The .444 Marlin Cartridge Review: Better than .45-70 Gov?

[Talyn]

Big-Bore lever-guns remain very popular, but you may want to consider one chambered in .444 Marlin over .45-70 Government!​

The .444 Marlin Cartridge Review: Better than .45-70 Gov? - Firearms News

Big-Bore lever-guns remain very popular, but you may want to consider one chambered in .444 Marlin over .45-70 Government! 444 marlin review best 444 marlin for sale affordable cheap ammo for sale

www.firearmsnews.com

 

[ECS686]

Good article. Really is a good round. For those 444 Marlin Shooters High Desert Cartridge offers a coulle FP loads for the 444. I have used their handgun stuff and great stuff. You can order directly from him. Steve is a great guy and smaller couple 3 person operation.

Give them a try Kyle Defoe and Bill Blower used High Desert exclusively

Page link here

High Desert Cartridge Company – Quality. Integrity. Reliability.

 

[TEXASforLIFE]

Whin i 1st got my 45-70 i talked with remlin about it and was asked if I'd be interested in the 444? Being a 44mag fan i said, yes. By the time production finally hit the shelves it was gone fast. Maybe in the future I'll get 1? Does it have more "punch" than a 45-70.......nope, but very close. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of either!

 

[BarryinIN]

I will accept the author’s premise that the 444 is a good round. However, nothing in the article tells me it’s better than the .45-70.

 

[papa]

It's the rifle that Mack Boland started his fight with the mafia so there's that.

 

[Talyn]

More...

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Head to Head: .444 Marlin vs. .45-70 Government

Both are cartridges are suitable for nearly any big-game animal, save the African dangerous heavyweights, and both have fervent, passionate followers. Contributor Philip Massaro takes a closer look at the similarities, differences and applications of each.

www.americanhunter.org

.45-70 Gov't vs .444 Marlin - RifleShooter

Realistically, the .45-70 and .444 Marlin are not as similar as they may initially seem.

www.rifleshootermag.com

 

[BarryinIN]

More...

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Head to Head: .444 Marlin vs. .45-70 Government

Both are cartridges are suitable for nearly any big-game animal, save the African dangerous heavyweights, and both have fervent, passionate followers. Contributor Philip Massaro takes a closer look at the similarities, differences and applications of each.

www.americanhunter.org

.45-70 Gov't vs .444 Marlin - RifleShooter

Realistically, the .45-70 and .444 Marlin are not as similar as they may initially seem.

www.rifleshootermag.com

View attachment 75964

I will now defend the magnificent all-American 45-70!

The claimed advantages of the .444:

1) Great bullet availability due to .44 Mag.
2) Relatively flat trajectory
3) Exclusive club. Few shooters own one.

Rebuttal:
1) Bullets are plentiful due to the .44 Mag, but they aren’t necessarily useable in the .444 Marlin aside from plinking. As the original article says, they aren’t constructed for .444 impact velocity.

2) Relatively flat trajectory.
“Relatively”
I’m going to dig into this one because it’s the one point in any Pro-444 article claimed as a true advantage of the .444 cartridge over the .45-70.

I ran the numbers through the Applied Ballistics calculator. The most common (only?) factory load for the .444 seems to be the original 265 grain bullet at 2200 FPS. The closest factory load for the .45-70 is the 300 grain JHP at 2069 FPS.
With a 100 yard zero:

.444 265/2200 FPS
150 yards….Drop 3.02”
200………………………9.38”
250……………………..19.88”
300……………………..35.51”

45-70 300/2069 FPS .444 Advantage
150 yards….Drop 3.49” .47”
200…………………….10.69” .79”
250…………………….22.45” 2.58”
300…………………….39.79 4.28”

OK then. I give this one to the .444! But does it matter?

A three foot drop rather than three feet, four inches after 300 yards.

OK, a 250 yard shot is ever so slightly more realistic, and the .444’s edge is a 20” drop vs 22.5”.

Most likely is 150 yards, and it’s 3” against 3.5”. Roughly the bullet diameter of a .45-70.

.444 Marlin. Big winner on trajectory.

Choosing the .444 over the .45-70 for that, you mostly limit yourself to one bullet and load rather than the ability to use bullets from 300-500 grains (and then some) and the game that goes with them. You give up better availability of the ammo and brass, rifle choices, and probably more I'm not thinking of.
Not to mention: Murica!

And finally
3) Exclusive club. Not many shooters have one.
It’s hard to read that one without laughing.


Choose .45-70.
Choose AMERICA!!!

 

[ECS686]

I will now defend the magnificent all-American 45-70!

The claimed advantages of the .444:

1) Great bullet availability due to .44 Mag.
2) Relatively flat trajectory
3) Exclusive club. Few shooters own one.

Rebuttal:
1) Bullets are plentiful due to the .44 Mag, but they aren’t necessarily useable in the .444 Marlin aside from plinking. As the original article says, they aren’t constructed for .444 impact velocity.

2) Relatively flat trajectory.
“Relatively”
I’m going to dig into this one because it’s the one point in any Pro-444 article claimed as a true advantage of the .444 cartridge over the .45-70.

I ran the numbers through the Applied Ballistics calculator. The most common (only?) factory load for the .444 seems to be the original 265 grain bullet at 2200 FPS. The closest factory load for the .45-70 is the 300 grain JHP at 2069 FPS.
With a 100 yard zero:

.444 265/2200 FPS
150 yards….Drop 3.02”
200………………………9.38”
250……………………..19.88”
300……………………..35.51”

45-70 300/2069 FPS .444 Advantage
150 yards….Drop 3.49” .47”
200…………………….10.69” .79”
250…………………….22.45” 2.58”
300…………………….39.79 4.28”

OK then. I give this one to the .444! But does it matter?

A three foot drop rather than three feet, four inches after 300 yards.

OK, a 250 yard shot is ever so slightly more realistic, and the .444’s edge is a 20” drop vs 22.5”.

Most likely is 150 yards, and it’s 3” against 3.5”. Roughly the bullet diameter of a .45-70.

.444 Marlin. Big winner on trajectory.

Choosing the .444 over the .45-70 for that, you mostly limit yourself to one bullet and load rather than the ability to use bullets from 300-500 grains (and then some) and the game that goes with them. You give up better availability of the ammo and brass, rifle choices, and probably more I'm not thinking of.
Not to mention: Murica!

And finally
3) Exclusive club. Not many shooters have one.
It’s hard to read that one without laughing.


Choose .45-70.
Choose AMERICA!!!

Your not wrong and while the 444 Marlin is not a bad round wether that or other caliber arguments sometimes the numbers rabid fans use to argue it’s performance iver is moot. Like non of that matters in a same side by side comparison on shooting a deer/game

Sometimes it’s just companies want their name on something, 444 “Marlin” the coulle “Ruger” rifle rounds the 40 “S&W” then other companies have to put 40 auto on their guns LOL

It’s like far reaching

 

[BarryinIN]

I don’t doubt the .444 Marlin is a good round. I’ve only shot a friend’s a few times.
But the author of the originally linked article asks: Better than the .45-70 Gov?

Nope.

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