RE: 444. Marlin
I shot two deer last year with the .444 marlin. One was shot using a pistol, the other with a lever. Both were killed using 240 gr. factory Remington loads. Each of the deer died in it's tracks andI found the bullet on both deer just under the hide on the far side of the animal. I was very impressed with the killing power the of this caliber, but unimpressed with the Remington bullet. Each bullet had completely separated from it's copper jacket and actually made two holes as it went through the far side rib cage.
Looking at the Remington bullets, its easy to see that the jacket has less coverage than other .444 bullets and this is why the separation occured. I now shoot 270 & 300 gr. Speer and 265 gr. Hornady. I absolutely love this cartridge and would reccommend the 444 to anyone who hunts in areas where shots are under 150 yds.