Good evening - I'm thinking about buying a Marlin 1894 .44 magnum and am looking for suggested loads for CLA silhouette, specifically what powders and weight bullets. I'd like to keep recoil down, yet not have rainbow trajectory. Are magnum primers recommended? Any other suggestions or caveats would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom

Several years ago I tried the 44 mag in CLA but it did not work at the rams. No matter what load/bullet I tried. The group was the size of a 55 gallon drum. Turkey was not much better. Later I found out several others before me also had tried the 44 mag and got the same results. Now for pistol cartridge it worked well with reduced loads, but it was like riding a rainbow. But still to much gun for PC. For CLA I would go with the 30-30.

I'm using this for my young son, if you haven't bought a rifle, I would go with a Rossi or a Winchester.
Twist in Marlin is 1 in 38, and for Rossi it is 1 in 30, current Winchesters are 1 in 26.
He and I are trying a subsonic load with a 240gr bullet.
The twist is important because I plan on using 300 gr bullets subsonic.
Rainbow, but feels like a cork gun shooting marshmallows.
A lot of people like doing that with 44-40's or 38-55's, but I don't like dealing with the bottleneck cases.
Trailboss, N32c, N340 and N320 powders work, I don't like any charge that is less than 50%
Good for both PC and Long range

Good luck, Dennis

My original post was probably confusing, I was thinking about using a .44 magnum for pistol cartridge matches using 180 grain jacketed bullets, not long range. Would a .32-20 be a better choice, that is, easier to develop an accurate load? I rather spend my time shooting than trying.to develop an accurate load. It sounds like I would be trying to push water uphill with a.44 magnum, due to the Marlins rate of twist. I'd rather do my due diligence now rather than be sorry later.

tomj

when i get back home this weekend i will lookup my 44 mag load for pistol cartridge. i used unique powder with 240 cast lead and fmj bullets. i got some easy shooting loads. but you will have to have sight adjustment for all four animals. i did lots of testing over my chronograph so you can look a the numbers. i might have some data for the 180 gr. bullet. the 44 mag worked well for me in PC, but it was a bust in CLA. i dropped the 44 mag for a 357 mag for PC.

If that is the case, stick with a 357 mag.
Easy to load and brass is cheap and durable. 32-20 has thin walls. I shoot a 357 subsonic. Same sight settings as shooting a standard velocity 22lr.
If you go the 44 route, you could use it for long range too. 357 is a little light for long range.
Dennis

TomJ if you haven't bought the gun yet go with a 357. If your already bought the gun go with the 32 20. The 44mag is to much for PC and not enough for CLA, IMO. A 357 will work in CLA but rams will be tough but even a 3030 rings them sometimes.

The 357 would be a better option over the 44 mag. The 357 will work on CLA. But you can ring rams. I rang a ram with my 30-30 in April at the lever action roundup. The woman CLA chickens long run record was set last year with a Henry big boy steel in 357 mag.

TomJ wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 2:46 pm I rather spend my time shooting than trying.to develop an accurate load.

Then, 22 Magnum is the ticket.

DJA wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 3:14 pm

TomJ wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 2:46 pm I rather spend my time shooting than trying.to develop an accurate load.

Then, 22 Magnum is the ticket.

at the two clubs i shoot at in my area the 22 mag is a ram ringer.

frankmako wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 4:48 pm

DJA wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 3:14 pm

TomJ wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 2:46 pm I rather spend my time shooting than trying.to develop an accurate load.

Then, 22 Magnum is the ticket.

at the two clubs i shoot at in my area the 22 mag is a ram ringer.

Might want to check those Rams. Shooting 22 mag at 5 different clubs over several years, I've doinked maybe a handful, and those had muddy feet.

Both clubs have bad rail. You can ring rams with smallbore.

Frank – thanks very much for the load information. It will be a big help developing an accurate load. Thanks again, Tom

DJA wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 7:17 pm

frankmako wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 4:48 pm

DJA wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 3:14 pm

Then, 22 Magnum is the ticket.

at the two clubs i shoot at in my area the 22 mag is a ram ringer.

Might want to check those Rams. Shooting 22 mag at 5 different clubs over several years, I've doinked maybe a handful, and those had muddy feet.

At the two ranges where I shoot pistol cartridge, I tend to lose about 10% or more of rams with 22 Magnum on average. I've cleaned all 10 a few times and then ring three or four the next time, even with no wet/muddy feet and no wind from the back of the targets. My Marlin 57M shoots so well (good trigger, easy to hold one-piece stock) that even with the chance of ringing them that I still score well (couple 39s and a handful of 38s out of 40), but I moved to a 357 Magnum to be sure that if I make the shot that the target will fall. I've never shot a 40/40 and have had two close that would have been 40/40 if the rams had fallen when hit with a 22 Magnum. It got in my head and now the 57M sits in the safe.

I thought about a 357, however, 24” barreled Marlins are few, far between and very, very pricey. What make and model .357s are those who are shooting them using?