is it too much for deer and hogs? out to say 150 yds?

Thats a great caliber !
My first rifle was a Marlin lever gun in 444 Marlin.
Took all my deer with that gunand itdrops hogs with no problem at all .
Plenty of gun for hogs, deer and most North American game .

Naaa, I have shot one owned by a friend and seriously considered getting one myself. I think they are a blast to shoot and within the range you stated would make a fine hog and deer gun. The big slow bullets from a 444 usually damage less meat than many of the smaller faster calibers out there. With the right bullet it should be an eat right up to the hole gun. LOL!

I don't think so. The .444 is a strange cartridge. It was originally loaded with a .44 Magnum pistol bullet of 240 grains, which was none too satisfactory. All that did was give you a slightly longer range .44 Magnum in a much heavier rifle. I still don't quite understand the reasoning behind the way the cartridge was loaded initially.

However, once it is loaded with correct bullets, 300 grains or heavier, it approaches the power of the .405 Winchester, and that makes it a much better gun for all possible uses. Due to its' rather low muzzle velocity, I don't believe it will ruin as much meat deer as a .270 Win., for example. And the penetration should be adequate for hogs!

Good luck!

bullet wise i was thinking of the new 265 gr hornady leverevolution.

Lots of folk use .444 Marlin around here for deer. Using the new LE ammo from Hornady, along with a medium power scipe, it's a great combination.