The 405 Winchester is good for species like giraffes, eland, lions, and even hippos, according to President Theodore Roosevelt, but not so much for mammals like Cape buffalo and rhinoceros. I, for one, am glad to see it back. of energy but Im trying to keep this oranges and oranges). Bullet Works | Gunblast.Com |
My late Godfather Oren Mick DeCheck, my maternal great-uncleenjoyed a .444 Marlin as his deer/bear rifle, and my DadOl Grumpy Pantsstill reaches for his Browning 1886 centennial .45-70 Government, so both of these cartridges played a role in my shooting world. Reply Glittering_War7622 . The .444 Marlin has the advantage of using the jacketed and cast bullets for the .44 Magnum, making it a rather flexible design for the handloader. But in my opinion, the sheer flexibility of the .45-70 Government in both rifles and ammunition gives it a definitive advantage. The other very fine bullet and my second choice is the Hornady soft nose 265 grainer. But by far the best when you combine both velocity and accuracy, and that is H4198. Mag. Buy . I have an 1895 in 30-06 that is a very good rifle, accurate with factory loads and carries well for a day in the woods. It is a slightly tapered case going from .470" at the base to .453" at the case mouth, while the 1.285" long .44 Magnum is a straight case of .456" diameter. Just be mindful that when shopping for sights youll see references to 1895 that refer to Marlin and not Winchester. Or how about a 330 grain cast bullet over 55 grains of H-335 giving 2262 fps and 3750 ft.lbs. certainly qualifies, and I think the 1895 would be a fantastic wild boar, elk, bear or moose hunting companion, and it would be a unique deer rifle as well. Sharpe wrote that it was one of the cleanest-burning powders in the DuPont line, flexible enough to handle cartridges from the .22 Hi-Power up to the .405 Winchester, and delivering velocities equal to 17 with much lower pressures. 444 Marlin VS 45-70 Trajectory. While Roosevelt did have great success hunting a variety of African large game creatures using a Winchester Model 1895 rifle chambered in.405 Winchester, the story of the cartridge is much more than Roosevelt's adventure. The Range Officer would laze the target but not tell the shooter the range. 300 Winchester Magnum Unprimed Rifle Brass 100 Count 178-4PH7096 | Lapua $199.99 $2.00 Per Piece In Stock 308 Winchester Unprimed Rifle Brass (Large Primer) 100 Count 178-4PH7217 | Lapua $99.99 $1.00 Per Piece In Stock Sale! Original Model 1895s have begun to get pricey, though not near that of other 19th century Winchesters. Skip to main content Skip to search. Until the advent of the .444 Marlin it was the most powerful cartridge ever chambered in a lever-action rifle. The 265 Hornaday has taken a couple whitetails past 200 yds. All Rights Reserved. As far as I can tell noone has said the 444 is a bad or a short range cartridge. I have a had number of folks tell me the case head on the 444 is to large for 50,000 cup. The 300 grain Hornady Interlock and Barnes TSX bullets are particularly high quality choices for reloading. The .405 also outdoes Hornadys 265-grain LeverEvolution load in the .444 Marlin at 3,180 ft.-lbs., but the .444 Marlin Superformance (3,389 ft.-lbs.) The first thing that probably comes to mind for most hunters familiar with the .405 Winchester is President Theodore Roosevelt and his famous use of the cartridge during his 1909 African Safari. 444 Marlin's use on big game is rated for optimum game up to elk, moose, grizz, brown bear, leopard and lion. Yes, its a liability-driven decision. If you range-confirm your drop and do the math, you can still hit your targetand with the .405 you can be sure youll be delivering sufficient power. The .405 Win. Uses When handloaded, the .444 Marlin could easily reach 2100 fps with 300 grains bullets, in some ways reminiscent of the grand old .405 Winchester (which shot a 300 grain bullet at 2200 fps). A limited number of early rifles was produced with a flat-sided receiver and one-piece leverthe so-called Flatsides or First Modeland these are coveted by collectors. The .45-70 Government is definitely the older of the two, having been released in 1873 in the famous Trapdoor Springfield. The .243 Winchester bullet has a balistic coefficient of 0.405 while .444 Marlin bullets have a ballistic coefficient of 0.225. If looking to acquire an automated powder-charge dispensing unit to speed up precision reloading, don't judge the RCBS ChargeMaster Lite powder scale and dispenser by its name; the Little Green machine packs a heavy-weight punch with speed and accuracy. In the mid of the 1960s, the .45-70 Ammo had disappeared from the market, and there was no big bore bullet available to fill the chambers of a level action rifle. Copyright 2000-2023 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I had taken it with me to compete in a side match at our local CAS shoot Saturday. I'm thinking about adding a Winchester/Miroku 1886 lever action rifle to my collection in 45-70 with Redding dies, Starline brass, and X-Treme 405 gr. Every 444 Marlin level load exceeds the 308's power level in each of their respective loadings. Wood-to-metal fit is proud all the way around, but at least its consistent. Today's Model 1895. Corporation. |
Im sure if I had a 280 grain or 300 grain bullet that was a spire point boatail 44 it would have stabilization problems. With lighter bullets in the 150 to 180 grain class it is one of our very best cartridges. With the extra weight of the encore and MT, the 444 is more pleasant to shoot compared to contender. This is still one of the most powerful rimmed cartridges designed specifically for lever-action rifles. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Fortunately, the .405 lends itself well to reloading and the necessary components are widely available. That was until someone reminded me that a 444 Marlin is very close to it balistically and that I already have a 444. The 338 Win Mag was introduced in 1959. Which were light even for the Marlin action rated at 40,000+ cup. Left to Right: .32 Winchester Special, .30-30 Win., .38-55, .375 Winchester, 444 Marlin, .45-70 Govt. From there, youve got the various powerful .416s, which use .416-inch bullets as their designation suggests. But a proven cartridge just as the .444. Buy it. Make sure you subscribe to The Big Game Hunting Podcast and follow The Big Game Hunting Blog on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, andYouTube. They show 300 gr bullets at 2500 fps, and 400's at 2159. I will say however that many who pen articles about it and the comparison of it to other big bore cartridges in its class, do not particularly like it. That translates to 3,225 ft.-lbs. and the top load for the 250 grain jacketed bullet is 43 grains of H414 for 2142 fps and 58423
Mag..404 Jeffery vs. .416 Rigby.243 Winchester vs. 6mm Creedmoor.300 PRC vs. .300 Win. On Wednesday, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sent a notice of intent to sue to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), due to the hunting of gray wolves in Wyomings Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Subscriber Services. Interestingly, one of my favorite reference books, Philip B. Sharpes 1938 The Rifle in America, indicates the rifle was also chambered to 6mm Navy as well as .33 WCF. With an Accu-Fit stock and left hand adjustable bolt, this rifle is a perfect choice for anyone! This cartridge is useless, and it may have caused a host of ejection problems in our test gun. While Im sure it will work in a pinch, that still falls well short of the .300 sectional density recommended for hunting most species of dangerous game. Once you get to 100 yds and beyond the 405 maintains a pretty good lead. When I suggest that I can push the 250 grain Nosler at 2470 fps with 54 grains of ReL #7 for 3388 ft. lbs. The .405 Winchester was first introduced in 1904 chambered in the classic Winchester 1895 rifle. One hundred yards aint happening with my eyes and sights like these, at least not for a realistic assessment of the rifles accuracy potential. 6.5mm (.264 dia.) It was this encounter that led to the now famous quote that he documented on page 200 of African Game Trails: Tarlton took his big double-barrel and advised me to take mine, as the sun had just set and it was likely to be close work; but I shook my head, for the Winchester 405 is, at least for me personally, the medicine gun for lions. T. Riekers Sporting Agency & Gun Works | Steve's
I have used the Marlin for many years, however, it appears others need to hear the results from others who have used it in print. Its a straight wall with a case length of 2.583 inches, longer than both the .444 Marlin (2.225 inches) and .45-70 Govt (2.105 inches). I had put some red dye in my jug, and at some 92 yards I hit it with the second shot. Roosevelt felt the .405 was a fine lion cartridge, but he and his son Kermit also used it to take rhinos and even elephants. Chamberings Offered. Written By John B. Plus the powder is not very accessible where I live so I could never test/check his load.. Winchester sees it much the same way. The .405 Winchester was powerful enough for use on any North American big game from whitetail deer all the way up to moose and grizzly bear. of muzzle energy. Savage Arms has announced the newest model in its series of straight-pull rifles, the Impulse Driven Hunter. The Marlins, Winchester, Brownings and Henrys all handle those big-bore cartridges well, and among them the .444 Marlin and .45-70 Government are a pair of undeniable classics. I simply had to have one, and I bought one as soon as it became available. Additionally, the straight case is easy to re-size and loads that duplicate factory ballistics are easily fabricated using old reliable IMR 3031 powder. . Nice article John and thank you for your service. The 45-70 in a hunting round will use a 405 to 500 Grain bullet. The nearly straight-walled .444 Marlin case requires a three-die set for reloading just as with a traditional sixgun cartridge case. The rifle didnt like the starting load at all, and its not included in the accompanying accuracy chart. Recoil? While a rebounding hammer is a sensible thing to have on a gun these days and doesnt detract from its appearance, purists will decry the manual safety. A 300-grain soft point or metal patch bullet travelling at 2200 feet per second was the original Winchester factory load. The .444 Marlin is nearly identical to the .405 Winchester ballistically, but the Marlin model 444 is slimmer and lighter, compared to the bulkier and heavier Winchester model 1895. . There is absolutely no real world trajectory that separates the 405 and the 444 Marlin. Looking at the variety of ammunition available for the two, the .45-70 Government has the undeniable advantage in the number of choices, with nearly every manufacturer including the cartridge in their lineup, in some form or another. Part of the reason is its oddball .411 bullet diameter. The .45-70 Government has quite the bullet range in comparison to the .444 Marlin; bullets will run from 250-grains all the way up to the behemoth 600-grain slugs, with a slew of choices in between. Ammo companies and reloading books had gotten comfortable giving out 1800 to 2100 fps loads. While he may have indeed used those terms to describe the cartridge at some point, he did not do so in African Game Trails. And then theres the .404 Jeffery, a superb dangerous-game round. Well I hope not I happen to like the 405 just the way it is and would hate to see it replaced by anything. Wilsons book Winchester, 426,000 Winchester 1895s were produced during its initial production. The shooter had up to three shots to hit the target. Yes, the .444 Marlin is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement. The results were impressive; the 300-grain soft point at some 2,200 fps made the jug come apart nicely. . Winchester 1886. The match was simple: Each shooter provided his or her own target in the form of a water-filled, one-gallon jug. What is the average muzzle energy for a .444 Marlin? It was an interesting matchshoot whatcha brung, provided that it is a lever-action or single shot rifle with iron sights. randyselby@randyscustomrifles.com. Shop rifles for hunting medium game and predators from 50-300 lbs including coyote, hogs, whitetail deer and antelope. I ran those tests on a calm day from a range rest, from my 24 inch barrel Marlin. The U.S. Army adopted the new cartridge, which replaced the .50-70 cartridge it employed in 1866. Especially when compared to other loads of the day like the .45-70 Government (405 gr bullet at 1,350fps for 1,639 fpe) or the .50-110 Winchester (300gr bullet at 1,600fps for 1,706fpe), the .405 Winchester offered a gigantic leap forward in performance for hunters who wanted a hard hitting and flat shooting cartridge. As impressed as hunters were with the .30-40 Krag, they got even more good news when Winchester introduced the .405 Winchester (aka the .405 WCF) in 1904. John. Don't Buy. Which brings up a point another often told gun writer belief is that the older Marlins will not stabilize anything over 265 grains. That's when the need for this bullet arose and thus was introduced. The 240-grain variant of the .444 Marlin Ammo wasn't very successful, but this cartridge quickly gained popularity as heavier variants of the .444 Marlin Ammo were made available for purchase. Remington also tried to capitalize on the popularity of the .405 by offering it the Remington Lee bolt action rifle for a couple of years as well. Also loaded with smokeless powder, the original Winchester .405 load propelled a 300 grain round nosed bullet at an astounding 2,200 feet per second (3,225 foot pounds of energy)! For one thing, the Winchester 1895 had a reputation for punishing recoil when equipped with the standard curved rifle butt plate. Why start an article on the 444 Marlin cartridge with the data on the 308 Winchester cartridge? I don't own a Marlin rifle, mine is a Win 94 Big Bore with 1-12 twist. Always slug you bore when in doubt. This is hog wash.
. Also, a 45 70 quickly and cleanly kills a hog. Manufacturer: Winchester . Big or not, the .405 Win. Sixguns | The Art of John Dietz
405 Win, 300 grain jacketed load out of a 24" 1895 Winchester at 2400 fps. Heck, the .405 Winchester was so popular that Kynoch produced factory ammunition for the cartridge for several years. From the 16" barrel of the author's Bushmaster AR, factory .450 Bushmaster loads produced between 2,455 and 2,686 ft.-lbs. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. 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Shooter provided his or her own target in the form of a water-filled, one-gallon jug Barnes TSX bullets particularly.
