:confused: Hi all;

I just traded for a 444S a few weeks ago, so I have a lot of learning to do about this rifle and this caliber.

All that I will hunt with this rifle is our local 100 to 150 pound Whitetail deer. No bear, no elk, no moose... we're talking Southwestern Pennsylvania here.

I have read that the 444S can really shine with the 265 and 300 grain bullets when reloaded. I do reload.

Now I look in my Lyman's 47th reloading manual and they give data of 47.0 grains of IMR-4198 under a Remington 240 grain SP bullet for a velocity of 2341 fps. This is a "factory velocity duplication load" according to the Lyman folks. (I've hunted with a 243 with 100 grain bullets for the past several years, so this doesn't look too shabby to me!)

I'm looking at a 500 bullet bulk package of Remington 240 grain SP bullets that I have left over from when I used to reload for a 44 Magnum that I once owned...

My question is to those with experience with the Remington factory loads that use this same bullet... What is your experience with it? Is it really a bad, or inadequate, or inaccurate, or poorly performing loading? Or, are all the fellows just saying that the 444 can do better with a different bullet?

Thanks in advance for educating me!

Jerry in Southwestern PA, (where the deer are getting mighty scarce!)

Deer that size are good targets for the 240gr. load...you'll still probably get an exit wound on any braodside or quartering shot. This was in the early 1970's and there just weren't a lot of other choices.

Bullet looks the same...but the ones pulled from old .444 factory loads had dual cantelures..why, I'm not sure. While I didn't load Remington's componet 240's, did load other makers 240's. Some (Sierra of that vintage) did expand early and limit penetration, and others (Speer's old 1/2 jacket SWC type) didn't expand much at all but penetrated well. The Typical Honady 240gr. JHP (pre XTP) had a nice balance of expansion and penetration...so did the Remington factory load, and I assume the bullets you have would equal that.

The game I took (deer and hogs) with the .444 were all taken with either facoory 240's or the reloaded Hornady 240's. Later, switched to eh 265's...may be moe stoutly constructed than I actually needed on small deer.

100-150 pounds just isn't all that big (and deer here run about the same)...if you want to use the 240's, they'll work.

Hello Jerry,

This is a pistol bullet, and reputed to be a little soft, which has fueled the market for the 265 grainer, and the 300s.

I do think it is quite adequate for the task at hand, and would probably be the better choice if you intended on limiting yourself to deer.

I have only counted for three, drop dead in their tracks one shot kills, and this load was used for one of those. Fairly large animal, raking shot entered behind the left shoulder, and lodged in the right hip, toppled the thing, and broke its back.

That is one of the problems, even for handloaders, is there is really not enough bullets out there for the 444.

Good luck.

Steve

I am told the Speer 270 Gold Dot is the jacketed bullet for the .444 when the target is deer.
I like the Lee 310 grain bullet very well. Ranch Dogs new Lee mold may prove to be just a little better.
I have taken two deer with the 240 grain JFN Remington bullet. From my Winchester Timber Rifle with its 18.5" barrel I get 2,108 fps from 47.0 gr. of Hodgdon 4198. 55.0 gr. of Hodgdon 322 launches the same bullet at 2,178 fps.
On one of the deer the bullet went through the near shoulder through both lungs and exited the off side shoulder. The entrance and exit holes were big.
On a broadside shot the bullet prettey well came apart and there was a pretty small exit wound that bled freely.
I can not complain but I believe the big Lee would have left a larger exit wound on the lung shot.

I am told the Speer 270 Gold Dot is the jacketed bullet for the .444 when the target is deer.
I like the Lee 310 grain bullet very well. Ranch Dogs new Lee mold may prove to be just a little better.
I have taken two deer with the 240 grain JFN Remington bullet. From my Winchester Timber Rifle with its 18.5" barrel I get 2,108 fps from 47.0 gr. of Hodgdon 4198. 55.0 gr. of Hodgdon 322 launches the same bullet at 2,178 fps.
On one of the deer the bullet went through the near shoulder through both lungs and exited the off side shoulder. The entrance and exit holes were big.
On a broadside shot the bullet prettey well came apart and there was a pretty small exit wound that bled freely.
I can not complain but I believe the big Lee would have left a larger exit wound on the lung shot.


My marlin .444 wouldn't shoot the factory Rem. stuff well at all. I switched to a .270gr speer gold dot loaded by georgia arms(www.georgia-arms.com). My groups are much tighter and everyone I've talked to has had great results from this bullet. Also people like the 265gr Horandy load as well.

No doubt the heavier weight bullets (and the Nosler partition is a good choice as well) do a great job...but for a 100-150pound deer, I certaninly wouldn't let the 240gr. bullet stop me from hunting small whitetail deer. Can't speak for the bag of bullets you have at hand, but the Rem. factory load never disintergrated or failed to give anything but killing performance on deer of that size.

Get to where the critters grow bigger, and you'll be happier with a heavier/stouter bullet.

My 444P "outfitter " shoots the factory Remingtons Pretty decent (2" group ,peep sighed at 75 yds) about the best I could do with any ammo I suppose. On deer they seem to do O.k. if the range of the shot is far enough out there to be traveling a little faster than they would be if coming out of a .44 magnum revolver at close range, I did shoot a deer at 35 or so yds once(with the .444) and the bullet came apart inside the deer with out an exit but the deer was very much dead when I got to him.


444fitch

I owned 444 briefly in the 1970's. Used it for antelope in Crook County, Wyoming then traded it off. Yes, antelope! I crawled with about 150 yards or so and touched off a shot as my 4X scope settled just behind the shoulder. That goat toppled over right where he stood. Exit hole was impressive as I recall.

444 is a good hunting cartridge. The guy I sold it to still has it and he has nailed a stack of mulies and several elk. He told me the 300 grain Hornady XTP is deadly on elk but recoil is a bit stiff.
TR

Jerry,
The factory Remington 240gr will work just fine on PA deer, the Hornadys 265gr and georgia Arms 270gr Gold Dot load will be a little better. As I recall Remington modified the
bullet some time ago to be better suited to the velocity of the 444. The real question is "Cost of ammo" If the Hornadys or GA's (Georgia Arms) cost the same to get then by all means get the better loading for your money.

If you Handload then use the 240grs, you can even down load them to around 1800fps if you want, my wifes load for deer in her 1894 44Mag is a 240gr gold Dot at around
1800fps and it just hammers deer.

I've got around 2000 of those Remington 240grainers and
load them up with 8-12grains of unique for the kids in the 444
they love it and the whole time there firelapping my barrels
for me.
.................................................. ..................Marko

I've recently purchased a Marlin 444SS and found that the 240 grain Remington factory load is a more accurate bullet in my gun.

Have only tried the 240REm and the 265Hornady, both being shot with open sights.

This past Saturday, I killed a coyote with one shot, at a distance of 154 paces. The dog fell on the spot, the damage was substantial, and I feel confident in using the round on deer.

I'm also from PA, but hunt all over the country. Would not hesitate to use the 240REM on most game animals. In the past deer have been taken using calibers ranging from 22-250 up to 45-70, and grain weights under 100 up to 405, but I see a lot of promise for the 444 caliber using the 240.

The Remington 444 Marlin 240 grain JSP load is probably what made the 444 Marlin as popular as it is today. True, the original Remington loads used a pistol bullet but that changed quickly when in the early 1970s a new bullet has used. A friend of mine in Montana has used the 240 grain Remington 444 Marlin load successfully on elk for almost 30 years. It appears from the following that it stacks up against the Hornady 265 grain and Speer 300 grain pretty well.


http://members.cox.net/hwsportsman8/444Chart.gif
http://members.cox.net/hwsportsman8/RemHorn.jpg
The Remington 240 gr. bullet on the left, and
the Hornady 265 gr. softnose on the right.
Source: Dan Martinez, The Sportsman Online
http://home.earthlink.net/~hwsportsman/444Marlin.html

I shot my first deer with the factory 240gr. It was about 35 yards running through a Minnesota sumac bog. I hit it quartering away . The bullet entered through the left flank
and shattered the right shoulder on the way out. It dropped in mid stride like an anvil had just dropped on it. That was
my rifle and load for years, til I fell in love with the .375win

Hello Jerry,
That 444 is a fine round, but in my opinion falls on its face with the Rem. 240 grain pistol bullet as loaded from the factory. I have had great luck with this bullet loaded in my 44 Magnum (which is what that bullet was designed for). have only shot one head of game with that load in a 444. I shot a bull Elk square in the base of the neck at about 15 yards. The bullet penetrated about eight inches of neck, then struck the C-spine and disintigrated, barely leaving a scratch on the C-spine. Personally, I wouldn't even use those loads on deer because of all the possible tissue distruction on such a small critter. That Hornaday 265 grain FP is the way to go for deer and black bear. It hits like a freight trainYou won't be sorry if you go with the 265 FP. They are built tough, they're inexpensive and they shoot really well.
What ever you do, have a great time working your loads up! ;)
Take Care,

Hello Jerry,
That 444 is a fine round, but in my opinion falls on its face with the Rem. 240 grain pistol bullet as loaded from the factory. I have had great luck with this bullet loaded in my 44 Magnum (which is what that bullet was designed for). have only shot one head of game with that load in a 444. I shot a bull Elk square in the base of the neck at about 15 yards. The bullet penetrated about eight inches of neck, then struck the C-spine and disintigrated, barely leaving a scratch on the C-spine. Personally, I wouldn't even use those loads on deer because of all the possible tissue distruction on such a small critter. That Hornaday 265 grain FP is the way to go for deer and black bear. It hits like a freight trainYou won't be sorry if you go with the 265 FP. They are built tough, they're inexpensive and they shoot really well.
What ever you do, have a great time working your loads up! ;)
Take Care,
I took a 300 lb live weight buck with the factory 240 gr at about eighty yards a few years back. The bullet went in just behind the front shoulder and out through the back ribs. Following the blood trail would not have been a problem except the bullet was so devastating I could see him fall and not move again.

I've used the 240 gr remington load on deer and elk
It works great for deer (190lb mulie at 150 yds )
however I had one break up on an elk 80 yd shoulder
shot it still did the job the elk went down where he stood and didn't get up I think the bullet should work fine for deer
my elk bullet of choice is the speer gold dot 270gr bonded
just my two cents