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Author Topic: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?  (Read 2169 times)

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Offline FW Conch

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Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« on: December 16, 2008, 03:39:20 AM »
  Is anyone out there "necking" this one down, to anything, or know of any examples ?  It seems like the

  possibilities with this one are endless !   ::)  Jim
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Jim

Offline Kurt L

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2008, 03:58:54 AM »
I don't but the 309JDJ is a very popular one they also do others.
from ssk site
SSK has chambered well over 200 calibers in the Contender. The most popular are the JDJ series which exist in almost every caliber. JDJ cartridges give the highest ballistic performance in each caliber consistent with safety, long gun life and exceptional accuracy. The most popular are the 226, 6 mm, 257, 6.5 mm, 270, and 7 mm JDJ which are based on the very strong 225 Winchester case. The 309, 8 mm, 338 #2, 358, 375 and 416 JDJ are based on the very strong 444 Marlin case. The 6.5 uses 120 grain bullets at 2400 FPS, the 309 uses 165s at 2400 and the 375 uses 220s at 2250, 270s at 2100 and 300 FMJS at 2000 which gives plenty of penetration to take elephant (in 1984 19 elephant were taken with the 375). The 257 gets up to 2900 FPS with an 85 grain to make it the most effective long range varmint caliber for Contenders, and the same load is excellent for whitetail and antelope.
http://www.sskindustries.com/cartridges.htm
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Offline FW Conch

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2008, 11:59:39 AM »
Oh yeah Kurt L, I have looked @ the SSK site before but I guess the 444 stuff didn't register. Those JDJ's
are impressive !  We shooters certainly probably have all the rounds available to us that we could possibly
need so why do our minds wonder to new wildcats ?

I guess the answer is "because we can" !   :D :) ;) ;D  Jim
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Offline FW Conch

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2008, 06:21:24 AM »
This week I got my February edition of Shooting Times & in there Layne Simpson had an article on what he
felt was the 7 best chamberings for the contender.  One was the .309 JDJ & as Kurt L mentioned it is based
on the .444 Marlin necked down to .308 .  My interest has settled in lately on 6.5/.264 bullets so I guess
what I had in mind would have been a  6.5/.309 JDJ.  The article also mentions the 6.5 JDJ, also mentioned
by Kurt L, that is based on the .225 Winchester case.  Mr. JD certainly knows much more about this than I
do so I bet that's the one that would suit my purposes better.
   Also last week I discovered, from 4D, there is a reamer for a .25 Krag Improved.  Why not a 6.5 Krag Improved ?    ::)
   I read on another site where a fella & his "smith" built a .25/.307 based on a Contender (stub job) & it was  way neat & shot "bug hole" groups !
   All the chamberings I will ever need were developed before I was born ( back in the last millennium :'() so
why do I find this stuff so interesting ?  May be, " because I can", or maybe because I haven't, yet! Jim :)
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Jim

Offline Ladobe

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2008, 07:18:29 AM »
I've been a "JDJ" shooter for over 25 years and have owned most of them.   Of the 444 Marlin based JDJ's, while the 309 is an excellent choice for up to deer, I always preferred the 375 (had 4 of them) that would handle anything I wanted to hunt.  A friends favorite is the 338 #2that he talks up to elk with, and with another it is the 358, so there are many choices to fit into your needs.   With the 225 Win based JDJ's for my purposes the one that shined was the 257.   I liked the 226, 6 and 6.5's as well, but the 257 is the star of this line up, IMO the most efficient and deadly accurate at longer ranges.

Since you seem to hang on the 6.5 bullets, you might also look at the 6.5 Super Bower for a Contender.   Based on the 307 Win, 356 Win or a shortened 444 Marlin case, it was probably the star of the early Bower line up and is another deadly long range cartridge.   Well, at least in my minds eye, and I also have had most of the Super Bower wildcats.   It is way more than the 6.5JDJ, which I guess some have used on deer, so is capable for much bigger game than it. 

FWIW

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Offline FW Conch

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2008, 09:32:59 AM »
 :) Ladobe, it's good to here from someone with your depth of experience on the subject & yes that

 6.5/.307 sounds very interesting, practically a "rimmed" 260 Remington. I will also remember what you said

about the .257 JDJ & thanks again for your response !   ;D  Jim
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Offline dpe.ahoy

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2009, 06:36:22 AM »
Since SSK won't rechamber any thing but the TC's in the single shot rifles, where can I find out about other places to get the 358 JDJ or 375JDJ clones?  DP
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Handi's:22Shot, 22LR, 2-22Mag, 22Hornet, 5-223, 2-357Max, 44 mag, 2-45LC, 7-30 Waters, 7mm-08, 280, 25-06, 30-30, 30-30AI, 444Marlin, 45-70, AND 2-38-55s, 158 Topper 22 Hornet/20ga. combo;  Levers-Marlins:Two 357's, 44 mag, 4-30-30s, RC-Glenfields 36G-30A & XLR, 3-35 Rem, M-375, 2-444P's, 444SS, 308 MX, 338Marlin MXLR, 38-55 CB, 45-70 GS, XS7 22-250 and 7mm08;  BLR's:7mm08, 358Win;  Rossi: 3-357mag, 44mag, 2-454 Casull; Winchesters: 7-30 Waters, 45Colt Trapper; Bolt actions, too many;  22's, way too many.  Who says it's an addiction?

Offline Ladobe

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2009, 11:39:09 AM »
DP your question isn't clear to me as written, sorry.

SSK will chamber new barrels or rechamber TC barrels in pistol, carbine or rifle configuration for any of the JDJ's.   I think JD will also chamber them in barrels for the Remington XP-100.

Also for the TC's, TC themselves now offers the 375JDJ, and some of the custom TC barrel makers also offer JDJ clones like the .375X444, etc.

Or are you asking where to get some other type for firearm chambered for JDJ cartridges, like bolt rifles, etc?
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Offline tcshooter52

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2009, 12:42:06 PM »
Send me an e-mail. I have a few options for you.

John
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Offline 7-30 Waters

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Re: Wildcating the .444 Marlin ?
« Reply #9 on: January 16, 2009, 12:11:04 PM »
How about  9.3X57 Mauser?  Hornady makes the dies and 9.3mm bullets are availble.  I have sized down 444 Marlin brass with my Hornady 9.3x57 Mauser dies.  Full length resize in one pass.  Would be close to the 358 Win in ballistics.
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