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Author Topic: Marlin 444 for Black Bear?  (Read 1443 times)

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Offline 45Super

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« on: March 19, 2005, 04:10:17 PM »
I`m going to go Black Bear hunting this fall for the first time. I`m thinking about adding a Marlin 444 to my collection. I would like some feedback on using this on Black Bear. I`ll be hunting over bait.
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Offline Mikey

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2005, 02:58:36 AM »
45Super - great choice and my personal preference.  JJ Hack, one of GrayBeard's experts on bears and bear hunting (no kidding at all here) prefers the 240 gn in the 44 magnum for black bear, saying the bears react to those hits more than with a solid that passes through.  In that case I am thinking that even the factory 240 gn in the 444 would be an excellent choice and if you do not reload, the Hornaday Light Magnums with the 265 or 270 gn should be all ya need for black bear.  Good luck, let us know how it goes and HTH.  Mikey.
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Offline leverfan

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2005, 07:29:40 AM »
The 444 is an excellent choice, and it's my go-to lever gun for elk, deer, and black bear.  If you don't reload, Cabela's has a fair amount of different 444 ammo these days.  I could be happy with Hornady's 265 grain loads for bear.  I've never bought any factory loads for my 444, but I've tried most of the bullets being used in the factory loads.  I like Speer 300 grain PSP, Hornady 265 grain FP, and cast bullets for hunting.  I've used the 240 grain Remington SP bullets for plinking, but I can't comment on their usefulness on game when fired at 444 velocities.  The Hornady 265 grain bullets are one of the few bullets designed from the ground up for 444 velocity.
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Offline sawfish

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2005, 12:56:32 PM »
8) I have killed two Black Bears with my Marlin .444.  One with a 300 gr. XTP and the other with a 300 gr. Barnes Original.  The XTP hit bone and went to pieces.  The Barnes drove through a shoulder blade and ended up under the skin on the off side with 86% weight retention.  With all due respect to Mr. Hack, and other bear experts, I prefer the heavier bullets in the .444 Marlin.  I have also killed a Bear with my Ruger #3 .444 (rechambered .44 Mag.) with a 350 gr. LBT.  All of these bears dropped in their tracks.
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Online Lloyd Smale

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2005, 11:59:50 PM »
only shot one bear with mine a 225 lb bear that i hit head on in the chest with a 340lfngc and it blew out the back end just below the spine needless to say the bear didnt know what hit him
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Offline big medicine

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2005, 05:46:42 PM »
The first big game animal I shot was a black bear with a 444 using 265 gr Hornady bullets. One shot and it never moved. I think you will like the 444.
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Offline cam69conv

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.444 for bear
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2005, 07:12:06 AM »
Ive never shot a bear with my .444 but I did just take a cape buffalo down with it a couple of weeks ago...Hit it 3 times...first was lung at 211 yards the other 2 were heart at 200...Was useing factory rem 240 sp's and they performed flawlessly with 85 to 90% retention...I believe if they will take down a 1500 pound cape buff then you will have absolutley no probs with a lil ole 250 pound bear...good luck on ya hunt.....Ps...I shot it the other 2 times just for safty's sake....Ive seen capes kinna pissy....Dont like runnin fer ma life if ya know what I mean :wink:
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Offline Triple4

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Re: .444 for bear
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2005, 03:49:41 AM »
Quote from: cam69conv
Ive never shot a bear with my .444 but I did just take a cape buffalo down with it a couple of weeks ago...Hit it 3 times...first was lung at 211 yards the other 2 were heart at 200...Was useing factory rem 240 sp's and they performed flawlessly with 85 to 90% retention...I believe if they will take down a 1500 pound cape buff then you will have absolutley no probs with a lil ole 250 pound bear...good luck on ya hunt.....Ps...I shot it the other 2 times just for safty's sake....Ive seen capes kinna pissy....Dont like runnin fer ma life if ya know what I mean :wink:



Are you pulling are leg? Hunting Cape buffs with Factory Remingtons in 240gr is wanting a death wish, If you did what you said my hats off to ya.
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Offline victorcharlie

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2005, 05:03:57 AM »
yea.....Cape Buffalo....I'd like to see that on video as well!
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Offline cam69conv

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2005, 07:36:57 AM »
Yes 240 grain rem's and no no death wish....It dropped like a hammer...Soon as I figure out how to post a pic I have the caped out pic with head and hide...Friend also got a female american bison and I got 4 russian boars on same hunt..People seem to underestimate the .444's knockdown power...The rem 240 grain held between 86 to 90% of its weight and mushroomed beautifully...I have pics of the bullet as well
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Offline Triple4

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2005, 08:00:51 AM »
I am the last person who underestimates the power of a 444, as a 444 junkie going on 30 years I have had my fare share of bad days with the Remington 240grSP, because of those bad days I haven't used one for hunting in over 20 years.  It would be easier to believe if you used a Big Hardcast bullet, or a swift 300gr or something of that nature.

Where was this Cape Buff hunt located at?
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Offline cam69conv

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2005, 08:13:32 AM »
20 years??? And you think they havnt changed in that amount of time??? Bullets have improved GREATLY in the past 10 years.. Like in another thread I have said I have shot every kind of ammo made for the .444 and they all have thier place...The 240's just tend to group a little bit better and I feel shot PLACEMENT is the key to success. If your depending on the big bores to hit an animal in the butt and still hoping to drop it then you dont need to be in the woods. I dont preferr the cast bullets because they dont open up as well. I myself like a nice BIG wound tract. As I said before I will post pics as soon as I figure out how. I have the head and hide pics and also pics of the bullet itself. I too have beenhunting well over 35 years and know a tiney little bit about shock values and penetration factors and all that jazz...I tend to simplify it....Shoot an animal with a nice big bullet in the lungs or heart and the animal dies...Thats about as simple as it gets...Just because the cape buff is big mean and nasty doesnt give it an S on its chest..It still goes down from a well placed shot...Hell I bet ya'll dont think the 140 gr accubond winchester .270 bullet would even penetrate the hide on a big female bison( by big I mean 1150 pounds on the hoof) Yet my buddy dropped one in its tracks with one shot in the pumper. Now granted I was right beside him with the .444 to back him up but there was no need. PLACEMENT KIDS....PLACEMENT....
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Offline cam69conv

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2005, 03:00:56 PM »
ok imma try doing this link thing with the pics...hope it works...it didnt work...I tried copying the url from the pics I put on photobucket...If anyone has a suggestion or knows how to put the pics on a post directly id be HAPPY to try it ok figgered it out..here is a pic of the buff and 2 of the bullet from it [/url][/img]
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Offline VTDW

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #13 on: March 30, 2005, 04:23:18 PM »
"and all that jazz" :D
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Offline cam69conv

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2005, 06:12:23 PM »
ty VTDW that link helped out alot
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Offline Thebear_78

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #15 on: March 31, 2005, 05:07:32 AM »
I would have figured you to stay away from the hunting perserves after that link and multi page post last year about what a terrible time you had at the other game ranch.
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Offline cam69conv

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #16 on: March 31, 2005, 06:53:19 AM »
well bear if you had actually READ the post then you would know that it wasnt ME on that hunt but a fellow hunter. And on this particular hunt I was hunting on 750+ acres half wooded and half open terrain. Now some of us poor folks dont have the money to go to africa to hunt so this is our only option. 750+ acres in my own opinion is pretty darn fair chase. The hunt that the other post was about had several plots for different animals that were no more than 100 acres fenced each...Thats NOT fair at all...Before ya chime in trying to insult someones hunting practice know your facts please.
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Offline Thebear_78

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #17 on: March 31, 2005, 07:39:47 AM »
Calm down a minute there cammy,  I wasn't insulting you any, I was just curious after hearing the horror storry you posted on before I would have thought you a little gun shy when it came to hunting ranch.  I didn't take the time to memorize your other post but had remembered it and figured you to be against ranch hunts.  You can turn the defensiveness down a bit, if I was insulting you there would be no doubt.
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Offline 45Super

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Marlin 444 for Black Bear?
« Reply #18 on: April 03, 2005, 01:40:10 PM »
Thanks for the info, guys. (and all the advice about hunting farms!!)  :lol:
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