If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

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Blaine
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If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Blaine »

Have LNIB Big Bore 94 AE in .375, and a early 70's, MG Marlin .444.....If I had to keep just one, which would you choose??
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by wolfdog »

I would say keep the 444, and then make me a really good deal on the 375. :twisted:
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Model 52B »

I prefer the .375 Win over the .444. If I wanted something in the .444 performance class, I'd buy a .45-70.

The .375 does a superb job of stretching .30-30 performance another 50 yards or so, and it's got a lot more potential with cast bullets and .38-55 type loads than the .30-30. It also does extremely well with reduced loads using Unique and cast bullets, so it's got a huge amount of flexibility from full power to mid range to light loads with bullets from 200 to 350 grains.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by wm »

Personally I prefer the 375 Win over the 444 Marlin. I think the 375 has a bit more range (being a 38-55 on steroids) and the 444 Marlin while a great cartridge in close really doesn't kill anything deader then the 375 Win.

Honestly I don't think you could go wrong on either choice but I will point out that you can still buy 444 Marlins now and again. It might be a long while before you turn up another 375 Win.

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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by RIHMFIRE »

whichever components and ammo are more readily handy....


375 most likely
Last edited by RIHMFIRE on Sat Jun 15, 2013 8:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by 2ndovc »

I've had both in 94BBs. I still have the .375 and really enjoy shooting it. I did not like shooting the .444 in the Winchester. I would imagine it would be better in the heavier Marlin as I have no issues with the recoil of my 450 and 45-70, 95s.

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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Model 52B »

RIHMFIRE wrote:whichever components and ammo are more readily handy....


375 most likely
I'm not so sure.

.375 Win ammo is very scarce as are actual .375 Win cases. Jacketed bullet options are limited but cast bullet options are superb.

On the other hand, the .375 Win is a very slightly thicker webbed .38-55 case with an OAL of 2.020 rather than 2.080 (or 2.125 for Starline brass), so you've always got the option of lengthening the chamber by .06" to accommodate .38-55 brass and ammo, or you can fire form new .30-30 brass to .375 dimensions (and the commonality with .30-30 brass is I suspect is why the .375 case dimensions were made slightly shorter than .38-55 rather than slightly longer). I use 8.0 grains of unique and then fill the case to the bottom of the neck with cream of wheat, holding it in place with a pea sized wad of toilet paper. If you fire the resulting round vertically, the resulting case mouth is fairly even, requiring only minimal trimming to square up. And the case, like the .30-30, is good for at least 42,000 psi - more than enough for .38-55 class loads.

And, as alluded to in a previous post, the Big Bore Model 94 is a very well balanced and nice handling carbine, and the .375 offers a bit more poke than the .30-30, without beating you to death like the .444 Marlin. That's basically my reasoning for going with a .45-70 if I want more performance - it will come in a heavier rifle or carbine that is less unpleasant to shoot than a .444 in a BB Model 94 (but at the expense of great handling.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by buckeyeshooter »

I'd keep the 444.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by TedH »

For a hunting rifle, I'd keep the 444, but that's just because I'm partial them for hunting guns.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by coop923 »

I've always been intrigued by the .375 Winchester and just recently passed up a really nice one only because of the threat of potentially not being able to hunt with cast bullets here in California. It seems to me the .444 has a much broader bullet selection than the .375. Without the lead/no lead concern, I'd probably lean toward the .375
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Grizz »

I'd keep the 375 for all the reasons cited above.

The 444 is really a companion gun to the 44 mag and if you were to quit on 45/70 it'd be a good way to go. But as long as you have and load for a 45/70 there's no good reason to keep the 444 in preference to the 375. The 444 is a medium bore anyway, .432. The 375 has all the good things of the 38-55 with the appropriate spacing between 30-30 and 45/70... 38-55 is something I would have wanted if I hadn't stopped "getting" by now.

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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Griff »

.375 Win. since you already have it. And, I'll assume a supply of ammo/components. The 444 wil be the easier sell becuase of that ammo availability issue with the 375. The .375 fills the gap between the .30-30 and .45-70, something the 444 doesn't quite do.

While I have boxes of both 200 & 250 grain factory loads, my 375 Marlin has never seen a factory round, just a regular diet of the Hornady 220 gr. JFP. Keep an order in for 500 of those Hornady's, they'll fill both our orders, evetually! :P :twisted:
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Blaine »

Grizz wrote:I'd keep the 375 for all the reasons cited above.

The 444 is really a companion gun to the 44 mag and if you were to quit on 45/70 it'd be a good way to go. But as long as you have and load for a 45/70 there's no good reason to keep the 444 in preference to the 375. The 444 is a medium bore anyway, .432. The 375 has all the good things of the 38-55 with the appropriate spacing between 30-30 and 45/70... 38-55 is something I would have wanted if I hadn't stopped "getting" by now.

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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by SteveR »

Keep the .375.

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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Pete44ru »

.

JMO, Blaine - but if yer peeper's aren't what they usta be, and yer contemplating a carryin' handle (aka: scope), I'd opt for the Marlin: otherwise, in every other way, for the .375 (which is a sorta small .444, if the cartridges are held side by side).



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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by rimrock »

444 is straight wall and has greater flexibility--mild to wild--tri ball, shotgun loads, 44 mag. level and snot slinger. besides it what I have.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Old Savage »

Win Big Bore 375 - then read Paco's article on it.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by ollogger »

Never had a 444, but have had the 45-70, couldn't warm up to them
my 94 BB is so slick & fun to shoot its a big winner to me
id keep the 375
I just tried a long starline 38-55 round in my 375 BB & it worked just great, no problem at all
Ive not fired any that way, but im thinking its been done, of course you would never fire a 375
factory in a 38-55 (CYA time)

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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Dan 444 »

444 Marlin. Just because.

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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by AJMD429 »

That would be a hard choice. It seems like there are more 375 Win manufacturers than 444 Marlin ones, though both are scarce. Both are potent, but the 444 wins for pure horsepower, and the 375 probably wins for flat trajectory, though I've not checked that out. Just depends on what you want most.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Aussie Chris »

444 Marlin.

Mine works well with open sights on sambar down here.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Canuck Bob »

444, best bush hunting rifle ever made. I am biased by decades of outstanding performance from my 70s MG 444S!

Actually both are fine guns but with the small bore 94AE I would still choose the big bore, :D .
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by 3leggedturtle »

375 for general hunting and defense. 444 if your going to encounter 500lb or bigger bears, and if you plan on packing a .44 handgun as well. If you plan on scoping or red dotting it, the Marlin just looks better IMO. That and $2 will get you 100 generic tea bags.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by 6pt-sika »

BlaineG wrote:
Grizz wrote:I'd keep the 375 for all the reasons cited above.

The 444 is really a companion gun to the 44 mag and if you were to quit on 45/70 it'd be a good way to go. But as long as you have and load for a 45/70 there's no good reason to keep the 444 in preference to the 375. The 444 is a medium bore anyway, .432. The 375 has all the good things of the 38-55 with the appropriate spacing between 30-30 and 45/70... 38-55 is something I would have wanted if I hadn't stopped "getting" by now.

that's how I's sees it
If my shoulders don't get better (and they prolly won't :evil: ) The only "big" rifle I'll shoot is the 12lb Sharps....

I dunno to what degree your shoulders are , but my left one is such that I cannot hold a compund bow at the moment . Can get it back but once I try and hold it for more then a few seconds it has some seriouse issues and thats with about a 45 pound bow . Lately my right shoulder has been feeling like the left but it's kinda moot point . Well we shall see when I go to climb a tree in a few weeks .

But back to the original question I actually like both cartridges quite a bit . Having had more then one of each caliber .

The 375 while certainly easier on the shooter is harder as far as components are concrened and bullet molds !

The 444 on the other had "can be loaded down if need be" . But to be honest I never found the 444 to be that bad with any of my cast bullet loads below 340 grains . And if the high intensity loads with H322 , IMR8208 , XMR2015 or RL-7 get to be to much you can always back up and regroup with XMP5744 or SR4759 .

Actually when I first started messing with cast bullets in the 444 I started with XMP5744 and it worked quite well .

If I were going to sell one I think I'd sell the one I "thought" I could make a better profit . And if your 375 is NIB as you say thats the one I'd put on the block . I dare to hesitate a guess but I'm thinking that rifle as you stated it might bring in the plus $1000 to 1250 range . And I could be wrong and it might bring more (or less) !
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by 6pt-sika »

Grizz wrote:The 444 is really a companion gun to the 44 mag and if you were to quit on 45/70 it'd be a good way to go. But as long as you have and load for a 45/70 there's no good reason to keep the 444 in preference to the 375. The 444 is a medium bore anyway, .432. The 375 has all the good things of the 38-55 with the appropriate spacing between 30-30 and 45/70... 38-55 is something I would have wanted if I hadn't stopped "getting" by now.

that's how I's sees it
You got it backwards the 44 MAG revolver is the companion to a 444 rifle !

Now even though I no longer own a 45-70 I will be the first to say i think with the big beasty bullets the 45-70 is the better cartridge of the two .

However for a fellow with a shoulder issue that cannot handle a 444 anylonger d...a...m...n sure can't handle a 45-70 in the same weight gun . And a Marlin 1895CB with decent hunting loads is going to pound you compared to a standard Marlin 444 with the little rubber pad . Been there done that with both .

Now I suppose most folks do not use a 444 lever action as a target rifle of sorts . But I certainly do on occasion .

The 444 vs the 375 WIN is kinda like the guy that has the 3/4 ton 4x4 that only uses it to carry the garbage to the dump every saturday . Sure he doesn't need it but it sure is nice to have if he ever does !
Same thing can be said for the 444 over the 375 .
Kinda like these guys that like to tour around the country on 1400-2000 CC motorcycles , sure you don't really need that much to go where you wanna go but it d...a...m...n sure makes it easier !

Now as to that comment about 30-30 , then 375 then 45-70 that may very well be for "some folks" , but I d...a...m...n sure ain't some folks . I was more of the 375 for the light gun the 444 for the medium gun and the 45-70 for the big thumper . And I have reevaluated and gone with 12 or 14 444's and made it easier all around . Fourteen or so for the same cartridge seems a bit easier to me (this coming from someone who used to load for about 40 different lever action cartridges).
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Blaine »

IMO, you can get more oomph from the .444 (heavier gun) than the .44 Mag 1894 (lighter gun) with less recoil because of the weight. I don't really find .444 with 240 GreenBox that uncomfortable shooting off hand. Those factory irons have not budged a mm since I sighted it in ten years ago....See no reason to change ammo :D I don't recollect shooting that .444 on paper, but, at a knot hole on a tree about "that far" away....I believe I had to drop the sight one "notch" and it was dead on windage-wise...It seems to hit whatever I aim at....Dang good shooter
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by North Country Gal »

I'd keep the 444. I shoot it in both my Marlin and my Contender pistol (how's that for crazy?) Everyone talks about the 444 in regards to its punch, but I also love the cartridge because of its accuracy, especially in a TC.

In our area, the 444 is quite popular, so several of my shops carry factory ammo, should I ever need to buy ammo off the shelf. No one carries 375.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Ranch Dog »

Owning both, my 444 would be the last to go. Just a heck of a lot more utility in that cartridge.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by Borregos »

Never had a 375 but I sure like my 444 :D
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by rjohns94 »

I'd choose the 375 since. Have a 45-70
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by BAGTIC »

I have all three calibers. If I could keep only one it would be the .375. All fantasies aside I am realistic enough to admit that at my age and finances I am not going to be shooting anything that needs more power than the .375.

I had shoulder surgery two years ago. It worked great and wasn't at all painful but I still think of all the other things I would rather have spent the money on.

I don't scope any of my lever guns, the idea seems obscene, so I could not take advantage of the .444's greater range anyway.
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Re: If I Had To Make A Choice..... .375 Win, or, .444?

Post by JFE »

Winchester never made many 94BB AE's in 375. Most 375's were ptop ejects. I'd be keeping it for that reason alone but it is also a versatile round capable of taking all the game you have there
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