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444 marlin ammo questions

Rigger28Rigger28 Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
edited June 2013 in Ask the Experts
Hello all, I just purchased a model 94 timber carbine in .444 marlin. I'm extremely impressed with the look and feel of this rifle. I've bought a few boxes of ammo already, 6 boxes of rem 240 gr SP and 2 boxes of hornady lever evolution 265 FTX. I had a few questions about the ammo available for this rifle and would really appreciate any info:
1) has anyone had any first hand experience with the remington load on elk?
2) the hornady loads are just barely too long to cycle through my rifle, has any one tried trimming just a hair off the polymer tip so that its shorter but still safe in a tube mag?
3) where in the heck can I find some of the hornady superformance 265 gr interlocks????? I have read about a billion reviews saying they are the best factory cartridge for this caliber but I can't find them available anywhere, even on the hornady website.

Thanks in advance for any insight.
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Comments

  • TRAP55TRAP55 Member Posts: 8,292 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    http://www.hornady.com/store/444-Marlin-265-gr-interlock-FP-Superformance/
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  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    http://www.GunBroker.com/Rifle-Ammunition/BI.aspx?Keywords=444

    Should be fine for Elk. Seen lots taken with just a 44 mag handgun or rifle. Not really an open country, cross the canyon trajectory but at distances most people can shoot well it will do the job with a good hit.

    added: http://ammoseek.com/?gun=rifle&cal=221
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  • Rigger28Rigger28 Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Trap55, I appreciate the link but I've already tried that and it only gives you a list of the retailers that carry that ammo, and all those retailers are sold out. I guess I just have to wait until this ammo crisis slows down. Thanks again Sir.
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  • Rigger28Rigger28 Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Charlie, I appreciate the link but I'm looking for the 265 grain interlock, not the 265 grain FTX. THANKS AGAIN SIR.
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  • tsr1965tsr1965 Member Posts: 8,682 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Most likely, your best "ELK" load will not come from Hornady, Federal, or Remington, but it will come from Buffalo Bore, or Corbon. From Corbon it will be loaded with the 225 grain Barnes TSX bullet(don't worry about the weight, as these bullets will outperform 300 grain jacketed bullets). From Buffalo Bore they will have a 300 JSP, or 335 grain hardcast, gas checked bullet.

    Like has been said, that rifle is around a 150-200 yard rifle at the very most, because of its rainbow like trajectory, and crude sights. I don't have experience with the 444, but I have vast experience with a similar cartridge, called the 45-70 Gov't. I have a couple Winchester 1886's, a Marlin 1895, a Browning/Winchester 1885 BPCR rifle, and a Pedersoli 1874 Sharps copy(Quigley model with vernier rear sight, and globe front. While I can consistantly hit a gallon milk jug with the latter two, out to 400 yards using a 405 grain bullet, I would not shoot at game, much over 200 yards.

    Best
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  • savage170savage170 Member Posts: 37,537 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    According to ammo seek {elsewhere} where I got my last box http://ammoseek.com/?gun=rifle&cal=221&grains=0&mfg=7&ikw=&ekw=&noblanks=noblanks&sortby=cpr&find_ammo=1If your Marlin is a older one you may have to change the follower to the newer concave style to work with the leverloutions
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  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member Posts: 10,042 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    "1If your Marlin is a older one you may have to change the follower to the newer concave style to work with the leverloutions"....................he said he had a Win. 94 so all bets are off. I don't see any 'down side' to trimming the soft 'tip' so it will feed ok. if you reload note that the Hornady cases are about 1/8" shorter that the Rem. so crimping with standard dies may be a problem.
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  • savage170savage170 Member Posts: 37,537 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by MIKE WISKEY
    "1If your Marlin is a older one you may have to change the follower to the newer concave style to work with the leverloutions"....................he said he had a Win. 94 so all bets are off. I don't see any 'down side' to trimming the soft 'tip' so it will feed ok. if you reload note that the Hornady cases are about 1/8" shorter that the Rem. so crimping with standard dies may be a problem.

    posted that part on wrong forum. was on the Marlin forum at the same time and a guy had a older marlin that wouldn't feed the last round just the link for the ammo is all I wanted to post here
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  • Rigger28Rigger28 Member Posts: 5 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for all the replies I think I'm just gonna sight it in with the hornady 265 ftx's and when I'm hunting I will load one of those in the pipe and fill the mag with the Remington's so my gun will cycle smoothly. Again, I appreciate the info and it was a warm welcome to this forum. I am very familiar with the 45-70 as my dad uses a marlin 1895 for elk but he has a much better factory ammo selection. He uses a remington SP in his, so I guess I should be able to count on the 444 rem SPs. I have read that a 444 hits about like a 30-06. my 06 has never failed me on elk before so I guess I can be confident. Does anyone else have a Timber Carbine?
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  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Rigger28
    1) has anyone had any first hand experience with the remington load on elk?
    No, but a 240 grain bullet at something like 2300fps yields roughly 4x the kinetic energy of a standard .44 magnum revolver at the muzzle, with similar bullet size/weight.

    You still have to put the bullet in the right place, obviously, and maybe this isn't "the best" elk load, but if you can't kill an elk with that, you're probably doing something wrong.

    quote:2) the hornady loads are just barely too long to cycle through my rifle, has any one tried trimming just a hair off the polymer tip so that its shorter but still safe in a tube mag?
    You can do that safely, I think, so long as you realize you'll probably be compromising accuracy and probably velocity too a bit at longer ranges. At typical hunting distances of 100 yards or less, I doubt it will make any real difference, though.

    quote:3) where in the heck can I find some of the hornady superformance 265 gr interlocks????? I have read about a billion reviews saying they are the best factory cartridge for this caliber but I can't find them available anywhere, even on the hornady website.
    Well, in case you haven't noticed, *ALL* ammo is in short supply right now due to the second Obama-induced gun/ammo panic. This place is listing the ammo; I'd call just to double-check that they have some in stock before placing an order.

    http://tinyurl.com/nvdzjg8

    As mentioned, the Buffalo Bore is also a "pounder" in terms of sheer power. That could be worth a look too for "super premium" ammo in this calber, eg: http://www.lg-outdoors.com/proddetail.asp?*=SS_82323
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