gun

[hunter46]

does anyone have any experience hunting with a 444 marlin lever action rifle and how good are they and does anyone know why they do not have a hunting show where they use a lever action rifle

[MR "T"]

444, Marlins are awsome @ short range,if i put a scope on one, it would be a 3x, or 4 x power. (Bullet Drop) A friend of mine has a stainless steel, "Guide Gun" in 45/70, IT will kill a BEAR! 444 balistics are similar! ( might lose more meat w/ the Big Bore)
In california, most of the DEER are "backtails", which tend to be smaller, than mule deer or Whitetails. I shoot a .270, or .44 mag pistol.

[MR "T"]

Also, a friend loaded DOWN, a .375 H&H magnum. and shot two deer w one shot!
(ruger single shot) ( Nor. Cal.)

[sboren]

I own a Marlin in both 45/70 and 30/30. as mentioned 444 is very similar. Very good big game game for shorter (to 100 yards) distances. Beyond that is is simply a matter of your practice and comfort. Typically won't see lever guns on TV shows b/c everybody wants to see 300 WinMag and other super hi power rifles, shots taken at 400 yards. Most of us dont shoot anything that far away.

[greensteelforge]

Big bores like the .444 do less meat damage than the small-bore screamers do. Excessive damage is done by fragmentation and high velocity secondary projectiles, not bullet diameter. Lever actions are as good as anything else under 200 yards (as long as you do your part). The .444 kills with hydrostatic shock (basically transferring kinetic energy through the fluids of the animal), so it relies less on precision shot placement than the general area of the animal that is hit. My brother uses a .450 marlin for whitetails, and does less meat damage than a .30-06. He has yet to track a deer further than about ten feet from the point of the shot. Recoil is the only down side to these guns in the woods, and it's manageable. I use a .375 H&H, and haven't had anything bad to say for it. Lots of other people seem to have lots of opinions about it, but everyone I've ever let hunt with it loves it. Most people critical of big bullets are sensitive to recoil, or simply wedded to whatever it is that they shoot. Give the gun a try, my guess is, you'll love it.

[Terry Blagburn]

hunting the national Forest of east Texas nothing can beat the big bore lever action. Where most shots is under 50 yards and with the lever action your allways ready for a little exciteing wild hog hunting as they are as thick as the deer if not more so.

[go4itfella]

Originally Posted by hunter46

does anyone have any experience hunting with a 444 marlin lever action rifle and how good are they and does anyone know why they do not have a hunting show where they use a lever action rifle

It depends on whick catagory of animal you would use that rifle on. It would not be recommended for Bear, Moose or animals of that size and is used mainly in heavily wooded areas.

[dinosaur]

It's also pretty good from horseback. I have a Rossi .357 Magnum lever action rifle I slide into a scabbard that straps onto a saddle. It is most effective.

[greensteelforge]

Having just refreshed my memory on this round, I would differ from the opinion that this round should be limited to the smaller end on big game. It closely mimics the performance of the .405 winchester, and the 45-70 government rounds, both of which have been used very successfully on some of the world's biggest game. It should dispatch anything on this continent cleanly, as long as you don't push it's range too far. Lever actions are at their best in close-work. There is a tendency these days for people to use small caliber high-velocity rounds for every application. The truth is, the only things a high speed magnum thirty will do better than this round, is hit a target at greater distance, and unnecessarily shred meat. I've used allot of guns on big game, and have settled on .35 caliber and up because it simply hits harder.

[Mountainman]

I have been hunting for almost 50 years, since I was 13. Back then, I lived in Philadelphia, PA and deer hunting trips into the Pocono mountains were common as well as trips to New Jersey's Pine Barrens. In the mountains, I used a converted 1917 Eddystone 30-06 bolt action with iron peep sight. In Jersey, I used a 12 gauge shotgun with buckshot. Now, since retiring from the Air Force back in 1987, I live and hunt mostly in Montana but have also hunted in South and North Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. I have taken plenty Antelope, Mule Deer and Whitetail deer with either a .280 Remington or .30-06. I once got a Mountain Goat tag and used a .30-06. Never needed more than 1 shot and almost every shot was taken at less than 200 yards Only once did I shoot an Antelope with a Ruger #1 in 7mm Rem Magnum at what I considered extreme long range - 467 yards as paced off by myself and my hunting partner. Long drag that! I did have a .338 Win Mag that I used on an elk once, but that was because we were in Grizzley Bear country and I like keeping atop of the food chain. I have taken game with everything from a .22 up to and including a .45-70. The best overall hunting round, in my opinion has been the .30-06 with the .280 a very close second. I do most of my hunting now using a black powder rifle in .54 caliber. I prefer to hunt with round ball and FFg powder (70 to 90 grains) in my Lyman Great Plains rifle. It is a fine shooter and I can use it out to 100 to 150 yards maximum range. I plan on using it next elk season to get a cow elk up in the Lincoln or Agusta areas if I draw the tag. That .54 round knocks deer right off their feet at 50 to 75 yards and the recoil is much more manageable than my .45-70 or .405 winchester.