44 mag question

[Larry R]

this may sound like a silly question to some of you more experienced shooters but can a 44 mag  barrel be converted to shoot a the 444 marlin?
 
 1 more question while im here   can a ultra barrel be fitter to a handi frame?

[quickdtoo]

No on the .444 Marlin  and yes on the Ultra fitting a Handi if the frame is new enough for the * calibers..... :wink:

[ONE HOLE 4570]

Quick,

Why couldn't a 44mag be reamed to a 444 I was going to try it until I found a 444 now have a 445SM as well bouthe are 1:38 twist

Larry if you want in on a 445SM reamer contact JEFF223 there are a number of us here who are reaming the 44 mags. I just finished easy job & gives you close to 444 performance

[oneshotonekill]

Quick must have ment 44 mag ammo could not be used in a 444 (that question has popped up a few times lately) because a 44 mag can certainly be reamed to a 444.

[quickdtoo]

Sorry, I did mean to shoot 44mag in a 444...as far as rechambering a 44mag to 444, that's not the best idea for the same reason, even more so that the 357Mag doesn't make a good rechamber to 35 whelen....the twist rate it too slow. The 1:38" of the 44mag is waaay to slow to stabilize the 444 Marlin loads and the same reason that Marlin quit making them with a 1:38" twist and changed to 1:20" long ago!! If you want to shoot 270gr and lighter bullets, it would probably work fine unless the overbore issue gets in the way as most 44mag owners have experienced which limits the bullets selection even more due to the larger diameter required, just ask JPH45 or MtJerry!!

A possible limiting factor to the use of heavy bullets in some .444 rifles is the slow 1 in 38" rifling used in older .444 Marlin rifles. Such slow rifling may not stabilize bullets heavier than 270 grains. Marlin has since changed to 1 in 20" rifling, which solved that problem.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/444Marlin.htm

[JPH45]

The 1:38 twist will stabilize 300 grianers just fine. Add the velocity gain of the 444 over the the 44 and it only gets better. Marlin di make them in 1:38, and those of H&R's floatin' around out there are 1:38. Even in the 444 though, I'd bet that a good study of the ballistic tables would reveal that a 270 grain bullet would hold the edge on velocity, trajectory and retained energy over the 300, and 30 grains of lead ain't gonna make the difference between dead and a long tracking job. Bullet construction is more important than weight. Extra heavy bullets are given more credit than they deserve. The 445 SM will give you 444 starting load level performance or slightly better. The 44 Mag is an exellent candidate for a 444Marlin rechamber