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44 mag and 444 marlin questions

Hedgelj

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,190
178
Mohicanish
For those of you using these calibers this week I have some questions. What rounds are you using? Handloading a certain bullet? Hornady Leverevolution? or? Are there any bullets that you have had less than desireable results on deer with?

After running some information through a ballistics calculator:

444 Marlin using the 265 gr LEVERevolution a 3" high zero at 100 yards is +/- 4 inches from 0-225 yards and only 8 inches low at 250 yards which would be a pretty far shot for where I hunt in Ohio. Anyone using a similar zero? Is that similar to what you see ballistics curve wise with your weapon?

44 mag shooting a remington 240 gr JHP (generic 44 mag load) with a 100 yard zero is within an inch to 100 and then starts dropping being 5.5 low at 150 yards and 10.3 low at 175.

Is this what you all are seeing from your guns?
 
Bowhunter57

Bowhunter57

Senior Member
5,164
181
Roaming the country side....Retired.
Hedgelj said:
44 mag shooting a remington 240 gr JHP (generic 44 mag load) with a 100 yard zero is within an inch to 100 and then starts dropping being 5.5 low at 150 yards and 10.3 low at 175.

Is this what you all are seeing from your guns?
Click to expand...

I'm surprised that you didn't get any responses. I used a Henry steel frame, in 44 Mag. with my reload of a Hornady 240gr. JHP and 2400 powder @ 1300 f.p.s. At 50 yards it will shoot a 3/4" group on a bench with open sights.
I shot a small doe with it, at 40+ yards with a heart/lung shot and had no problem dropping it...within another 40 yards.

Love this rifle, as it's light weight, low recoil, extremely accurate, low muzzle noise and just plain ole fun to shoot.

Bowhunter57
 
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Deerhuntingguy

Junior Member
33
0
Northeast Ohio
Hello,I'd stay clear of any hollow points on deer,at rifle velocity they will just blow up on impact,shallow penetration,
Look for Winchester white box 240 grn jsp, some of the Barnes are good, Hornady in the exp240 jhp is a tough bullet
The leverevolution, 225grn worked for me,some complain on it...put it where it needs to go,and it won't fail.
My cva hunter will do,3/4 ar 100 yards of a bench, but under field conditions it would open up some. 444 marlin is a great rifle round, but 44 mag ammo is easier to come by, I believe my gun is sighted in about 1inch high@50 yrds, pbr is around 132? Or something,but I don't worry about doing trig numbers in my head
That's a really far shot in my hunting woods.
 
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Lundy

Lundy

Member
1,307
127
I hunted with a .444 marlin this year from a H&R handi rifle.

I shot the Hornady Superformance. I was getting much better grouping with the Superformance than I was with the Leverevolution and I like the bullet performance much better also on the Superformance.

I was set 2-1/2" high at 100 1-1/2 low at 200. I did not shoot past 200 to check as I didn't plan on taking any shots longer than that, wind drift just becomes to much of a variable where I hunt

I have only shot one deer with the .444 marlin and it was around 140 yds and it never took a step. My hunting buddy killed his first with the .444 marlin this year also. Around 130 yds and the same drop on the spot results. Both showed excellent bullet performance and no fragmenting on impact that has been very prevalent with the leverevolutions
 
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antiqucycle

Junior Member
506
36
East Ohio
Trip 4's all the way. If you reload, once you have the brass, its really cheap to reload. about 18 cents for a bullet, 3 cents for a LR primer and 15 cents of powder. So, $ 7.20 a box of 20.
 
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