444 too big for deer ?

[shrimpsheriff]

is a marlin 444 too big for deer.Im concerned about having to lose meat do to entry \ exit wounds from this caliber

[Nomercy]

No, the .444Marlin is not too big for deer. From my experiences with this cartridge (chambered in the Marlin leveraction), I've notice far less meat damage than in a more common bottleneck cartridge like the .30-06. I would suggest finding a bullet on the "hard side" of soft points, or a hard cast bullet if you're using lead slugs. I'm not aware of what factory loads are available these days, as I reload all of my own to save cost, but I've never had a deer argue about dying with the .444, and I've yet to feel that I've done excessive meat damage.

[frizzellr]

As nomercy said, you tend to get less meat damage with the big bores, but they still do a great job of flattening deer. There is an old saying about shooting deer with a big bore, "you can eat right up to the hole."

[James B]

High velocity often causes the meat damage along with poor shot placement. The 444 will not cause excess meat damage because of its lower velocity. It is a fine NA big game rifle.

[handloader1]

Shoot him in the ribs behind the shoulder, and you won't loose any substantial meat. Good luck.