if their is a demand, how come Marlin is not taking advantage of the market and making money.... I agree with you, 45-70's are everywhere....Good rifles, but everywhere...
I would speculate their are two reasons for the 444 not being in production now...........
First, FGI has all the trouble they can handle just building passable 30-30's..........
Secondly, and this is the "real" reason, IMO............The 444 is the MOST difficult Marlin to get to load smoothly. The Mag Tube Cartridge Clearance Bulge is MUCH different, and LESS forgiving than the 45-70 Bulge.
There is/was only ONE small company in CT that could produce that Mag tube reliabably. They did it with Hard Hydraulic Tooling and a Soft Eurathane plug......Other vendors have tried and failed.
I think the ability to get working, reliable mag tubes in quantities, along with what FGI perceives as the 444 Market demand, with regard to the 45-70's are the reasons the 444 is not being made.
When Marlin North Haven closed, I was working on a Hydraulic Forming Fixture with a heating element, that would form the bulge on a heated 444 tube......... I was about 85% successful, and making changes to the tool, when that activity came to a halt, as things having to do with the closure became more important...........
As the closure got closer, I was told to stop all work , and disgard the whole project to concentrate on other things. and I'm sure all drawings records and details were lost...........
I don't know if that one little CT company maintained a working relationship with Remington. At the time, Remington was pretty arrogant, and took the position they had their own string of NY vendors and didn't really need most of the CT Vendors.
Remington was only interested in things that got rifles "out the door"..........NOT in any uncompleted tools or projects.
Thats my perception re: the lack of new 444's ............but don't blame it all on me!
Tom