Traditional sporting bullets
Flat-nose, round-nose, and soft-point designs remain important in these cartridge families. For tubular magazines, use ammunition specifically approved by the manufacturer.
THE CARTRIDGE LIBRARY · TRADITIONAL SPORTING RIFLE
.444 Marlin
A long, straight-wall, rimmed sporting cartridge using .44-family bullets. Its case is much longer than .44 Magnum and belongs to a separate rifle chambering.
2A Ledger reference desk · Sources checked October 18, 2026
Read the dimensions
- Overall · min–max
- 2.500–2.570 in
63.500–65.278 mm - Case length · max
- 2.225 in
56.515 mm - Bullet maximum
- 0.4305 in
10.935 mm - Rim diameter · max
- 0.514 in
13.056 mm
Know the exact name
At a glance
- Cartridge family
- Traditional sporting rifle
- Bullet specification
- 0.4305 in / 10.935 mmBullet maximum
- Factory examples
- 3 loadsSelected, sourced examples below
- Weight in cited examples
- 265–270 grGrains measure mass, not powder charge
.444 Marlin is identified by its complete cartridge designation. The resource-table alternative is 444 Marlin. A caliber number, bullet diameter, or family resemblance on its own does not identify ammunition compatibility.
Rifle-load bullet design and tubular-magazine suitability matter. Do not substitute .44 Magnum because the bullet diameter is similar.
Dimensions: open the exact dimensional drawing ↗. The displayed number is bullet maximum, rather than an assertion that every manufactured projectile or barrel has this exact diameter.
Origins & evolution
Background & development
Marlin introduced the .444 in 1964 for a large-bore version of its Model 336 lever-action rifle. The long, straight-sided, rimmed case resembled older black-powder sporting cartridges, but the .444 was conceived as a modern smokeless cartridge rather than a revived nineteenth-century chambering.
The commercial objective was to provide substantially more performance in a familiar sporting lever action than hunters obtained from the .30-30 Winchester or .35 Remington. It used the .429-inch bullet-diameter class familiar from .44-caliber handgun cartridges, but in a much larger rifle case and a different performance setting. That combination made it one of the important large-bore lever-action developments of the postwar period. Its history is therefore best understood through the rifle it served and the sporting role it pursued: a modern, powerful woods-hunting cartridge with the handling characteristics of an established lever-action platform.
Historical sources: Sierra: .444 Marlin cartridge history ↗
Construction changes the story
Loads, variations & specialty offerings
Purpose-built modern loads
Flexible tips, bonded bullets, monolithic expanding bullets, and solids have different functions. A similar exterior shape or shared diameter does not establish equivalent behavior.
Firearm-specific ammunition
Some older cartridge families span firearms with very different operating limits. Keep any product restrictions with the ammunition record and use only loads authorized for that firearm.
In the cited .444 Marlin examples, bullet weights are 265, 270 grains. These are the weights actually present in this source selection, not a claim that every possible loading is listed.
Bullet construction background: Hornady: anatomy of a bullet ↗. Exact product descriptions and velocities are cited in the factory table.
From the factory catalog
265 grains
2,400 fps
InterLock® FP
270 grains
2,250 fps
BONDED HOLLOW POINT
Compare all 3 cited factory load records
| Maker / product | Bullet mass | Published construction | Muzzle velocity | Test barrel | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornady82453 | 265 gr 17.17 g | InterLock® FP | 2,400 fps 732 m/s | Not stated here; see source | Hornady · PDF p. 188 ↗ |
| Hornady82744 | 265 gr 17.17 g | FTX® | 2,325 fps 709 m/s | Not stated here; see source | Hornady · PDF p. 188 ↗ |
| FederalLG444M1 | 270 gr 17.50 g | BONDED HOLLOW POINT | 2,250 fps 686 m/s | 24 in | Federal · PDF pp. 54–55 ↗ |
Explore the published data
Ballistics you can inspect
Select a legend entry to add or remove its line. Hover or tap a plotted point, or use the position slider. With the graph focused, arrow keys move the inspector. Solid dots identify source points; dashed connectors show estimates between them. Load construction, pressure category, and test setup can differ even at the same grain weight.
Read the original values as accessible tables
.444 Marlin: factory velocity downrange
| Exact load | Source | Published points |
|---|---|---|
| 265 gr Hornady InterLock® FP | Hornady | 0: 2400; 100: 1974; 200: 1601; 300: 1295 |
| 270 gr Federal BONDED HOLLOW POINT | Federal | 0: 2250; 100: 1848; 200: 1500; 300: 1225; 400: 1049; 500: 945 |
| 265 gr Hornady FTX® | Hornady | 0: 2325; 100: 1971; 200: 1654; 300: 1381 |
How to interpret the comparison
Changing bullet weight also often changes bullet design and propellant choice. Two curves are comparisons of the listed products, not a controlled experiment proving that bullet weight alone caused the difference. Catalog downrange points are projections under the maker’s conditions; barrel-study points are recorded observations in the study firearm.
Direct answers
Common questions
What is .444 Marlin?
A long, straight-wall, rimmed sporting cartridge using .44-family bullets. Its case is much longer than .44 Magnum and belongs to a separate rifle chambering.
What diameter does .444 Marlin use?
The cited dimensional standard lists 0.4305 inches (10.935 mm), bullet maximum. This drawing convention is different from a casual caliber nickname.
Are similarly named cartridges interchangeable?
Rifle-load bullet design and tubular-magazine suitability matter. Do not substitute .44 Magnum because the bullet diameter is similar.
Are the graph values measured or estimated?
The downrange view uses the exact manufacturer catalog records shown in the source table. Dashed connectors and intermediate inspector values use linear interpolation between the displayed source points. Calculated energy uses the listed bullet mass and velocity.
Does higher energy mean the best load?
Energy is calculated from mass and velocity. It does not establish accuracy, expansion, penetration, pattern density, recoil, or suitability for a particular firearm. Use the exact product documentation and firearm manual.
Trace the facts
Sources & methodology
Compiled by 2A Ledger from the linked standards, manufacturer publications, and identified test records. Checked October 18, 2026. Historical tests and older catalogs retain their original dates; a listing here does not establish current availability.
- SAAMI: dimensional drawing · PDF p. 167 ↗
- Sierra: .444 Marlin cartridge background ↗
- Hornady · PDF p. 188 ↗
- Federal · PDF pp. 54–55 ↗
Diameter figures preserve the cited drawing convention. Inch–millimeter conversion uses exactly 25.4 mm per inch. Factory specifications describe the maker’s test setup; your firearm, ammunition lot, temperature, and measuring method can produce different results. This is an educational factory-ammunition reference, not a reloading manual.