Cast Bullets in .444

[wallacem]

Does anyone shoot cast bullets in their .444?  How does it compare with jacketed?  Wallacem

[Dawei]

Does anyone shoot cast bullets in their .444?  How does it compare with jacketed?  Wallacem

I shoot Cast "Boolits" in my 444 Marlin®s. I am tremendously impressed with the performance of Cast Boolits in this caliber. Cast Boolits are available in far greater weights than jacketed. Cast Boolits are much cheaper than jacketed bullets. Barrel cleaning after shooting Cast Boolits is far easier (IF CAST BOOLITS ARE GAS CHECKED), than cleaning after firing Jacketed Bullets. In both of my Microgroove® barrel 1:38" twist barrel 444's Cast Boolits are much more accurate than jacketed bullets. (Conventional Wisdom is that Cast Boolits don't shoot well in slower twist Microgroove™ barrels. CW further states bullets over 265grs won't stabilize in MG barrels. Well, CONVENTIONAL WISDOM IS WRONG ON BOTH COUNTS AS HUNDREDS WHO GATHER HERE WILL TELL YOU). When shooting Cast Boolits Velocity is Your Friend! You will achiever greater accuracy & performance from fast stepping, gas checked, Cast Boolits.

While I do not own a faster 1:20" twist Ballard rifled 444, I would imagine it's performance would be ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING with Cast Boolits. Especially heavier projectiles of 325-415grs.

[6pt-sika]

I will say this !

I personally have had outstanding results with home cast gas checked bullets up to 375 grains in the slower twist Micro Groove barrels . I have also used 400 grain cast bullets in the faster twist ballard rifled barrels of the newer 444's .

It's pretty easy to get a plain old wheel weight home cast air cooled bullet to shoot in the 444 Micro barrels up to 320 grains . Once past that point I needed to water quench my wheelweight alloy bullets for the Micro barrels or they would strip when I pushed them fast anough to stabalize .

I'm actually quite fond of shooting cast in the 444 and preferably the older Micro barrels .

However there are no flies on most of the better jacketed bullets in a 444 either .

[Tony65x55]

The .444 takes to cast boolits like a duck to water.  No...really..., they bring out the best in the .444 in my humble experience.  I started casting for the .444 about 25 years ago and while I have never shot anything bigger than 310 grains, I have literally shot tens of thousands of 300-310 grain boolits out of three .444's since then.  I load them hot and I load them as plinkers, I have killed all the big game Ontario has to offer with them and NEVER found them wanting in accuracy or killing power.  They are simply devastating.  I currently have a 22" MG and a 20" Ballard and both of them love cast projectiles.

AS 6pt-sika said, air cooled wheel weights are just the ticket but always size at .432" for Marlins.  There are precious few decent jacketed bullets that truly bring out the best in the Marlin for all circumstances as most of the are made to expand at .44 Magnum HG velocities.  The 265 Hornady was designed for the Marlin and does a very good job as does the Speer 300 PSP.  Pretty much all the rest are best confined to shooting deer and such and I would not be terribly confident in their performance on a big moose, particularly if major bones are struck.  A 300+ gr cast flat nose will break all manner of bone and keep right on going.  It is a perfect match for this great cartridge and turns it into a round you can feel confident with on ANY North American game.  Penetration is simply unbelievable and better than a .45-70 because of the slightly decreased frontal area and higher impact velocity.  Expect 48" or better.  I shot a 175 lb whitetail this year right in the exhaust pipe and the bullet exited slightly left of the sternum.  End to end penetration.

[Silent Running]

Hardcast bullets does bring the 444 up a couple notches in usefulness. The myth that Microgroove barrels will not shot Hardcast bullets will never go away

[7.62man]

I had mountain molds make me a custom 330grain mold for my marlin 444S and has pasted completely threw any game I have shot with it (Black bear/moose). The mold was a copy of Glen Fryxell 300grain boolit. I have never had a boolit feed a so smooth before and it seems to love my WC 735 I am getting around 2000fps Depends on temp, will move up to mag primers). I cast mine out ww and oven heat treat but am going to try some a/c Lyman #2 so I get some expansion.

It is rather humbling to see a 1" hole all the way threw a moose!

[txpete]

I cast for all my lever action rifles.even the mighty 30/30 .while I haven't taken any game with the 444 yet I have with my 375 winchester.
with the 375 and a 280 gr lfngc bullet I have never had to track a deer yet.boom flop and the 444 is alot more powerful than the 375 plus a bigger hole.I don't shoot jacketed bullet very often now.I just cast my own and the money saved goes into powder & primers.

pete

280 gr .377

[WyoStillhunter]

I have never tried cast boolits in my 444.  If I decide to try them it will be with bought boolits rather than self-cast (too lazy).

Here is a list of "must reads" for cast in the 444.  In my opinion all 444 owners will enjoy reading these articles and learn alot whether they ever shoot cast or not.

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/17

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/19

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/28

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/44

[6pt-sika]

Hardcast bullets does bring the 444 up a couple notches in usefulness. The myth that Microgroove barrels will not shot Hardcast bullets will never go away

Granted I don't pursue anything much that requires me to break big heavy bones , but as far as accuracy is concerned air cooled WW's to 315-320 grains is fine and after that just water quench WW's and you're okay . I have however been pushing the heavier bullets I've cast as hard as I can with H322 , RL7 and Varget and they seem to do pretty well on paper .

[duhawki647]

I seems to be an important rule to size to .432 diameter for cast boolits.  But isn't that a bit larger than most sizing dies?  I think Lyman makes a .431 diameter.  Is that close enough?  Who makes a .432 diameter sizing die? 

[6pt-sika]

I seems to be an important rule to size to .432 diameter for cast boolits.  But isn't that a bit larger than most sizing dies?  I think Lyman makes a .431 diameter.  Is that close enough?  Who makes a .432 diameter sizing die? 

I size all mine .431" because as you say none of the big manufacturers make a .432" . Now I do have a LEE .432" that i've never used just because I perfer hard lube over liquid alox .

[Silent Running]

I opened mine up myself, with a brake hone, it takes some time with either a drill press or a hand drill. You could have a machine shop open it up as well. Mine mic between .433/.434, Marlin 44mags really love the .434, because of there very oversize throat.

[VTDW]

It took me a few years but I finally crossed to the Dark Side and became a believer in cast for the .444.  A nice hardcast 280 gr and up shoots extremely well out of my microgroove .444S.

Dave

[ss444]

I'd like to shoot cast also when my supply of Hornady 265's runs out.
Only problem is that I don't want to slug my barrel....I have a fear of
getting the slug stuck!
Could I just order some hard cast GC boolits in .430 or .431, and 290
to 300grs for a trial?
Apologize in advance if I'm hijacking the thread!

[rimrock]

The plywood flies pretty good when you load 405 grain LMN cast from beartoothbullets.com.  Marshall has many other sizes also.

Cast Performance has some cast at .430

LaserCast has some at .431

Montana Bullet Works can size them to what you want.

Almost all I shoot now out of my T4 is the RanchDog 265grain mold with a .432 diameter which are no longer easily obtainable, but I note that Lee Precision still has several of these molds that are at .430 diameter.