8-444 Wildcat

[Marlin32]

Okay, one more cartridge I seek comments for.
What do people think of a 444 Marlin necked down to a 8mm ?

Or a 444 Marlin necked to 338? (is that just a different 338ME?)

[Hobie]

The first is the 8mm JDJ...

8mmjdj.jpg

...and the second is the .338 JDJ #2.

cd338jdj2ml3.jpg

[Chuck 100 yd]

Very little has not already been tried in the wildcat line up.

Most of them are more trouble than they are worth.
One can spend lots of money there though. If you are tripping over piles of dough and need the room,PM me ,I can help!

[awp101]

Very little has not already been tried in the wildcat line up.

Most of them are more trouble than they are worth.

True and usually "different" isn't "better", it's just "different". I've been enamored with wildcats for a couple of years now but each time I think about taking the plunge for one, the hard reality smacks me upside the head. I don't have the time/space to reload yet, I don't have the additional funds for custom dies or the custom barrel work, etc for something that can usually be replicated by off the shelf ammo.

Maybe when those lottery numbers hit I can play...

[Terry Murbach]

[quote="Marlin32"]Okay, one more cartridge I seek comments for.
What do people think of a 444 Marlin necked down to a 8mm ?
"J" OR "S" BORE ???

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Wow, I had forgotten that the Germans changed bore size during production and marked their Mauser 98's with the J or S to denote which was for which ammo type.

[Pete44ru]

I realize you might already have an 8mm barrel you want to do something with, but if not (and you want to be different) - why not a .25/444 ?

I think you'd have a ballistic equivilent of a .25-06 levergun, w/o going to a BLR.

.

[Marlin32]

I do not have a barrel. But I would probably go the .323 route.
I have "wildcat fever".
Thanks for the JDJ link Hobie. That is interesting stuff, and may have to give them a call and get some good information from horse's mouth so to speak.

I am sure it is more trouble than it is worth, but I already am different, so this is not new
I shoot a 32 Special, Used to own a .307, shoot 10ga's 16ga's (some with short chambers) and a 24 gauge. All those are a PIA to load for as ammo is iffy. But I love it and I get great performance from all, sometimes better than factory can provide me.

Thanks gentlemen for all of the comments. Much appreciated.

[Hobie]

You don't have to explain to us why...

[TMair]

You don't have to explain to us why...

No, but now we know a little more about him...cool
Terry

[TMair]

I realize you might already have an 8mm barrel you want to do something with, but if not (and you want to be different) - why not a .25/444 ?

I think you'd have a ballistic equivilent of a .25-06 levergun, w/o going to a BLR.

.

Ok now that would be cool!
Or maybe a 22 cal, see if we could get close to a 22-250.
Terry

[t.r.]

Sounds very interesting to me. I bought a German crafted 7.9mm rifle when I was stationed in Spain with USAF. It fired 8mm X 57 ammo quite accurately. I hunted fallow deer for a reasonable fee and had no trouble downing the animal with my European rifle & ammo. But I sold the rifle to another GI when I rec'd orders to South Korea. So it goes.

American 8mm X 57 ammo is under-loaded but Europeans manufacture this cartridge to approx 30-06 level or performance. I'm assuming that your WildCat will produce same ballistics as European made ammo.

Have you determined a flat nose soft tip bullet for your WildCat?

TR

[tman]

The 444 Marlin necked down to .338 gummy points sounds interesting. Would like to see it compared to the 338 marlin and .356 WCF. using gummy points. Gotta use a 20" barrel, though. How much would you gain in performance out to 200 yards?

[awp101]

You don't have to explain to us why...

Yup Wildcat Fever, much like BB Gun Mania, knows no bounds...

Once it's there, it's there and you can't shake it. It might go into remission but it never truly goes away.

[Ken O'Neill]

The .338 JDJ No. 2 is an outstanding cartridge in the T/C Contender. I've been running a 200 gr. Horn. spire point @ a hair less than 2300 fps out of my 14" ported barrel for about a dozen years, and that combo kills all out of proportion to what you might expect, with fine accuracy.
I don't have an 8 mm, but the .309 JDJ is also outstanding. I run a 165 B.T. @ 2400 fps from a 14" unported barrel. It's about the equivalent of a .308 Win. in a similar barrel length. The 8mm JDJ should do equally as well.

[Ben_Rumson]

"J or S bore"

[Nazgul]

I dealt with JD Jones for a muzzle brake on my 375 JDJ Encore, 15" barrel. They are a class act. I have no reservation recommending them. They will have reloading dies available for any caliber they sell also. I did at one time think about their 8 MM/ 444. Never did anything. The 375 JDJ can be a handful.

Don

[guido4198]

375 JDJ in a 14" Contender was one of my "3-gun battery" for an All handgun hunt in Africa. Awesome caliber....very accurate,real easy to load for, and will take out pretty much anything over there including a cow elephant.