Which gun?

[Fullbore]

I

A 444 rifle will shoot just as far a shotgun as long as you know the correct yardage with both guns. No deer will survive a proper shot placement through the vitals with either a rifle or shotgun. Damage from a shotgun is larger but proper shot placement is more important. Dead is dead and you can't over dead a animal. It's up to the hunter to take the proper shot and correct tracking afterwards.

Agreed 100% Frank!

 

[motorbreaker]

You guys are not seriously comparing the ballistics of a Savage 220 slug gun with Accutips to a .444 Marlin at distance and saying that the 220 is better are you??

Not really comparing apples and oranges, The 220 is more like an inverted banana in trajectory when compared to the .444. The .444 is a point and shoot out to 200 yds with no deviation from zero exceeding 2-1/2", high or low and is still maintaining over 1500 Ft lbs of energy when it arrives at 200 yds, more than twice what the Accutips or any other 20 ga slug can deliver.

The Savage 220 with the Accutips slugs is the best 20 gauge slug gun going, no doubt about it, but it is till just a 20 ga slug gun that runs out of juice down range, no way to change that fact, it is just the science of mass, velocity, BC and gravity.

To the OP, If you are looking for a good deer gun that will kill deer under 150 yds any will work for you but a 12 ga is far better than a 20 at distance provided they have equal accuracy capability.. If you are looking to push that out to 200 yds and want the flattest trajectory, highest energy delivery load the .444 Marling is an easy, easy, clear cut winner.

I never would have believed that a 44 would shoot that far and still have that much energy. That's impressive. Is a 44 and a 444 the same round?

 

[MK111]

I never would have believed that a 44 would shoot that far and still have that much energy. That's impressive. Is a 44 and a 444 the same round?

The 44 mag and 444 Marlin are not the case. The 44 mag length is about 1.275 and the 444 Marlin case is about 2.225. So the 444 Marlin is almost a full 1" longer.

 

[Lundy]

I never would have believed that a 44 would shoot that far and still have that much energy. That's impressive. Is a 44 and a 444 the same round?

No, as MK111 stated, a .44 mag and a .444 are very different animals

 

[MK111]

No, as MK111 stated, a .44 mag and a .444 are very different animals

The 444 Marlin and 45-70 are almost the same. I use the 45-70 Marlin rifle and also have a 44 mag Ruger auto rifle from the 1970's called I believe the Deer Slayer. All 3 rifles will kill deer better than need be.

 

[RSturdi]

I have primarily concentrated on slug loads for hunting, for which purpose I feel that they are most appropriate. Even so, they are a stop gap alternative to a rifle, primarily useful where rifles are banned for political reasons. Shotgun slug loads intended to be fired from smooth bore barrels manage to combine the worst properties of any hunting projectile: marginal accuracy, low velocity, low sectional density, low ballistic coefficient, rainbow trajectory, and heavy recoil. Nearly the worst of all possible worlds! If you can legally hunt with a rifle, you owe it to both yourself and your quarry to do so. If not, but the law allows the use of fully rifled "shotgun" barrels and saboted projectiles, that is what you should use.
As written by Chuck Hawks.

 

[motorbreaker]

My buddy picked up a 444. were gonna see what this thing will do. Anyone care to help us out with what loads to try?

 

[motorbreaker]

From reading around the net, It looks like we will try the hornady superformance 265 grain. Looks like a good round to start out with.

 

[antiqucycle]

You don't need to buy super expensive Hornaday bullets to kill a deer with a trip 4's. Just load the cases with powder and 240 grain flat nose. The main trick is to get plenty of 444 brass.