Marlin 1895 444 Marlin

[Ranch Dog]

I have a Lead Sled rest but don't care for shooting off of it so with these big leverguns shoot off of sandbags with a loose sandbag between the pad and my shoulder. This holds up with some of the pressure testing I've done, usually about 60 rounds.

Honestly when looking what I've shot with my 444 Marlin, 45-70 Govt (both Marlin and Rossi) and the 450 Marlin, these don't hold a stick to the R92 chambered in 454 Casull with my 330-grain bullet (all max loads). I think the little R92 is downright brutal.

[Archer]

The Winchester 1886 with warm .45-70 isn't bad at all.
I've avoided 454 since that's more handgun than I ever figure I'm going to need and if I'm going to go with it in rifle there are for me better caliber choices that are easier to get both ammo and firearms in.
I've got a buddy with a 500 S&W carbine and two revolvers in the same caliber and while that's cool and I'd love to get my hands on the carbine I have no real interest in the X-frames.

[Missionary]

Good evening
I will have to agree with Mike that the model 92 can be brutal. I only have 45 Colt but with a 320 grainer at about max load for my 2 carbines rattle my frame a (and teeth) a good bit. Shooting the 336 in .41-444 is a different type of mash on the body. The 92 "snaps" instead of mashing which well can be the powder speed. But then a 5.5 pound carbine sure carries all day far easier than the 7 pounds of .41-444.
Mike in Peru

[Archer]

Well I've got the gun AND the ammo.
Counting the rounds that came with the gun that's 134 loaded rounds and 300 Hornady .265 grain JFP bullets for reloading primarily designed for this caliber.

You know back when I was getting into shooting a hundred rounds or so of rifle ammo or a couple hundred rounds of pistol ammo seemed like enough most of the time. Occasionally in the little hill town I grew up in we'd be out of .45 ACP at the KMart/Walmart/hardware store/etc. but it was RARELY.

After the primer drought of William Jefferson BJ Bill Clinton era and the complete bugnuts run on everything firearm related under BHO I'm starting to feel that I need a couple hundred rounds in my most esoteric calibers and 500 or a K in my 'NORMAL' ones as a baseline number.

Hanging around the gunshop watching little old ladies walk in with their grandsons to carry out cases of 5.56, .38 SP and .308 and with my former coworker who was married to the antigun lady, that wouldn't let their kid pick up a L shaped stick 12 years ago to play cops and robbers, being told BY THE SAME WOMAN that he NEEDS to get another couple cases of 12 guage buckshot PLUS supporting him buying not one but a couple handguns and a couple ARs and a second shotgun I know it isn't just me.

Hornady seems to be hard over on the FTX rounds in spite of the fact that the buyers seem to still want the flat nose bullets. Every where I look the FPs are sold or selling out yet the FTX ammo is in stock in massive quantities. (Ok maybe not massive but for every BOX of 265 grain FP the dealers have a case or two of 265 grain FTX lying around.)

[Ranch Dog]

Prior to becoming a caster, the Hornady 265 FP was my bullet of choice as was Hornady components as a whole. With the turn to casting I still chased Hornady brass until they started to trim for the FTX. If I was shooting jacketed bullets in my 444 Marlin, I would be a Speer 300-grain JSP or Swift A-Frame shooter.

[Archer]

The rounds I purchased were the old style 265 grain FP and the brass should be trimmed to spec rather than the short crap they are selling with the FTX bullets.

I purchased one box of .45-70 FTX ammunition before I realized they were short trimming it and I have no intention of purchasing more anytime soon.

[Archer]

I looked at the 300 grain Speer data while I was waiting to get the rifle out of Kalijail and considered it.
I may have to pick up a box and see how it mixes with the 1:38 x24 microgroove barrel.

Part of the problem is that stuck in Kaliland at the mercy of the antigunner/antihunter/proCondor lying league IF I were to use the gun hunting the only factory rounds available (and they are mostly sold out) run about $3 to $5+ a round. That means reloads are the only way to go and even there loading up Barnes X types which I think are about the only non-lead available is still bloody expensive.

[Ranch Dog]

I just have to ask… why does a shooter/hunter stay in California? I guess family & job?

[Archer]

Mostly Job, friends and mountain biking. Got sort of adopted by a family out here.
Most of my blood relatives are back east and there's not too many left.

There are more gunnuts in this silly state than you'd think. It is interesting to hear them talk about the rules here as if they were the same everywhere else. It is the fish not thinking about the water sort of thing.

Of course there's also the urban welfare state types that seems to be arming themselves more and more recently as well.