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.444Marlin loads.

widowshooterwidowshooter Member Posts: 28 ✭
edited February 2013 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
Have molded up a nice lot of 300gr. .44cal bullets and want to try them in my .444Marlin..the bullest after lubrisizing with gas check come out around 335grs. Need some powder choices and load data. I was thinking of starting out with IMR 4198 and maybe IMR 3031. Any other ideas on choice of powder would be appreciated.
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Comments

  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Are you using the Lee Mold. If so they should have some data for big bullet. IMR 4198 is what I use for of heavy lead bullets although I have shot a lot of 5744. I'm guessing that for stability you will need to stay in the upper end of the data. I have heard that micro groove barrels don't do well with lead bullets.
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  • widowshooterwidowshooter Member Posts: 28 ✭
    edited November -1
    My molds are all Lyman and I read today the same thing that micro-groove barrels lead easier and need really hard cast bullets, which I don't think mine are, but they are of the gas check design, hopefully this will help abit. I am thinking of dropping down about 10-15% from the max. loads for the 300gr. jacketed bullets and use IMR 4198. I have used this powder alot with the 265gr. Hornadys.
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  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have like 50 Lyman molds and maybe 15 old books from Ideal/Lyman what are the numbers on yours?

    The gas check protect the base from melting. The alloys melt sooner then pure lead. You would do better with tougher lead like linotype or straight wheel weight dropped into water from the mold. But you could try them and see, every rifle is different.

    Your plan sounds ok (-15%), Lee makes a 310gr gas check, I bet they have loading data for your 444 with that bullet. Be a good safety check.
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  • widowshooterwidowshooter Member Posts: 28 ✭
    edited November -1
    Yeah, you are right Charlie, I loved the old wheel wts., I shot them for years in my .44mags, but hard to find in any quantity now. Just like the old Hercules 2400 powder, I would love to get my hands on some of that. The new 2400 by Alliant, in my opinion is no where close to the Hercules, I do not like it. Now I am afraid that the bullets are sized wrong. I checked them last night and they are .428-.429 dia. Not sure of the .444Marlin yet and need to slug the barrel.
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  • widowshooterwidowshooter Member Posts: 28 ✭
    edited November -1
    I think the mold was #429260, 300gr.SWC. Reason I said I did not know about the hardness of these bullets is because I bought the lead ingots online and they are supposed to be the standard 20-1 mix. I used to drop all my .44 bullets from the mold into water and they came out really nice.
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  • navc130navc130 Member Posts: 1,247 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The HANDLOADER Magazine has a good article on the .444 (Aug - Sept 2000, Vol. 35 No. 4). It states that powders with a medium burn rate are best: IMR-3031, Imr-4198, H-322. Best results were with H-322 with bullet weights between 250 and 335 grains, both jacketed and cast.
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  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    429260 isn't listed in any of my books but Lyman now lists a 300 gr 429650.
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  • widowshooterwidowshooter Member Posts: 28 ✭
    edited November -1
    That is probably the correct number Charlie, I went down and got the number, but got distracted for awhile before I posted. Thing is I think I may have to purchase a new sizing die for the lubrisizer to get the outside dia. up to .430-.432 to get the best accuracy from this bullet. H332 and H335 are hard to find so may have to work up loads with IMR3031 and IMR4198. Just wanted something to play with, without having to buy a 45-70 to shoot heavy cast bullets..
    Thanks for all of your replies.

    Mike
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  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    .430 and .431 are common never seen a .432. Have you benn to the cast cullet forum.

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forum.php?s=dd72c1990d52674a410e4ea1e028f947
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  • widowshooterwidowshooter Member Posts: 28 ✭
    edited November -1
    Neither have I seen a .432 dia. sizer, but read about one. .429 shoots well in my .44mags. and I just want something to shoot in my .444Marlin. But I do thank you for your notes and replies.

    Mike
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  • SAZ41SAZ41 Member Posts: 1 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you go to BearTooth Bullets and look in the Tech Notes section Marshall Stanton has at least 3 very well writting papers with reloading data on the 444 Marlin.

    I wish I had found them sooner. They match the results I had worked up but they would have saved me lots of time and trouble.

    http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/index.htm

    http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/28
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  • widowshooterwidowshooter Member Posts: 28 ✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks SAZ41, I now just need to find an oversized lubricating die for my lyman lubrisizer.
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  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,572 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    There was a guy on flea bay that would make lyman/rcbs g and h any size you wanted for a few bucks more than normal retail. Maybe post in the wanted section, I sure someone here has the skill and tooling to make one. I wouldn't try and open one up, they are hard as h....
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  • widowshooterwidowshooter Member Posts: 28 ✭
    edited November -1
    I ordered a new .431 sizing die today..will just have to wait till I find some H-332 powder and see how they work.
    Thanks everyone.
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