444 Marlin

damando5 · Sep 17, 2017

So I heard that Marlin is reintroducing the lever action 444. I have one myself from yrs ago and I used it a few times for white tail in heavy brush.

Video: Marlin Revives the Model 444

Bon Sauvage · Sep 17, 2017

Oh, I hope it has a decent fit and finish. I think they are smart to go with the 1:20 rifling. I would love to have that cartridge in say, a Ruger No. 1.

Bon Sauvage · Sep 17, 2017

Bud's has them for sale at about $536.00.

Twodogs · Sep 17, 2017

My .44 Mag has never left me thinking I needed more gun, and my 45/70 throws bigger lead.

DunRanull · Sep 17, 2017

Those .444's were popular in the deer woods of Michigan back in the 60's-70's. A bit flatter shooting than a slug-gun(?)... Not sure why you would go that route as opposed to something flatter-shooting, tho, given the choice. Unless (too much) range is an issue...
Glad to hear the .444 is coming back tho and I hope it is successful!

woody06 · Sep 17, 2017

ogre said:
Oh, I hope it has a decent fit and finish. I think they are smart to go with the 1:20 rifling. I would love to have that cartridge in say, a Ruger No. 1.

A Ruger No. 1? Hope it's better than mine. I have one in .22-250 and it groups similar to a 12 ga. cylinder bore choke at 40 yards. I tried so many bullet/powder/seating depth combinations that I lost count and none of them would group worth a darn. Went to a Ruger forum and found out this is pretty common with the No. 1.

Certaindeaf · Sep 18, 2017

woody06 said:
A Ruger No. 1? Hope it's better than mine. I have one in .22-250 and it groups similar to a 12 ga. cylinder bore choke at 40 yards. I tried so many bullet/powder/seating depth combinations that I lost count and none of them would group worth a darn. Went to a Ruger forum and found out this is pretty common with the No. 1.

Isn't the twist 1:14 on those? Seems there wouldn't be much to try.. like 35-55gr pills.

Bon Sauvage · Sep 18, 2017

woody06 said:
A Ruger No. 1? Hope it's better than mine. I have one in .22-250 and it groups similar to a 12 ga. cylinder bore choke at 40 yards. I tried so many bullet/powder/seating depth combinations that I lost count and none of them would group worth a darn. Went to a Ruger forum and found out this is pretty common with the No. 1.

My current No. 1 is in .357 Magnum and does not have that problem I have shot others, in different calibres, that exhibited vertical stringing if the barrel got too hot. My next No. 1, hopefully soon

, will be in .44 Magnum.

bbbass · Sep 18, 2017

woody06 said:
A Ruger No. 1? Hope it's better than mine. I have one in .22-250 and it groups similar to a 12 ga. cylinder bore choke at 40 yards. I tried so many bullet/powder/seating depth combinations that I lost count and none of them would group worth a darn. Went to a Ruger forum and found out this is pretty common with the No. 1.

Really???

I had a #1 heavy barrel 22-250 many years ago and it was a tack driver!! Shot many chucks that were laying down on rocks at 200-300 yards... that is a 1"-2" target!!!!!

Maybe the newer #1s are not as good?

Argonaut · Sep 18, 2017

My cousin is a well known world class shooter and hunter. He bought a #1 when they first arrived on the market. It might have been a 25-06. He spent thousands on that rifle, don't know if he could ever make it shoot straight. They are a wonderful design but I don't prefer investment cast guns. One of my buddies hunted with a 444 Marlin. At the time it was the most powerful lever gun built. It is a good caliber but I think I would prefer a 45-70 for no other reason than bullet availability. Either with modern factory loads or reloaded, the 45-70 is at least equal to the 444 and probably superior. When the 444 came out, factory 45-70 loads were limited to anemic standards because there were still so many weak actioned trapdoors in the world. That has changed. I have always liked the old Microgroove rifling. It is like we use in heavy artillery......I have to think there are advantages to it.

bbbass · Sep 18, 2017

Hmmmph, did not know there were such problems... bummer!

From a Shootingtimes review in 2013:
"On the negative side, accuracy can vary considerably. My early-production .30-06 is one of the most accurate rifles I have owned in its caliber and is quite capable of shooting inside an inch with several loads. An early No. 1 in .222 Remington I also have is the least accurate rifle of the caliber I have ever shot. I keep it only because the .222 was dropped in 1971, making it one of the rarest of No. 1 chamberings in early guns. Until I traded one of them away, I had two No. 1-Bs in .220 Swift. One averaged close to a half-inch; the other seldom shot a group smaller than 2 inches.
My No. 1-H in .45-70 left the factory during the 1970s as a barreled action and was later stocked by Bob Cassidy. I have to be having a really bad day for it to shoot a group larger than an inch. My 1-B in 6.5 Remington Magnum is also a tackdriver. Same goes for a 1-S that was rechambered from 7mm Remington Magnum to 7mm STW by Montana gunsmith Dennis Olson. My 1-A in 7x57mm Mauser is accurate enough for big-game hunting, but its group size is nothing to brag about."

Read more: Past & Present: Ruger No. 1 Rifle Review - Shooting Times