Buffalo Bore Heavy 444 Marlin 300gr JFN – Terrific Brush Gun Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore Heavy 444 Marlin 300gr JFN is what the cartridge should have been offered as from the start. A 300 grain jacketed flat nose at 2150 fps carries about 3078 ft-lbs, and in a Marlin 444 that puts big bore rifle energy into a lever gun you can carry through thick cover all day.

• Buffalo Bore Heavy 444 Marlin 300gr JFN Overview
• 444 Marlin Hunting Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 300 Grain Jacketed Flat Nose Lever Bullet Suits This Cartridge
• Specifications
• Rifles That Take This Heavy Lever Action Rifle Load

Buffalo Bore Heavy 444 Marlin 300gr JFN Overview

Buffalo Bore item 9B is part of their Heavy line. The 300 grain jacketed flat nose runs a nominal 2150 fps for roughly 3078 ft-lbs. Twenty rounds per box.

The 444 Marlin appeared in 1964, built by lengthening a 44 Magnum case and chambering it in the Marlin 336 action. It uses the same 0.429 inch bullet as the 44 Magnum, driven far faster by a case with more than twice the powder capacity.

Buffalo Bore recommends it for any rifle chambered in 444 Marlin that is in proper working order. Unlike their 45-70 Magnum line there is no list of approved actions, because every rifle ever built for the cartridge is a modern one.

The cartridge has always had a quiet following. It was designed at a moment when Marlin wanted something bigger than the 35 Remington without going to the 45-70, and it has spent sixty years being slightly overshadowed by both. Loaded properly, it sits comfortably between them.

444 Marlin Hunting Ammo Ballistics

At 2150 fps a 300 grain bullet produces about 3078 ft-lbs, from grains times velocity squared divided by 450437. Factory 444 Marlin ammunition typically runs a 240 grain bullet near 2350 fps for roughly 2942 ft-lbs, so this adds both weight and energy.

The comparison people actually want is against a 44 Magnum revolver. A heavy 44 Magnum load makes about 1000 ft-lbs at the muzzle. The 444 makes three times that from the same bullet diameter, which is what the extra case capacity buys.

Owners consistently report around 2000 fps from their own rifles, along with good accuracy. Buffalo Bore publishes numbers taken from real barrels, which is why the field reports and the box agree as closely as they do.

Trajectory is genuinely good for a lever gun. At 2150 fps a heavy lever action rifle load in this calibre shoots flat enough to make two hundred yards reasonable, which is more than the brush gun reputation suggests.

Why The 300 Grain Jacketed Flat Nose Lever Bullet Suits This Cartridge

A jacketed flat nose is a lead core in a copper jacket with a wide flat face on the front. The flat meplat cuts a full diameter hole rather than parting tissue, so the wound channel starts wide before any expansion begins.

The flat nose is also a safety requirement rather than a style choice. In a tube magazine every cartridge sits nose to primer against the one ahead of it, and a pointed bullet under recoil is a genuine hazard. Every bullet built for a lever gun of this type is flat or round nosed for that reason.

At 2150 fps the jacket controls how far the soft core can go. The bullet opens into a moderate mushroom and holds together, which gives good penetration without the fragmentation that a bare lead bullet would suffer at this speed.

Bullet weight is the other half of the design. The 444 was originally loaded with 240 grain bullets pulled from the handgun world, and those were never really built for rifle velocities. A 300 grain jacketed flat nose lever bullet has the sectional density the cartridge deserves.

Recoil is substantial but not punishing. It is heavier than a 30-30 by a wide margin and lighter than the 45-70 Magnum loads, which puts 444 Marlin hunting ammo of this weight in a range most shooters can practise with honestly.

Put together it makes sense of the cartridge: a 300 grain jacketed flat nose lever bullet at rifle velocity, in a gun that points fast and carries easily through thick timber.

Specifications

Rifles That Take This Heavy Lever Action Rifle Load

Any rifle chambered in 444 Marlin in proper working order will handle this load. That means the Marlin 444 in all its generations, the Handi Rifle, the Thompson Center Encore and Contender barrels in the chambering, and the custom bolt actions a few people have built.

One thing worth checking on an older rifle is the twist rate. Early Marlin 444 barrels used a very slow twist intended for 240 grain bullets, and later production moved to a faster twist that stabilises heavier bullets properly. If your rifle predates that change, shoot a group before you trust it.

Feeding is straightforward. The flat nose profile is exactly what the tube magazine was designed around, and a big bore brush gun ammunition load of this length cycles without complaint in a Marlin action.

If you handload, note that the 444 headspaces on the case mouth rather than a rim, so crimping matters. For factory ammunition it is a non-issue.

Big Bore Brush Gun Ammunition Availability

This Buffalo Bore Heavy 444 Marlin 300gr JFN is in stock and ships from our Collegeville, Pennsylvania shop. MAG5 Firearms is a family owned FFL dealer, and orders of this big bore brush gun ammunition normally leave within one business day.

For the same bullet diameter in a revolver, see the Buffalo Bore 44 Mag 240gr JHP. For a larger bore lever gun load compare the Buffalo Bore 45-70 350gr JFN, and for a classic lever chambering the Buffalo Bore Heavy 35 Rem 220gr JFN. Load data is published by Buffalo Bore Ammunition.