Marlin 444 Outfitter

Guns Magazine, March, 2000 by John Taffin

Fast, handy, and powerful -- this new .444 from Marlin fills all the requirements of the perfect brush gun.

Contrary to many popular opinions, brushguns are simply compact, easy-to-carry, fast moving carbines. If scoped, they will usually carry small, low-power optics that will not distract from the gun's fast-handling characteristics. These guns are best in close encounters with big, often mean, nasty critters; thus, open sights are fine and good peep sights are even better.

The action on a brushgun may be bolt, pump, or lever -- most of us opt for the latter simply due to the fact that the former is slow (although there are those that can truly make a bolt action sing), and the pump action offers very little in the way of selection.

Lately, when planning a hunt, I have been more inclined to reach for the really big bore brushguns, the .44 Mag., .45 Colt, .444 Marlin and .45-70. The Winchester Trappers in either .44 Mag. or .45 Colt are great up-close, fast-handlin' carbines for deer, black bear and hogs, while the .45-70 will handle anything that walks.

The ultimate Brushgun

Last year Marlin came forth with the Guide Gun, a special model of their standard 1895, the 1895G, with an 18 1/2" ported barrel, and a four-round magazine chambered in .45-70. It was an instant success for use on everything from the big bears of Alaska to the lions of Africa.

The .45-70 can be used for any type of game. The downside is the shooter pays at the back end with heavy recoil with full house loads. Great as the .45-70 is, its power is not always needed and that is where the latest offering from Marlin comes in to play.

For those that want a kinder, gentler levergun that still speaks with authority for woods use on dear, bear, and hogs, perhaps even close range elk and moose, the answer is the Outfitter chambered in .444 Marlin, What the .45-70 does with 400 gr. bullets, the .444 Marlin accomplishes with 300 gr. bullets resulting in less recoil and a flatter trajectory. For most uses, the latter asset has very little importance. In the Guide Gun cartridges, these are both at their best in situations that are up-close and personal.

When using a levergun in conditions in which the shots are apt to be over 100 yards, I will choose the .35 Rem. or .356 or .375 Winchester chamberings. At less than 100 yards, I do not believe it is possible to come up with two better choices than the .45-70 and the .444 Marlin. Marlin's 444 Outfitter is based on the Model 444 and is a virtual dead ringer for the .45-70 Guide Gun except that it is about a 1/2" shorter in overall length. This is due to the lengths of the two actions on the two parent leverguns.

Fast And Powerful

The 444 Outfitter features a 2/3 magazine that holds five rounds. The barrel is ported to cut down on felt recoil with sir ports on either side of the front sight. To further aid in controlling felt recoil, the buttstock is fitted with a generous recoil pad.

Finish is the typical Marlin blue with the top of the receiver and the lever having a matte blue finish. The stock is excellent quality walnut with both the straight-grip buttstock and forearm being checkered. The forearm is too thick for my tastes but can easily be slimmed down.

Sights are a bead front with a folding rear. I have replaced these with the Ghost Ring set-up from Ashley Outdoors to match those found on my Guide Gun. This sight set up consists of a very small rear sight that utilizes the two back holes on the receiver that are drilled and tapped for scope mounting with a very large "Ghost Ring" peep sight. The front sight is a sloping post with a white strip up the center.

These sights pick up fast in a game shooting situation. Ashley Emerson, of Ashley Outdoors, is a hunter and shooter and knows from experience what will work. His catalog contains all types of handgun and rifle sights.

A Gun For The 21st Century

As with all Marlin and Winchester leverguns produced today this one has something never found on leverguns until very recently -- a safety. In addition to the cross-bolt safety and the warning label on the barrel, there are several other differences found when comparing the Outfitter to the 1970's Model 444 Marlin. For years shooters have been complaining about the Micro-Groove barrels in Marlin leverguns claiming that they would not shoot cast bullets.

The problem with these leverguns, particularly the .44 Mag. and .357 Mag., is not that they won't shoot cast bullets, but simply that they won't shoot all cast bullet loads. The secret is three-fold. They will shoot if the bearing surface on the bullet is of the right size, if the bullet is a gas check design, and if the muzzle velocity is in the right range.

Shooters no longer have to find just the right loads of cast bullets for the Marlin leverguns as the barrels, for the most part, are no longer of the Micro-Groove rifling type but rather are Ballard or cut-rifling (the .357 Mag. Model 1894C, is still of the Micro-Groove type). This means they will handle cast bullet loads as well as jacketed ballet rounds.