[Flat Top]

Just finished up on the action work for the SG 444...The long 2.700 COL cartridge (with Marshall's 405 grain bullet) feeds smoothly into the magazine, cycles from the magazine to the chamber, and extracts and ejects perfectly. Step one is complete! I am waiting for some new reamers to set the throat out a bit, and after that task is complete its to the range to see if all of this modification will get me the needed power that I had hopes that this modification would give me (450-400 Nitro Express ballistics...a 400 grain bullet at 2150 fps....4100+ ft lbs). If this works out, the 444 Marlin with the right bullet will be able to take any game animal on earth. Deer season starts this Saturday, so it will give me something to do while waiting for the reamers. I hoped to close the door on the mechanical modifications and load development by the end of this year...hopefully I will have a full report by that time.

 

[Greg Koziol]

thats freakin cool dude, good luck and post pics.

 

[broom_jm]

Sounds like a kick-behind gun...is that what you're going to use for deer?

 

[Flat Top]

Greg; Here are my two 444 XLR's. The top one is the Peashooter...16.5" barrel, Kevlar Graphite composite stock, and many other modifications. The COL modification on this one is 2.660....The 16.5" barrel will develop 24" barrel velocities with this modification. This rifle is a dream to carry at 6.2 lbs, and is just an excellent rifle for tight, thick, close in hunting. The lower is the 444 XLR that is going to be the Safari Grade 444, with the 2.700 COL. After I get the load work done, I have some plans to "Africanize" this levergun. The other photo is of the cartridges that I load. L to R: The 300 at 1850, COL 2.580 (my deer load), and the 325 at 2263, COL 2.660 (my big game load)....I use these in the Peashooter. The last is the mighty 405 with the 2.700 COL............

broom: Actually I am hunting the first three days of the season in the big woods....taking my Redhawk...44 mag, then I will go down to the river, and hunt the rest of the season with the Peashooter......thats the thick stuff...sloughs, backwaters, and marshland!!! I use the 300 at 1850 for the close work...more than enough for short shots in close cover. The Safari Grade 444 is just an excersize in gunsmithing and load development. The 444 has much more to offer than what we get from the factory, and I just wanted to explore the "bitter edge of what the 444 had to offer in a levergun. When I get some time, I will write up an article on it, like I did for the Peashooter.

Anyway, I will keep you all posted on my success....or failure!

 

[mattsbox99]

Nice! I'm just looking for Hornady's 265 grain Flat Nose bullet instead of the FTX, my Marlin likes that bullet a lot.

 

[Flat Top]

Matt; I wonder what the 2.700 COL mod would drive that 265 grain bullet at? The way I have this COL thing set up, the 2.660 is perfect for short barrel rifles and delivers about as much recoil as a shooter could handle in a lighter rifle. For lighter bullets up to 325 or 330 the 2.660 is ideal. The 2.700 in a full sized rifle would be good for the 325 to 405 grain bullets, but now you have me thinking...............I just might do some velocity testing with the lighter bullets, 290 and less, just to see what kind of velocities can be obtained....would be interesting! The only drawback: the shorter bullets would work well in the 2.660 COL, but, to get them to perform in the 2.700 COL and utilize all that extra powder capacity might be a stretch because of the short bearing surface of the lighter bullets (not enough case tension to insure reliable ignition, "square seating", bore alignment, etc). Marshall has a number of bullets in his 44 line that are long nosed, double crimped, and are suited for the Redhawk cylinders...those would be suitable for the 2.700 COL........something to investigate!

 

[don44]

Very interesting.

 

[Greg Koziol]

thanks for the pm, awesome job... keep it up!!
I just shot my first hot-loaded ammo today... buffalo bore 300 grainer and 405 grainer. I sight them in dead on at 50 ft, but then when I moved out to 50 yards I was off by like 6"... heigh and to the right, I wonder if it was just my technique jerking the trigger to hard and maybe moving the rifle a bit rite before I pull the trigger? what do you think? The 300 grainers kicks, but the 405 grainers had noticeably more recoil, and the muzzle would jump up high, if I didn't have good form it felt like I was trying to hold onto a bucking bull

 

[Dan 444]

Flat Top,
This is very interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Dan

 

[Flat Top]

Don44 and Dan 444...Thanks, its a fun project!

Greg; If everything else is correct....If you sight in dead on at 50 ft, you will be off at 50 yards.....sight in at 25 yards, then 50, then 100, etc. Most likely those loads will not print dead on of each other because the trajectories are probably different, so, you need to sight in with one load only if you are not doing so. Yes...a stoutly loaded levergun IS like trying to hold on to a bucking bull.......you will also find that a firm pull (not tight) on the butstock, and a "supporting hold" of the forarm will get you better consistancy...it does me anyway.