444 Marlin, not so good hit on doe

[rickt300]

I load the .429 Hornady XTP in my 44 Marlin to around 1800 fps. Really accurate and light recoil. I have had the rifle a couple of years only doing some load testing with it. I brought it as a backup gun and for feral hog hunting at night. I fumbled geting a shot off because I had gloves on and no Hammer extension to cock it with so I missed a shot with it. I hit a wounded hog in the back of the head with it for a finisher. The next morning (today) I was in an unfamiliar blind with screwy windows and the windows were not at a good level for me to shoot out of. I had 10 does working around me and when on got enough in the open I shot at her aiming low behind the shoulder. Well it hit just in front of the diaphram angling low out the other side behind the diaprham. One lung was hit, liver damaged and a hole thru the stomach on the far side. She jumped and ran and I started tracking her a bit too soon. I found her 30 minutes later after tracking her for at least 250 yards. I can't say anything bad about the 444, I should shoot it more. It left an adequate blood trail most of the run but it sure was thin at some points. She bled both lung blood and steadily lost greenish stomach content.  I am certain If I had waited 20 minutes I would have found her less than 40 yards away where she layed down the first time.

[Slufoot]

What grain bullet were you shooting?

[NYSdeerslayer]

Didn't have that problem with my doe useing leverevolution ammo.
I am a firm believer if you want a whitetail DRT shoot through the
shoulder or spine it.  Tracking is real easy when they fall over. 
Its possible that with your shot that little expansion occured and the
slower moving bullet just doesn't have the shock factor that the "super magnums" have.

[dpe.ahoy]

When did my 444 become a medium bore?   DP

[Bigeasy]

That .444 has all the horsepower you need.  The hard part is sitting there for 20 minutes waiting for your deer to lay down and die.

Larry

[nomosendero]

When did my 444 become a medium bore?   DP

I wasn't going to go there but ?   

Maybe a sabot. 

[Brithunter]

When did my 444 become a medium bore?   DP

About 150 yeras ago    to be a Big bore it needs to be over 0.577". 303 was a small bore and .22 miniture bore.

[john keyes]

sssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

guys, please be quiet, my .444's already have inferiority/inadequecy issues because of my .45/70's.

you might push them over the edge!

 

seriously, 300 gr XTP and healthy dose of H4198 and you won't be looking for anything.

[rickt300]

I usually post here and didn't even think about the 444 not being a medium bore, sorry. Anyway I was shooting the 240 grain XTP bullet. The problem was shot placement which was my fault. I load this rifle moderatly as my stepson likes to shoot it and heavy loads are more than he likes. It was so early in the morning I could have not noticed some brush between my muzzle and the deer causing deflection. The bullet certainly didn't go where I aimed it. I recovered the deer and had a reasonably good blood trail so I really cant complain much.

[nomosendero]

I usually post here and didn't even think about the 444 not being a medium bore, sorry. Anyway I was shooting the 240 grain XTP bullet. The problem was shot placement which was my fault. I load this rifle moderatly as my stepson likes to shoot it and heavy loads are more than he likes. It was so early in the morning I could have not noticed some brush between my muzzle and the deer causing deflection. The bullet certainly didn't go where I aimed it. I recovered the deer and had a reasonably good blood trail so I really cant complain much.

No problem, just had to kid a little.   Concerning the load, you are right, it did all you could ask for.

[BBF]

 I have no experience with the Hdy 240 gr from a .444 but do have some real life results from using the FN 265 gr Hdy bullet. Consider a change over to the heavier bullet and you can adjust for the recoil.

[nomosendero]

I load the .429 Hornady XTP in my 44 Marlin to around 1800 fps. Really accurate and light recoil. I have had the rifle a couple of years only doing some load testing with it. I brought it as a backup gun and for feral hog hunting at night. I fumbled geting a shot off because I had gloves on and no Hammer extension to cock it with so I missed a shot with it. I hit a wounded hog in the back of the head with it for a finisher. The next morning (today) I was in an unfamiliar blind with screwy windows and the windows were not at a good level for me to shoot out of. I had 10 does working around me and when on got enough in the open I shot at her aiming low behind the shoulder. Well it hit just in front of the diaphram angling low out the other side behind the diaprham. One lung was hit, liver damaged and a hole thru the stomach on the far side. She jumped and ran and I started tracking her a bit too soon. I found her 30 minutes later after tracking her for at least 250 yards. I can't say anything bad about the 444, I should shoot it more. It left an adequate blood trail most of the run but it sure was thin at some points. She bled both lung blood and steadily lost greenish stomach content.  I am certain If I had waited 20 minutes I would have found her less than 40 yards away where she layed down the first time.

I just don't see why any other bullet would have done any better with the exact same placement.

[billy_56081]

Sounds like the bullet worked fine. No bullet will make up for poor placement. One lung and guts will make for a long blood trail.

[Mikey]

rickt:  billy is correct.  There wasn't anything wrong with the load, just the shot placement.  I don't think it would have mattered what the caliber was with the placement where it went.  I'm just glad you were able to recover your harvest. 

1800'/sec with the 240 gn slug is about what you would get from a 44 mag rifle or carbine and if the placement was the same the end result would probably still have been the same.  Mikey.

[WyoStillhunter]

Despite our best efforts these things happen from time to time.  As rickt has done here each incident needs to be a learning experience that leads to greater understanding and skill in the future.  In the real world all shots are not perfect and we have to deal with them.  I know, I've made poor shots before and it can happen again.  A tip of the hat to rickt for sharing.

[nomosendero]

Despite our best efforts these things happen from time to time.  As rickt has done here each incident needs to be a learning experience that leads to greater understanding and skill in the future.  In the real world all shots are not perfect and we have to deal with them.  I know, I've made poor shots before and it can happen again.  A tip of the hat to rickt for sharing.

That is true. If someone has taken alot of game, a mistake will occur & yea,it has happened to me a time or two.

[dpe.ahoy]

That's a fact, anyone trys to say otherwise ain't a man I will listen to on any other matter cause he's makin it up as he goes.  DP

[Sweetwater]

That's a fact! Now and then, something is bound to go wrong and a less than perfect hit, or no hit at all, occurs. Great reminder to us that we aren't alone when it happens to us...again.

Hats off for posting, for all reasons previously posted.

+1 on load and rifle.
A poor hit for whatever reason is simply that and no change in rifle or load can overcome it.

Great report!!

Regards,
Sweetwater

[rickt300]

I just can't say exactly why the round went where it did. I can put three shots on a bottle cap at 50 yards with that rifle. It has a good trigger and I swear the crosshairs were just where I wanted em to be. Just something to think about I guess. I might take it to the range and check it pretty soon but deer season is still on. Leaving tomorrow to enjoy some cold wind and wildlife watching till monday morning unless Mr. Big shows up. I'll be using one of my rifles that I have been using for years, my 7x57 this time backed up by my oldest personally built rifle, the Springfield 30-06.

[billy_56081]

And ya know what everybody makes a bad shot once in a great while. We are all humnan.

[WyoStillhunter]

In 2007 I dropped a raghorn elk at 50 paces with a .444 Marlin.  It was instantaneous, pure gravity, not one step, DRT as they say.

As I field dressed the carcass I realized the bullet hit about 6" high and left of where I aimed.  The bullet hit the spine in front of the shoulder, not the big shoulder joint I aimed for.  That's a big difference at less than 50 yards and I couldn't explain it.  It bothered me even though I tagged a "trophy meat bull."

I began to suspect an ammo issue and checked my records at home.  Sure enough I could not find where I had sighted in the 265 gr. bullets since experimenting with some 300 gr. loads earlier in the year.

I went to the range, set up a target at 50 yards, kneeled down like I'd done in the woods and squeezed off one round of the 265 gr. load.  Bingo!  There was the bullet hole, 6" high and left of the x-ring.  After 45 years of hunting had committed the greenhorn error of changing ammo without resighting the rifle.

All's well that ends well, they say.  But at 100 yards I could have missed completely or worse yet, wounded that elk.  I got lucky and I am sure the lesson has been learned.

[BBF]

 
That 265 grainer is SOMETHING, isn't it !!


BTW. someone wrote they had to wait 20 minutes before "it" died ?? !!

I never had to wait that long for anything I ever shot with anything for that matter. 223 Rem up to .444

[ratherbefishin]

weird things happen with bullets sometimes-Once I shot a spike buck quartering away from me-maybe 75  yard shot,hit it just back of the shoulder with a 303 ,150 gr regular factory load  ,pole axed it in its tracks but  the bullet came out the SAME SIDE-just ahead of the loin.The bullet must have hit bone and reversed over 300  degrees.

[Redtail1949]

Sounds like bullet placement to me. Howver, I am not familier with the bullet you were using. Is it designed for the rifle or is it designed for a pistol? The original 444 bullet was the 240 grain load designed for shooting from the 44 mag pistol and left a lot to be desired for the rifle hunter. It would mushroom rapidly and not penetrate as it should.

After killing a black bear and seeing that I did not get the penetration I wanted and needed on the animal I called the factory and they pointed me to the then new 265 grain load that was designed specificaly for heavy big boned animals and to be fired from the rifle.

I handload that bullet and have never had it fail to perform very well , through both shoulders of bear and nose almost to tail on elk.

With that bullet I would be willing to take anything, inside 150 yards, except brown bear with it. I believe it would do a brown bear in alright yet I would hunt them with a different rifle.