Marlin’s introduction of the Guide Gun didn’t acknowledge Wild West Guns, so perhaps the reason for Marlin’s new cartridge stems from a desire to avoid copying Wild West yet again.
How can a bit of brass added to a cartridge case make up for the exact same amount of steel removed from the chamber that holds it? This cartridge is useless, and it may have caused a host of ejection problems in our test gun. Marlins allow over receiver scope mounting where the model 94 Winchester does not. Those unaccustomed to hard-kicking rifles will find either the.444 or the.450 a bit much on the shoulder until they get used to it. The rear buckhorn blade did a grand job of obscuring everything on both sides of the target, and shooters would be much better served with a flat-top rear sight, or an aperture. The Winchester had a 20-inch barrel. We believe the development time used up by Marlin on that rifle could have been spent promoting the grand versatility of the .45-70 Guide Gun, letting folks know that it can handle good stout loads like those from Buffalo Bore, and making the Guide Gun exactly the way it should be, with an aperture rear sight right from the factory, softer recoil pad, and the slickest possible action. Those unaccustomed to hard-kicking rifles will find either the .444 or the .450 a bit much on the shoulder until they get used to it.
Indeed, it’s a fantastic choice for use on North American game like deer, black bear, feral hogs, or moose at short range. Gun Tests has been independently reviewing firearms since 1989. We can, however, see the beauty of an aperture sight, and desperately wanted one on both of the Marlins, such as the excellent ghost-ring Ashley or the even better fully adjustable version from Wild West with its protective ears.
Neither one really excels at longer range, but both the .450 Marlin and the .45-70 deliver the bone crushing power and deep penetration necessary for hunting large, tough animals such as moose and grizzly bear at short to moderate range. Those loads have stout recoil, but also deliver heavy hitting, bone crushing power at short range. But if you find a sample that doesn’t exhibit the problem and you have zillions of .44 pistol bullets you want to shoot in it, then we’d give it a Conditional Buy. We assume a clump of grease or a small burr slowed down the firing pin just enough to prevent firing. Being bracketed by the proven .444 Marlin and .45-70, the belted .450 Marlin doesn’t fill a lever-gun niche any better than the other cartridges.
Like the Marlins, the Winchester had a cross-bolt safety but the owner had locked it out so the rifle would fire every time the hammer fell. One thing I struggle with. The ported barrels of these rifles worked wonders to keep the muzzle down, but the rearward kick was still significant.
Marlin .450 Model 1895M Our recommendation: Don’t Buy the $560 Marlin .450 Model 1895M. As it was, we liked the ring for its simplicity, but it was extremely vulnerable, sticking up in the breeze. Nobody has brought this to anyone attention. Specifically, the hot .45-70 Buffalo Bore (BB) ammunition gave a 405-grain bullet the astounding velocity of 1,900 fps, compared to 1,200 fps with the ordinary loading of that bullet by Remington. Obviously, many rifleman have voted yes, because Marlin has sold many, many .444s. The 1895M was fitted with barrel-mounted iron sights, though it was also drilled and tapped for scope mounting.
However, some shooters like the extra margin of safety, and it’s there if desired.
CT Nosler for the dangerous game I’d hunt with a .375 H&H. bullet. (The .450 Marlin, by the way, is a ringer for the .458 American except for that longer belt. Co. Gold Cup Trophy O5072XE 9mm Luger, Christensen Arms Ridgeline 801-06015-00 6.5 PRC, Bergara Premier Mountain 2.0 BPR28-65PRC 6.5 PRC, Winchester SXP Marine Defender 512268395 12 Gauge, Twelve 22 Long Rifle Cartridges, Shot From a Rifle This Round, 9mm Barrel Lengths Compared In Range Performance Testing, 12-Gauge Mini Shells from Federal, Aguila, and Nobel, Twenty 22 Rimfire Loads Go Head to Head at the Range, Quick-Release Extended Scope Mounts For Carbines & Rifles, Hands-On: Galco’s FasTrax PAC Reinvents the Fanny Pack, BATFE Reclassifies ‘Honey Badger’ AR Pistols as SBRs, PROOF Research Introduces the $8500 Conviction Ti Long-Range Precision Tactical Rifle. Medium-bore lever rifles are made by Marlin and Winchester. As it is, we feel this odd belted design will only speed the demise of this rifle/cartridge combination, because it doesn’t make the least bit of sense to us. The .450 Marlin was designed so that a magnum class of 45 70 load could be sold commercially without fear of someone blowing themselves up by putting the charge in a trap door springfield. The ported barrels of these rifles worked wonders to keep the muzzle down, but the rearward kick was still significant. First, the .450 Marlin and the .45-70 Government both fire the same .458″ diameter bullets.
Still, we liked the lively feel of the 94AE. In contrast, Marlin had another idea entirely with the company’s new .450 Marlin, though we don’t know why the company didn’t just chamber an existing lever rifle for Wild West’s better cartridge idea. It out shoots any 45/70 and cuts through brush like a weed eater. So, why would the SAAMI have such different psi or even CUP maximums? The Buffalo Bore .45-70 load, same weight bullet, was faster than the .450 Marlin. Accuracy was all that anyone would want. The Big Game Hunting Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca and other Amazon stores worldwide.
Buffalo Bore also loads three different weights of bullets in the .444 Marlin, and they give much better performance than ordinary .444 loads, and do so safely. Our shooting was hampered by the trigger and by the huge ghost-ring rear sight. All of this being said, what other cartridge offers so much selection, creativity and flexibility in choosing a load specific to the game you’re hunting? I bought the 444 also.
With all of this in mind, designers at Hornady and Marlin built a new cartridge offering performance on par with the hottest .45-70 Government loads while completely eliminating the risk of accidental use in rifles lacking a strong enough action to safely handle that increased pressure. The checkering was fully functional, well done, and attractive. They both have a pretty stout recoil, but neither has a decided advantage in this area. This difference in belt size is apparent in the photo below of a .458 Winchester Magnum compared to a .450 Marlin cartridge.
The Ashley was drift-adjustable using opposing screws, though we could see no easy way to adjust it for elevation. We also had problems with the function of the .450 Marlin.
To totally avoid any problems with hot-loaded .45-70 ammunition, Wild West Guns announced a new cartridge, the .457 Magnum. This email contact address is not an "Ask the Firearms Expert" service. The Wild West version ($100) has steel wings to protect it, and would a better aperture choice. At the range, the first shot told us that the Marlin .450 was a powerful rifle. All in all, this is outstanding .450 Marlin ammo for hunting medium and large game like deer, black bear, feral hogs, and even moose.