444 Marlin Reduced loads

[300carlson]

Hi all,
I have recently decided to get a lever action because in my mind they are the perfect gun for where I hunt.  Shots will be in thick cover and limited to under 100yds, but a big buck here can very well be over 200lbs dressed.  I was thinking the 444 would be my best bet because (I'm hoping :-) ) it has a very wide range of capability to take multiple species.  I think a full house 444 round will have a little more recoil than I would like for "normal shooting" (although if I took it bear or elk hunting I wouldn't have a problem kickin' it up a notch).  So, I have a question of versatility of this round....can I load the 444 to just a notch above a 44 mag levels of recoil using 265gr bullets?  Or is there a "recommended minimum load"?  Would the 444 still perform well at those velocities?  Maybe load a 240gr XTP instead?  I think that would make for much faster second shots and managable recoil.  I'm probably going with marlin 444...how would the recoil in this rifle compare to a M94 30-30 and a 358 Win in a Browning BLR (which weighs a whole pound less)?  Not recoil shy, just don't really want to deal with it if I don't have to.  Oh yeah, and I don't want it mag-na-ported.  Thanks in advance.

[Mikey]

300carlson:  I think the 444 has a tremendous range of applicability and shooting reduced loads has always been a lot of fun, as long as you roll your own.

The best place I can think of for information on reduced loads in the 444 is at Marshal Stanton's Beartooth Bullet site (add a www and a .com and you are there).  Beartooth has conducted a trememdous amount of research into the 444 using heavy and light loads and now reduced loads.  You need to go there for the information - there is just too much to exerpt.  HTH.  Mikey.

[Pinkerton]

300Carlson

I had seen previously on a another forum that a gentleman tried Blue Dot powder for a reduced load in the 444, He found that 18-24gr of powder seemed to work very well with a range of bullets from 200gr to 300gr.

good luck.