Author Topic: .44 What??? (Read 625 times)

scrounger · « **on:** January 07, 2006, 09:58:31 AM »

I was thinking of getting a .44 Magnum carbine barrel (21"); then figured why not a .445 Super Magnum, mor oomph and I can still shoot .44 mag in it. But then I read somewhere that the .445 is a shortened .444 Marlin case, not a lengthened .44 Mag case so that wouldn't work. True or not? Seems I've seen full .444 barrels but Contender won't do them; how safe is it to take a .44 barrel and rechamber to .444 Marlin? Are any of these ideas worth doing? Thanks for your opinion.

jhalcott · « **Reply #1 on:** January 07, 2006, 10:39:08 AM »

scrounger you won't get many people to reccommend a 444 in a Contender ! You could do it in an Encore though! The pressure is too high for the contender frame unless you handload it down some. There have been several 444 rechambered barrels that have blown up ! I don't know what you are shooting that needs more OOMPH than a 44 mag. Maybe a nice 45-70 would do better for you ,especially with 500 grain slugs!

scrounger · « **Reply #2 on:** January 07, 2006, 11:10:11 AM »

I was just thinking that. Cheaper, too. I already have dies, brass, bullet molds. Why do I need it? Mind games; I don't shoot anything but paper!

spinafish · « **Reply #3 on:** January 07, 2006, 11:22:31 AM »

My previous Bible study teacher had a Contender in .445 SuperMag that he used 44 Mags in as a light load. I had read an article somewhere the author couldn't get his barrel to shoot .445 SuperMags worth a hoot, but the same barrel would almost stack his .44 Mag handloads..Go figure. I have a .414 Supermag and .41 Mags shoot just fine..but, that's a horse of a different color..

fyrepowrx · « **Reply #4 on:** January 07, 2006, 11:35:06 AM »

at one time i had a photo of a Contender that had been wrecked by a .444...that may not mean much though, as there are LOTS of ways to tear up a gun, could have been a sloppy re-chamber, or maybe the handloads it was being fed were way over the safe limit. or who knows what else.

TC will not make & does not recommend the 444 in a Contender/G2...apparently it is over the line apparently in pressure, backthrust, etc...

i have 445 Supermags in a 12" Pistol, 14" Pistol, and 18" Carbine. its a nice caliber. i dont plink much with mine, not really a "plinking" caliber in my book..i would recommend you get a brake on it; i dislike the noise they make too, but i also dislike getting beaten up with recoil.

If you were feeding it a steady diet of 300 grain loads for hunting i guess a 444 would be a better choice...it simply has more case-capacity to handle large doses of powder to push the heavy bullet loads. Of course, those same large powder charges are what makes the 444 marginal in a Contender...plus they REALLY kick in light guns like the TC carbines, and if youre just punching paper you wont want to punch it a whole lot..

If you download the 444 to safe pressures, i suppose it would be fine, but i personally am not crazy about cartridges i have to download to keep from worrying about damaging my gun.. i do think the .445 has some good points over the 45/70 if you are shooting light bullets mostly, i use my 445's more on deer & the 45/70's on big stuff... hope that helps some..

fyrepowrx · « **Reply #5 on:** January 07, 2006, 11:47:04 AM »

forgot to mention...you can fire .44 mags just fine in your .445 supermag chambers...my 14" .445 barrel prefers full length loads, and shoots them better than the shorter 44 mags. My carbine doesnt seem to care either way. never tried them in the 12" barrel...