Free: Contests & Raffles.
the 444 marlin, that sorry old thing is no good unless you handload. they load it with 44 mag pistol bullets... bullets too short for it.
you know all this talk aobut the new 308 marlin has me wondering.... how come the 307 win or 284 didnt take off?... both are better than the new 308... i dunno
So where does the .444 Marlin fit in, in terms of big-game lever-gun cartridges? Well, let's start with the .30-30 family of cartridges that are easy to find, easy to shoot and have been reliably killing deer and black bear for many, many decades. This power level is typified by 170 grain bullets at about 2150 fps. While the .30-30 certainly can kill elk and moose, most hunters opt for something a little more powerful for these beasts to drop them as quickly as possible and avoid losing the animal. The next step up in power is found in the .33, .348, .35 and .356 Winchester group of cartridges. With these rounds we are generally talking about 200-250 grains bullets at 2200-2400 fps. They have established themselves over the years as reliable black timber elk rounds. The next step up the power ladder, we find the .444 Marlin loaded with 300 grain bullets at 2100 fps (cast or jacketed), providing the hunter with a great deal of power and versatility. This level of performance is riding hard on the heels of the revered .405 Winchester (300 grains at 2200 fps), with a better (i.e. less abusive) stock design, easy to find strong brass, and out of a levergun that won't crush the family budget. This power level will handle anything in North America, and would not be out of place in Africa. Yup, the .444 Marlin is a keeper. You might even call it modern-day big medicine... - Glen E. Fryxell
mike walking, if that is the correct rationale,, then we would have the 30-06, but no 270, no 308, no 7 rem mag....if they failed because too similar to 308 win.. then why all the interest in the marlin 308?.. i would take the 284 win any day over the marlin.