Ammo

The .444 Marlin was developed in 1964 as an alternative caliber for Marlin's Model 1895 lever action. Early factory loads featured the same 240-grain bullet as the .44 Magnum. So, in effect, with that same projectile, the .444 classified as sort of a "super-speed" .44 Magnum.

The cartridge was first introduced in the mid-1960s for Marlin's Model 444 lever gun, designed by Marlin R&D director Thomas Robinson and company metallurgist Arthur Burns, according to William S. Brophy's book Marlin Firearms. According to Brophy, they essentially developed it by using an unfinished .30-06 case that was drawn straight with an unfinished head into which they could turn an extractor rim. They succeeded in getting Remington to load it as a factory round for their new rifle. Today, only Remington, Cor-Bon and most recently Hornady produce factory ammo.

Now, the tubular magazines of most lever actions put design limitations on the ammunition. With cartridges loaded end-to-end, the tips of the rearmost cartridges rest against the bases of the rounds ahead. When the gun fires, the recoil (and counter-recoil) forces within the magazine tube could set off the primers unless proper precautions are taken.

Traditionally, these precautions involve the use of bullet with either soft, flat noses or large-diameter hollowpoints. It would be no fun at all to have one or more rounds go off in the magazine tube with your support hand right there. The bullets chosen for these loads were selected with that in mind (more about this later).

Loading for the .444 Marlin presents no special challenges to the reloader. Most of the bullets used in the .444 are also useable in the .44 Remington Magnum and used in both rifles and pistols. As a result, while the .444 itself isn't hugely popular (even though highly effective as a close-cover gun) the supply of suitable bullets is more than adequate. All these pistol/rifle bullets have pretty poor ballistic performance, but since this caliber is mostly used in conditions where 100-yard shots are about the maximum, the ballistic coefficient isn't a critical factor.

Modern technology has made bullets much more effective. A while back, a reader took me to task because I highly recommended using premium bullets for hunting. He told me I was wasting money and that his cheap bullets worked just fine. I'm glad he is satisfied with his results because he must be saving about 10 cents per shot. With the price of gas being what it is (even a short drive to your hunting camp is costly), I prefer to "buy" the insurance the premium bullets provide for a successful hunt.

Cases are a bit of a problem but not enough to stop the show. Our supply of Cor-Bon rounds was built on Remington brass, but Hornady sells unprimed brass as well, so cases should be widely available.