444 marlin xlr ????

[H&R slugger]

anyone have any experience with this ? always wanted a 444 marlin, and now with this xlr iam salivating.

[Racker]

It's a nice gun, I've always thought marlin lever actions were great. One thing to keep in mind is the weight of the gun. Heavy cartridges need more weight to reduce recoil. now the CZ550 american in .458 winchester is a nice gun too. I want both!

[ACEarcher]

If your looking at a .444 you might want to look at the 45-70gov. I've read many articles saying that the .444 is good, but the 45-70gov is better.

[H&R slugger]

ace archer, .....iam starting to get into using guns and calibers that arent the norm. ive been through the 30-30, and 30-06 stage. just wanna break free from the mold a little. last season i did all my hunting with single shot hammer guns. both deer and small game. the duck hunting with a single shot was fun trying to get that 2nd shot

[WoodsHunter]

Hey, wany do you want to know...
Bought one two rears ago, 444xlr, looks good and shoots good,
Been using the Hornady's Leverevolution 265Gr. bullet. It's a heavy
bullet good say out to 200yds. I'M hoping that they come out with
a lighter bullet say 200Gr. to get that x-tra 50yds. but these work well.
I have a 30M/M Leapold scope (2 X 7) but looking at the one Cabella's
offers that is design just for the 444, it's in there cataloge now, It's
pre-sighted for the 265Gr. bullet and sighted in for 100, 200, & 300yds.
even though I think 300yds. is a reach. It's in 40M/M (3 X 9)
If your looking for something a little faster they also offer the xlr in .308
Marlin Express, not to be confused with the .308 Winchester, not
interchangable. Other then the caliber they are the same. They are a
little heavy but it's not too bad. Go to a gun shop take one for a test
feel, you'll like it...

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[Barrell]

Odd guns and calibers are pretty cool but there is something to be said about owning a gun that ammo can be had cheap. Practice makes perfect and if the ammo is cheap you wont mind shooting it every weekend. Ive seen guys come to our Pa CAMP with one box of expensive ammo and only want to shoot a couple of rounds of practice and save therest for opening day. Those always seem to be the guys who miss or wound.
I consider myself better then most with a rifle but I will shoot at least 200 rounds before opening day.

[WoodsHunter]

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I've always preached, practice, practice, practice, just ask my kid's...
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[Setterman]

anyone have any experience with this ? always wanted a 444 marlin, and now with this xlr iam salivating.
H&R Slugger,

I've had a older Marlin .444 since the early '80's. Around the same time my buddy liked my Marlin but bought the Marlin in .45-70. What I can tell you from experience is the .444 is potent. In Pennsy the deer cover I hunt is thick and most shots are under 75 yards. Deer I've hit with this round went down quickly. Wound channels were devastating and always with complete penetration. I handload, and my favorite load is the Hornady 265 gr. JFP under IMR4198. I somewhat duplicated a load I found in an article by Rick Hacker some years ago that also can be found in the Hornady reloading manual and see no signs of excess pressure, flattened primers, etc. Accuracy is surprisingly good at 100 yards.

I mentioned my friend's .45-70 for a reason. The .444 is limited by bullet weights, since it is a .44 caliber (actually .429 in diameter). Some years ago Barnes made 250, 275 and 300 gr. bullets for this cartridge but most bullets found today are constructed as pistol bullets except for the bigger Hornady and expand too violently at the increased velocity of the .444. I don't see Barnes cataloging the heavier weights anymore. I have not tried the Hornady Leverevolution bullet yet. What I've concocted with a handload seems to work for me and I won't change things.

The .45-70 has a better bullet selection, and offers stouter construction in bullets that what can be had in the .444. That may be a better avenue if you want to tackle larger game like moose. I wouldn't hesitate to go for moose with the 265 gr. bullet in the .444 however.

PS - I've seen fellows at my range with the .45-70 in the shortened Guide gun, and after a half-box of shells from the bench, they look a little dazed and confused from the recoil and muzzle-blast and their smiles have been reduced to a wince. I would prefer the longer bbl. (22") and no exhaust ports for the weight it affords, less muzzle blast the velocity gain.