting as part of the family get-together, since most of the others live in places you can't shoot in your back yard )...

[6pt-sika]

I'm going to go hide under the bed now...

You shoulda been by before I had the epiphany in early 2009 and started selling them off !

At that point I had approximately 90 Marlin's in everything from a 218 Bee and 219 Zipper up to the 45-70 and 450 Marlin with a rechmber in 450 AK thrown in for good measure . Of all the ones I sold the only ones I miss very often are the 336SC in 32 Special , the 336D (35 REM) and my old 1897 vintage model 1895 in 38-56 WCF . Well maybe the 1906 vintage model 1893 in 32-40 as well .

[Pete44ru]

Although I liked my 24" bbl'd ca 1966 Marlin M-444, my 22" bbl'd ca 1972 Marlin M-444SS, and my 17-1/2" ported bbl ca 1998 Winchester BB94 .444 Timber Carbines well enough, I much preferred the 20" bbl ca 1997 Winchester BB94 .444 Carbine I shoulda never sold for a ca 1999 Winchester BB94 Timber ported in .450 Marlin.

(yep - It's a sickness....)

.

[6pt-sika]

Here's one that is by no means factory original any longer . But it is a First Model 444 circa 1966 that I chopped the barrel to 19" and reblued as well as refinished the stock with about 20 coats of Tung Oil .

I refer to my little creation as my "Retro 444P" .




And a picture of it with a little bear I plugged with it in august on a damage control permit . Shot him at 70 yards with a LBT 433-340GC .

[6pt-sika]

WHile I liked the factory 444P Marlin quite a bit , I like my chopped 1966 rifle better mainly because of the monte carlo stock !

The stock on the 444P is a tad low for me when using a scope .

[6pt-sika]

Our family likes Marlins, too.

You know to be totally honest I was a died in the wool Winchester pre 64 person until about 2000 when I got one of the then new Marlin 1895M's in 450 Marlin . In the past I had always thought of Marlin's as JUNK . But after shooting that 450 I saw the LIGHT !
I mean any self respecting collector then was looking for Winchester or Colt . But in the last 11 years I learned the error of my ways . I still own some Winchesters but I don't make an effort to collect them anylonger . If one comes my way CHEAP and I think I can make a buck on it then fine .

[6pt-sika]

The 444 handles heavy cast bullets very well and Ranch Dog Molds makes a couple of choices designed for the 444 and highly regarded.

Ranch Dog originally came out with a 432-285GC mold for the 444 and 44 MAG .

Later he came out with a 432-300GC and revamped his 432-285GC to the the 432-265GC .

I've used all three of those bullets effectively on whitetails in Virginia but then again a deer is not that hard to kill if you hit him in the boiler room .

Later Ranch Dog came out with his 432-350GC and since I had one of the original four test molds I can lay claim to the first game animal killed with that bullet and once again it was a whitetail deer killed on a damage control permit in august a couple years ago .

After fooling with his bullets and talking with a friend in Sweden I got intrested in 400 grain cast bullets . My friend had a 350 and 400 grain mold cut by Mountain Molds . So I contacted MM and had him cut me molds in 375 grains for the slow twist Micro barrels and a 400 grainer for the faster twist Ballard barrels . To make a long story short I ended up with the two molds in those weights from Mountain Molds as well as a similar set from LBT again in 375 and 400 . After that I went to a gentleman in Minnesota and him him make me a set of drawings based on past work he had done for Ranch Dog and make me a 432-375GC and a 432-400GC design . Both my bullets have the same nose contour but regular style lube grooves as opposed to the tumble grooves RD prefers . Later I sent my drawings to BRP in Michigan and had him cut me a two cavity mold for both weights and a later yet a HP mold in both weights .

BRP/RD 432-400C in FN and HP as well as BRP/RD 432-375GC in FP and HP







Let me just say with a stout but managable powder charge the slow twist Micro barrels will handle the 375 grainers just fine out to 100 yards . Can't make a statement about further as I've not tried them any further yet .

I am sorry to say BRP has ceased production which I found out right before I wanted to make a BRP/RD 432-325GC for my "Retro 444P" . Anyway Bruce at BRP emailed me a drawing for the 432-325GC which I forwarded to Mountain Molds and I had a MM/RD 432-325GC for that one which I might add shoots very nicely .

MM/RD 432-325GC



I've pushed the envelope as far as I can go with the slower twist Micro barrels . But lately I've been getting an inclanation to push it a bit in my fatser twist ballard barrel . That gun already has shot several 1" or less groups with the 3 400 grain bullets I cast . And I am thinking perhaps a 425 grainer , 450 grainer or maybe even a 465 grainer . Only time will tell what I can get by with . At some point I'll reach a point I can't get enough powder in the case while seating the bullet deep enough to cycle thru the action to make it stabilize out to 100 yards . I suspect the 425 grain bullet may be as far as I can go in a lever rifle .

I do however know a gentleman in Texas thats a member of the "Cast Bullet Association" that rebarreled a Remington Rollingblock to 444 MArlin and put a 1-12 or 1-14 twist barrel on his gun . And with that thing he shoots 465 grain cast bullets . But he seats them out way way further then I can hope to cycle thru a Marlin action hance he has more powder room then I could possibly hope for .

[2X22]

6pt-sika, a man who loves 444 Marlins like I love 44 Marlins!

2x22

[PaperPatch]

I am a humble man, with only one 444 in my collection.

Shorty after acquiring it...I shot it in a 40 round Silhouette match. I have not been right in the head since...

[6pt-sika]

Shorty after acquiring it...I shot it in a 40 round Silhouette match. I have not been right in the head since...

You don't need to load them wide open to knock over the 200 meter ram

I watched a guy at one of the shoots I used to put on shoot a Marlin 1895CB in 45-70 with the standard Winchester 300 grain Super X load and he did okay but not great . And each time he pulled the trigger his head rolled back . That same afternoon he shot again using a Marlin 336 in 35 REM and he IMPROVED his score by maybe 3 or 4 targets and his head didn't roll back each shot !