Whitetail 270 WBY Mag or 444 Marlin?

[ninjatoth]

I am thinking of hunting for only the 2nd time this year.Last year a used a borrowed .270 weatherby mag and took a big buck,but since then,I have inherited a .444 marlin.I will be hunting less than a range of 100 yards.Which gun is better and why?

[Lotsdragon]

At less than a hundred a .444 is fine, lots of lead and lots of power.......I myself usually use my 336 .35 remington.

[johnlives4christ]

i'd go 444 for several reasons. one reason is you should hunt better with your own gun. and the memories will be better. and second. at a distance less than 200 yards the 444 will make a heckova hole. the 270 is fine. and while it's a strong, flat shooting gun. a big medium moving round delivers more shock to a deer than a small fast moving round, in my opinion

[ninjatoth]

my main reason for asking is for a theory I have,but I'm not sure if i'm correct.My theory is that a fast light bullet will achieve the same muzzle energy as a slower heavier bullet,but think that a .270 wby mag bullet will "splat" and not go through the deer,delivering more energy,as where the .444 bullet might pass through the deer before it deposits all the energy,making the .270 wby mag better.The .270 wby mag is just a hair more powerful than the .444,but not by much.

[army mp]

To be honest, In my opinion both are over kill for a 100 yard shot on a white tail Deer. But if the 444 is your rifle . get familiar with it. The 270 and 270 mag, are more long range flat shooters. Where the 444 Is an up close hard hitter. There have been more deer killed in Pa, with a 30 30 than any other round, the 3006 may be a close second. A lot of guys are getting older, And are going with the 243. Less recoil, cheaper ammo, and it still gets the job done.

[ninjatoth]

I used my father in law's .270 wby mag last season because I had to hunt with him.His wife uses a .243,and he gave me his .270 to use while he used his wife's .243.The .444 has been passed on to me by my brother,which he got from our grandfather.Part of me want's to use my dad's 1942 30-30,but it's hard for me to go for less than overkill.I'm powerhungry for those 3,000+lb energy rifles.

[GMFWoodchuck]

Both are fine, But I'd use my own gun whenever possible. If for no other reason if it gets scratched or whatever you do not have to worry so much.

[USMC-03]

Originally Posted by GMFWoodchuck

Both are fine, But I'd use my own gun whenever possible. If for no other reason if it gets scratched or whatever you do not have to worry so much.

Even more, it's best to learn and use your own rifle; when you really need it the proficiency will pay off.

[ski9393]

There used to be a saying that goes "Be ware the man with only one gun, 'cuz he likely knows how to use it".

[plowhorse]

for the shots you are talking about taking, the 270 weatherby would just punch a small hole all the way through. the 444 will do the same, but a much larger hole. since the 444 is slower moving, it would be better in delivering the energy properly. as far as the 30-30 you don't need 3000+ ftlbs of energy for a deer, the 30-30 will do an even better job than both of the other rifles. jmo

[Sandman]

Both are fine for 100 yards. The .270 is a much better all around deer rifle, but at 100 yds and less it won't make a difference. Both will penetrate the deer, both will expand, both will make a clean kill at 100 yds. The .270 weatherby is flatter shooting and will retain velocity for longer, but that only helps for longer range shots.

[army mp]

All of the above is true. However. I would look at Ammo availability. The standard rounds are getting hard enough to find. Let alone. 444 or Weatherby . What ever you use. You need to be proficient with it. And if Availability or price. prevents that. You may want to look into something else. A rifle if kept up is a life time investment. And will never loose its value.

[ninjatoth]

I think i'll stick with the .444 for now.My brother just one day gave it to me,along with all his guns,so I went out,set up a target board at 50 yards and shot freehanded.3 inches to the left with iron sights,height was right on.I just need some more ammo to practice a bit more.I read that the new leverution,or lever evolution hornady ammo comes in .444,so I might try that.

[Maximilian II]

Okay, I voted .444 for a specific reason. At relatively close range it gives a LOT of power.
I have no information at all as to your experience and skill. As such I have to assume (which I don't like to) that you might not be highly experienced or skilled. If I'm wrong, please feel free to disregard my advice.
The .444 is easier to kill something with at short ranges. That's what it amounts to. I live in an area where short range is pretty much the norm, and "brush guns" like the .444 are popular. At 100 yards or less it's a fine deer rifle. If you're "off" a little, it's forgiving. You have follow-up shots available. Good choice in my estimation.

[ninjatoth]

I haven't been hunting much,but I been shooting rifles since I was a kid,and used to shoot the .444 when I was a kid.A freehanded iron sight shot from 50 yards was 3 inches off.I hope that is good enough accuracy to take another deer.

[xwad]

I'd definitely with the .444 at close range, packs a lot more punch.

[ninjatoth]

my main reason I ask is because a .270 wby mag has 3,338 lbs of energy,as where a .444 has 3,182 lbs of energy,and some ammo is more even or even the .444 being a hair more enegy sometimes,but lets just say energy wise,they are pretty equal for the most part.Is there really an advantage in a .444 at close range?Wouldn't the .270 wby do just as well at close range?What's the difference since energy is so close?

[johnlives4christ]

i would suggest this season hunt with the 444 since you did last year with the 270. you're talking numbers, which is good to some degree. but by hunting with both you'll get to see what the effectiveness of both rounds are in the field. sometimes the numbers suggest one thing, but other factors cause the lesser round to perform better.

[ninjatoth]

the .270 wby did an awesome job last season.Deer was about 40 yards away,and I made a front on shot in the lower neck/chest,and the big buck dropped with his legs in the air.My father in law gutted it and said the bullet was gone,fragmented,and the heart was jello.My brother got a deer years ago with the .444,and he said it knocked it right up against a tree.My thoughts or concerns are that the .444 will pass through being a heavier bullet,as where 100% of the .270 wby's energy was put into the deer.Maybe things are different than what they seem in my head?I don't know

[flannelman]

Well if you took a head on shot with the 270 then there is a good chance it won't go all the way through because of the distance and everything it has to go through. Even larger rounds might not make it all the way through. If you take a broadside shot with either one the bullet should pass completely through the deer. I have hunted deer for the last 20 years and have killed them with 12 ga shotguns, .26-06, .30-06, .35Rem, and .50 cal muzzleloaders. I have a friend who only uses a .22-250 to hunt deer with. All of them will get the job done with the correct shot placement. I have a friend who hunts with a 7mm Rem mag. It does massive damage when he shoots a deer with it. I was hunting with him and killed a deer with my .30-06 and he was amazed by the wound channel left by the 150 grain Winchester cheap ammo. I shot a buck at about 30 yards with my .25-06 and was amazed at the damage that was done to the deer. He only went 10 yards after I shot. Your .444 will do massive damage to anything you hit but the .270 can too with the correct bullet. It really comes down to what you want to use and what range you will be hunting at. The Hornady ammo is great stuff. I have used it in my 336 Marlin .35 REM and it works great.

[carver]

Originally Posted by army mp

To be honest, In my opinion both are over kill for a 100 yard shot on a white tail Deer. But if the 444 is your rifle . get familiar with it. The 270 and 270 mag, are more long range flat shooters. Where the 444 Is an up close hard hitter. There have been more deer killed in Pa, with a 30 30 than any other round, the 3006 may be a close second. A lot of guys are getting older, And are going with the 243. Less recoil, cheaper ammo, and it still gets the job done.

+1

[Sandman]

Yeah, as I said before, either will do the job, but since the .444 is yours and the .270 is not, I would say go with the .444 and use it, practice with it, etc. No point borrowing a rifle if you own one that will do the job.

[omercityman]

Your only going to kill a deer. Either will do the job. The 30.30 has killed more deer than any other gun. Its great to have all the knock down power but in the end the most important thing is shot placement. I've killed alot of deer with a .22 . Shot placement is where it is at. If your shooting 3" to the left then move your sights and make it dead on. I have a Marlin .444 and have used it on a few deer. Shot placement is critical with this gun as you would not want to hit a shoulder or hind quarter, if meat is what your after. One day while walking out to my blind a saw one of the biggest bucks I have ever seen. With my .444 in hand and the buck about 350 yards out , I had to watch him walk away. Shot placement, use the .270, you never know where you will see that wall hanger.

[fyimo]

Even large whitetail Deer are killed fairly easily and both rifles will certainly do the job. I think it boils down to whether you are comfortable with the Marlin or not and if you are I'd use it.

There are several great rounds for hunting deer and it all depends on the terrain and the distance of the average shot taken. If you were in an area where 200 yard shots are possible then the 270 Mag would have a distinct advantage. If the average shot is less then 100 yards then I think they would both be fairly equal because both will drive a bullet through the deer and expand correctly.

I hunt Whitetails with a 243 or 25-06 and they are both excellent rounds. For Mule Deer in Colorado I use a 270 win or a 30-06.