Author Topic: 444P-Good Deal? (Read 808 times)

Big Blue · « **on:** September 25, 2004, 01:54:02 PM »

I put a deposit on a 444P today. It's a used, as new, ported, 444P, with a Leupold M8 4X scope for $399.00. I talked him down from $429.00. The scope alone goes for $200.00 new. There's not a scratch on this rifle.
Don

BIG JAKE · « **Reply #1 on:** September 25, 2004, 03:33:10 PM »

Way to go old friend. That one heck of a deal. I paid that for my 1895 guide gun used minus the scope. I have a 444 in a Win. Timber Carbine and love it, hope you have as much fun with yours as I do with mine.

Big Blue · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2004, 09:31:26 AM »

Big Jake,
Thanks. The funny thing is, I had no intention of buying another rifle. I had gone there to pick up another bolt action that I had bought and there was this lever action looking right at me. Well, I pondered that lonely looking .444 all night, and the next morning I just had to go back and claim it.
Don

Mikey · « **Reply #3 on:** September 26, 2004, 09:58:11 AM »

Big Blue - you're gonna love it, I can guarantee it. I have a Timber Carbine like the Marlin you bought, and of all my 444s - all Winnies - the short barrelled Timber Carbine is by far the handiest and neatest of all.

Even though the barrel is as short as the one on the 444P, she recoils less from the bench (the ports work), is quite accurate with open sights, and is a hoot to shoot.

If you reload you will really begin to both appreciate and enjoy the 444. Heavy bullets make the 444 much more than the factory loads. I've taken Elk and Boar with mine and there was no doubt about how effective that caliber can be. Mikey.

cam69conv · « **Reply #4 on:** September 26, 2004, 05:13:53 PM »

Mikey,
Do ya think the 265 grain Hornady light mags will be sufficiant for an elk and a red deer hunt Im goin on this year??? Id sure love to use it on it...Im dead on with 1/16 inch groups first four shots till the barrel heats up with this lil bessy and Im in total love with it...BUT...Lawd them 265's kick like a pissed off mule :eek: I shoot the 240's and dont even notice the recoil after them buggers

I wont be shootin past 150 MAX...I have other rifles to choose from but id sure like to knockum down with this one...I just wanna be sure since its a "hit it you bought it" hunt...Dont wanna have to be trackin a wounded animal for 3 days...Thanks...Lynn

Ps..Its a Marlin 336 .444..... Unported...May take it to a smithie to get it ported

Mikey · « **Reply #5 on:** September 27, 2004, 02:17:03 AM »

Morning cam69conv: I don't see why the 265s should not be able to course right on through the chest of an Elk out to 150 yds - some folks say the 256 gn Hornaday bullet is the perfect bullet for the 444. Me, I prefer the heavier weight bullets but that's just me - I've been playing with the 444 for more than 30 years trying to get an accuarte cast bullet load and I finally got that with the Beartooth Bullets and wanted to hunt with those. Your 265s should do the job on both the Elk and the red deer, certainly.

Interesting thing about the 444 - it will kick ya like a mule from the bench, but once you line up those sights on your game, you don't feel a thing. I spent a good 6 months developing a heavy cast bullet load for the two 444s I took hunting and must have gone through at least 300 rounds at the bench - wore my PAST Recoil shield each time and got to think warmly of it. Forgot to put the darn thing on when I got dressed for my hunts but never even felt the rifle go off when I dropped the hammer.

I can guarrantee you though that if you have that rifle ported while you may reduce the recoil by a bit, you will increase the muzzle blast by a painful amount - earplugs are required, even in the field. Good luck and let us know how you did on the hunt. HTH. Mikey.

cam69conv · « **Reply #6 on:** September 27, 2004, 12:32:16 PM »

Thankya der Mikey,
Ive hunted many times with my buddy's .444 with deer and did do a little research and felt it could do the job but I just wanted some first hand knowledge ifn ya know what I mean....I think what im gonna do is take the .303 or the 300 win mag up for the Elk though and use the .444 on the red deer...Just dont wanna take a chance if ya know what I mean...Ive taken a few Elk with the 300 so I know it does tha trick

Big Blue · « **Reply #7 on:** September 27, 2004, 02:28:57 PM »

Mikey,
Last night, I visited BTB and I read Marshal's three part series on the .444, some really good reading. I'm sort of leaning towards trying those 325 gr. BTB bullets, what are you using?
Don

Mikey · « **Reply #8 on:** September 28, 2004, 02:53:35 AM »

Big Blue: Howdy Don... I have 3 different Winchester 444s, all with different length barrels and different twists, so developing an accurate load for each has been a labor of love. Of the 3, I worked with a Montana Rifleman 26", 6 groove 1:24 twist rifle, and a stock Big Bore with a 20", 12 groove 1:38 twist rifle. Both were firelapped.

With the 26" barrel I found the most accurate load to be Beartooth's 330 gn long flat nosed dual crimp gas checked bullet over 52 grns of Varget. You can go to 54 grns of that powder but have one hay of a time compressing the load to get the bullet to a functional (lever action) seating depth, so I stuck with the 52 grn load. From my long barrel I estimate close to 2200'/sec with that load. That load flipped a 400 lb Russian Boar right over on his side. He was hit from 50 yds, through a narrow window in the brushy deadfall he was hunkered down in. The slug took him behind the head on the left side and completely exited his right shoulder. No contest. The same load also took a 7-800 lb cow Elk at 100 yds, with two slugs completely penetrating her chest. Again, no contest.

With the 20" barrelled rifle, the most accurate load for me with open sights was the 300 gn version of the 330 grn Beartooth bullet over 52 grns of H322 - that's a whomper. Didn't get the chance to try that one out this last hunt but will use it for whitetail this fall.

BTW Don, accuracy for me is under an inch at 100 yds. And the load that gives the most consistent pattern is the one I choose. Either of those two rifles might become my favorite hunting companion. Now, all I have to do is the same for the Timber Carbine - whooooo boy, that one will light up the night sky with its ported barrel.

I wouldn't worry about the Elk with the 444. The cow I took had just turned her head to lok at something (my brother I think) and that re-postioned her so that my first shot penetrated the bottom half of her lungs and the top part of her liver. When I saw the bullet had not hit where I wanted it and she was still standing (2 seconds later), I closed to within 75 yds and took a better shot. By that time (a few more seconds) her head was down and she was beginning to falter. My next shot pentrated throught the upper chest and heart and she simply dropped.

I have no doubt the 265 grn bullet at nearly 2300'/sec would do the same thing or possibly perform even better. That slug is very accurate in all of my rifles but I just wanted to go with something heavier. HTH, and good luck. Mikey.

Big Blue · « **Reply #9 on:** September 28, 2004, 11:38:42 AM »

Mikey,
I've always been fond of heavy for caliber loads. I shoot 320 gr. over 21.5 gr. of H110 out of my .44 mag. 1894P, and 420 gr. over 37.0 gr. of IMR 4198 from my 45/70 H+R Buffalo Classic. I think I'll start with the 335 gr. BTB, in the 444P. I have a good supply of Varget, which seems to work well in this caliber. Thanks for the benfit of your experience with this caliber. BTW- I love the ported rifles.
Don