444 in G2 Contender?

[azmike]

Does anyone know if the G2 frame can handle the 444 Marlin?  I note that while the 45-70 is offered both from the factory and custom shop, and the 375 JDJ also, the 444 is absent from the lineup. 

[manofthe45]

I had a super 14 barrel for a while that was a 44 mag reamed out to 444  I already had the 45-70 so I didn't need two similiar barrels

[Reed1911]

Yes and no. You can certainly have a .444 Marlin made for the Contender, however you MUST handload for it or have custom loads made for it. It will not take the factory ammunition.

[skb2706]

Yes and no. You can certainly have a .444 Marlin made for the Contender, however you MUST handload for it or have custom loads made for it. It will not take the factory ammunition.

Wouldn't that make the answer....most certainly NO !!

[azmike]

Thank you for the information.  I think I'll stick with my 30-30 barrel for the time being, and decide on a big bore later on.

Regards,

Mike

[EdK]

If you were looking towards the 444 as a higher powered 44 mag than you may want to consider the 445 Supermag. The round splits the difference and has been offered by the factory as a standard chambering.

[Reed1911]

Wouldn't that make the answer....most certainly NO !!

No, it makes the answer that it needs low pressured ammunition for longevity. Most likely it would digest a box or two of full powered off the shelf ammunition before the frame began to show signs of failure, but I would not be the one to test that. The questions was posed

Does anyone know if the G2 frame can handle the 444 Marlin?  I note that while the 45-70 is offered both from the factory and custom shop, and the 375 JDJ also, the 444 is absent from the lineup. 

Yes as long as the loads are kept to a lower then is normally found level.

[skb2706]

It would be irresponsible in some extreme way to make a barrel chambered for a round the gun could not handle based on factory specs for that chambering.............answer is still "NO".

[Reed1911]

It would be irresponsible in some extreme way to make a barrel chambered for a round the gun could not handle based on factory specs for that chambering.............answer is still "NO".

You are correct that loading a factory round in it would be a big no-no, but so is handloading up a cartridge for the T/C and shooting it in an old leaver action. Provided the user knows the limits of the product and uses it accordingly, all is well. I have a Contended 10" barrel chambered in the .444 Marlin, It's a great shooter, loud as all heck but accurate as all get out, I know what the contender frame is limited to. If you want to take it further, look at the Contender barrels chambered in 7.62x39, heck there are factory barrels from T/C in the caliber, but you can't use factory ammo.

[dscp]

HOWDY!   MY QUESTION IS CLOSE BUT DIFFERENT......I WANT AN ENCORE RIFLE BBL IN 444 MARLIN. DO YOU JUST REAM OUT A 44 MAG ? IS THEIR A BETTER WAY (OTHER THAN HAVING THE WHOLE THING CUSTOM DONE ? )
I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS,
dscp