.444 Marlin and an NEF .44mag...

[Plainsman]

I was looking at an NEF SB2 single shot today at a gunshop and would consider having it rechambered to .444Marlin.  

Has anybody here had that done?

If you have, what kind of results have you had with it for shootability, reliability, recoil, etc.?

It looks like it would make a fun carry gun!

Thanks!

[Daveinthebush]

H&R has a web page that may help you.

http://www.hr1871.com/index.htm

[Daveinthebush]

Seems that you could rent a reamer and make it a .445 Supermag.  Then you could shoot .44 mags and .44 Specials.

Any one of you guys on the forum try this of think it would be a possibility?

[Daveinthebush]

We have a few grizz up here.  The .445 Super Mag was designed by Elgin Gates as a revolver cartridge. The case is made for 30/40 Craig (and others) cases and is 1.610 in length as compared to 1.285 for the .44 Mag.

Compare the two from a 14" Contender:

300 grain:

.44 Mag. 1400 fps and 1305 foot pounds
.445 Super Mag. 1850 fps and 2279 foot
240 grain:

.44 Mag. 1700 fps and 1540 foot pounds
.445 Super Mag. pounds2050 fps and 2239 foot pounds


See my reasoning? Were approching the 45/70 at 1950 fps and 2533 fp.

[Daveinthebush]

What some saleman wants you to have, what the engineer designed and what you want are never the same!

NEF has some interesting concepts as you have noted in their barrel selection. They did offer the 7x57, .35 Whelen, and if I am correct the .260.  They do offer the .280 in a 26 inch barrel!  

Many people ream out the chamber to the caliber that they want instead of waiting for something to appear.  There is a "talk" page where you can read about the plus's and minus's of the H&R's.  I have a .243 and love it for caribou.  I am waiting to get a .308 since I have about 400 bullets in 30 cal and no 30 cal. gun. Don't ask, a gun nut is a gun nut!

[Daveinthebush]

Any reason to buy a new gun needs to be considered.  The Whelen is a bit big for goats and not quite flat enough, the .243 a little light, The .44 can't quite reach there, the .445 might start an avalanch, the .45 APC is my carry gun, the .357 Herret might do but then......a .308 should do perfect!  Looks like I need one then. I will have to talk to the dog and see if he says it is alright.

[Plainsman]

Such as it is NOT a 200 yard caliber.  HOWEVER, the .444 Marlin is a 200 yard caliber, as long as the shooter can make the shot.

I already have my .44's and want to bump up, the .444 is the next logical choice as it uses the SAME diameter bullets and I cast!  

The .45/70 is NOT a choice for me as I have no need for a .45 when I am sitting with a bunch of .44's and the .444 will do everything I'm looking for.

BTW, I see NEF had a special run of .444's, so I don't think they have a 'pressure' problem...Their .444's are just hard to find!

[Cat Whisperer]

Plainsman - I had a 14" contender bbl rechambered to .430 JDJ.  Big mistake - it should have been .444Marlin!   At the time it was as big as I could go as the .45-70 wasn't available yet.

In the contender it's a handfull, should be much better in the rifle.  Check your rate of twist for the bullet length/weight.

Choose your bullet weights - if you cast you can go fairly large.  But if you want to do more than 300 or so grains you might be better off with the 45-70 as the heavies there are commonly available to 500 or so grains.

Watch the pressures, load carefully and have fun!

[Joel]

That special run of 444's was for Ellat Bros( or somethin like that).  I get so DURNED sick an' tired of hearing about gun dealers, gunsmiths an' gun magazine whores dissing the SB2 NEf's when I can bet dollars ta donuts none of them have ever had any experience with them, have no idea of their metallurgy, chamber diameters, amount of backthrust they can handle etc.  I've been shooting a 45/70 for 10 years now, using everything from factory to Ruger loads with NO sign of any problems.  My main hunting loads have been the High end Marlin one's with 300 gr bullets; the rifle handled the Ruger loads just fine, but I couldn't.  The 44 Mag to 444 conversion has been a fairly popular one, from what I've read at the Yahoogroups NEF singleshot site.  Some of the guys have rented reamers and did it on their own; others have found gunsmiths willing ta work on these here Cheap rifles.  None have reported any problems.  Main problem, if you can call it one, is that if you try to go ta bullets over 300 grs(Beartooth offers 400 gr and up), the 1"in 38" twist of the NEF barrel won't stabilize them well, or least that's what I've read. :evil: