Old School cool: Part 6 – Remington 760 and Marlin 444

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

The .444 Marlin and Remington 760 are not modern wonder rifles, and that is exactly why they matter. One brings big-bore lever-action authority, the other brings pump-gun speed in 30-06, and both still make a hard case for old-school hunting skill.

Old School Cool – Part 1
Old School Cool – Part 2
Old School Cool – Part 3
Old School Cool – Part 4
Old School Cool – Part 5

The Remington and Marlin in this article have been featured previously on their own. However, those articles were mostly about how they came to be, and not really about their hunting abilities. Since Hunt365 is primarily about hunting. I wanted to give each more coverage about the usefulness and practicality they possess in the field.

.444 Marlin and Remington 760 Specs From the Field

Marlin 444 Trapper: The Big Bore Lever Gun That Earned Its Keep

While I have written this particular old school rifle up before, it’s such a neat gun, I’m including it again. My Marlin 444 is a modified 1969 timeframe rifle. The modification being that I converted it into a trapper-style gun, it now wears a 16.5” barrel and a full-length magazine tube. The rifle is remarkably accurate, and although not lightweight, it is quite nimble when held in the hands. Used at distances of 150 yards or less with proper bullets, the rifle is capable of handling any game in the lower 48 states. I’d gone through several different sighting arrangements, trying to decide which I liked best for its purpose.

The rifle currently wears an Aimpoint Comp M4s, even though the sight is more suited for AR-type guns. The 444 gets used quite a bit with IR night vision, and the first power settings work well with IR. The rifle delivers power at close range incomparable to most AR’s. That size optic seems to fit the rifle well and allow forward mounting in order to keep backup irons available. It also allows trouble-free use when I’m wearing an IR monocular. While I was reconfiguring the stock Marlin from its 24” barreled version into what it is now. An invitation to harvest a Nilgai cow was offered to me. That hunt is written under the title “Hot for Nilgai” in Hunt365, so I’ll not rehash those details. My plan for the rifle was for it to be a general-purpose big bore.

Marlin 444 Trapper Field Performance: 250gr. Cast HPs With Authority

Something I could use for my abatement work, regardless of what I was after and at any angle, and up to 500 pounds. Since that first hunt with the 444, I’ve used it exclusively for my abatement jobs. My current load is a 250gr. powder-coated and gas checked cast hollow point. Velocity runs just under 2300fps, and performance is spectacular on everything from 100-pound herd pigs to 400-pound Nilgai. I’ve not recovered a bullet yet, so I cannot speak to penetration limits. Initial expansion is dramatic. Everything I’ve shot, with that load, requires a short tracking job to none at all. Just like the sighting arrangements, I’ve tried several different bullets to find one that worked best for me.

I focused on 240-280gr. bullets, trying to keep velocities above 2100fps, to provide a decent trajectory. I’ve tried factory Remington 240gr. JHP, Fury, bonded 250gr. SP, Swift A frame 280gr., finally settling on the cast powder-coated HP. Amazingly, the 250gr. The bullet provides a very useful trajectory out to 200 yards. Using the 2moa dot on the Aimpoint, midrange height at 100 is 3 inches high. So, just 2 inches over the top of the dot, and at 200 yards, the impact is 2 inches low or at the bottom of the dot. The accuracy provided is enough to allow shots at 250 yards to take place, and a drop of 9.7 inches is all that takes place. So, a top-of-the-back hold for most medium game is all that is required. The accuracy provided at 100 yards runs 2 inches, using the 1x red dot sight.

Big Bore .444 Marlin Power: Why This Trapper Stands on Its Own

The 16.5” barrel allows quick, easy handling, and with the heavy barrel found on the original 444 Marlins, recoil is minimal. The trigger on the gun is superb for a lever action, crisp and surprisingly light. The decisiveness of each shot provides a sense of confidence that is welcome in a working gun. Realistically, this rifle and cartridge live for big tough game inside 200 yards. The 45-70 Marlins may have become the media darlings, but don’t discount the 444. I did, and I wish I hadn’t, it would be tough for me to decide between my 35rem. Or my 444. Both fit unique niches in field use, one a big bore, the other a capable medium bore. When it comes to heavy-hitting versatility and practicality in the field, the 444 stands on its own merit.

Remington 760 in 30-06: Pump-Gun Speed With Grocery-Store Ammo

The beginnings of this rifle were shared in one of my first articles, “Assembling a Knock Around Rifle”. The benefits of it being chambered in 30-06 make it suitable for a large range of game. It also allows for easy ammunition location should the need for more or backup become a necessity. This last point was recently realized when friends came for a feral pig hunt and forgot to pack their ammo. Trying to locate 6.8SPC and 458SoCom in small south Texas stores proved nearly fruitless; when some 6.8 was found, it was ridiculously expensive. The little Remington was loaned out, and 30-06 ammunition was secured in a local grocery store.

The marketing draw to the rifle is its similarities to the pump shotgun, the Remington 870. The operating controls and functions are the same, except for the rifle using a magazine over the tube for ammo. The idea being that if you used the 870 for bird hunts, the 760 was the perfect rifle to use for big game hunting. Many a midwestern and northeastern hunter carried a pump Remington into the deer woods. If you wanted rapid shot capability and something more powerful than a 30-30, the Remington 760 was a logical choice. It was available as a rifle or carbine, with 22” or 18” barrels. Initial calibers were 30-06, 300sav., 270 Win., and 35rem.

Remington 760 Field Performance: Fast Handling and Real Accuracy

Accuracy provided by the 2.75x Redfield with post reticle has been in the 1.5” group size with various bullets at 100 yards. So far, I’ve loaded and used 140gr. Monoflex, 150gr. Silvertip, 150gr. CoreLokt, 165gr. CoreLokt and 180gr. PowerPoint. The 140gr. providing 2880fps, the 150gr. gave 2710fps, the 165gr. produced 2625fps, and the 180gr. giving 2490fps. All except the 180gr. using the same powder charge, the 180gr. being a grainless powder than the others. I settled on the 150gr. CoreLokt, although the 140gr. Monoflex shows promise. I will have to test bullet performance on some big pigs before deciding on its all-around use. While the velocities provided are at 308win. levels, they are completely acceptable.

Working a new ranch allowed me access to pigs that had not received any hunting pressure and were relatively unmolested. This means they do not react to vehicles driving around and will stop and look back, or not move at all, to a vehicle. It gives me a much better chance at multiple pigs from the same herd, so a fast-handling rifle that shoots a good bullet is a huge benefit. A rifle pushing a good bullet at 2500-2700fps is about as ideal as it gets for all-around performance. I was easily able to take 16 pigs in the two and a half days I spent scouting the ranch. The rapid handling and function of the carbine was no small reason for it.

Uncommon Use: Low-Power Optics, Moving Game, and Practical Speed

While the bulk of hunters today seem to disregard lower magnification optics and rifles that can’t shoot minuscule groups. These rifles are from a time when shooting at running game was a common occurrence, and hunters practiced at it. Many old-school shooting tips included methods to practice shooting in a moving game. The short length of both rifles makes for handy use while driving in trucks or UTV’s, as well as swinging on game in thick cover. Low-power optics allow a wide field of view and easier tracking of running game. The rapidity of shots while keeping the gun on your shoulder and maintaining a view of your quarry helps.

Many of today’s hunters would hardly consider taking a shot at moving game, much less running game. In days past, if you wished to hunt in some foreign countries, you were required to pass a hunting test with a running target segment. There is little wonder why the Aimpoint company’s “Wild Boar Fever” driven boar videos are so popular. The skill needed to be consistently successful on a running target is a pleasure to watch. The 1x and lower powered optic lends itself well to the skill and typical environment where that type of shooting takes place.

Old School Moving-Game Skill: The Part Modern Hunters Forgot

Drives and driven shooting is most definitely an old-world style of hunting. The English have driven birds, the Europeans have driven boar and other big game. Deer drives were a common occurrence in many eastern and southern states. These days, they are less common or done on a smaller scale. The skills needed to hit a running game and the gear needed to assist in its taking are as specialized as any other niche skill or gear. These days, more emphasis is placed on the single skill set of long-range precision. Making the ability to be successful in the moving game, an Old School skill. Ideally, hunters should strive for all-around shooting ability rather than rely on success utilizing a single skill set.

Pros and Cons: Big Bore Punch Meets Pump-Rifle Practicality

• Pros: The Marlin 444 Trapper hits hard inside 200 yards, handles quickly with its 16.5” barrel, works well with IR night vision, and has shown spectacular field performance with the 250gr. powder-coated and gas checked cast hollow point.
• Pros: The Remington 760 brings fast follow-up shots, familiar pump shotgun controls, useful 30-06 versatility, and ammunition that can still be found in small-town stores when someone forgets their ammo.
• Cons: The Marlin 444 is not lightweight, the author has not recovered a bullet yet to define penetration limits, and the rifle lives best inside practical big bore distances rather than pretending to be a long-range rig.
• Cons: The Remington 760 runs at 308 Win. level velocities in the loads tested, and the 140gr. Monoflex still needs big-pig testing before being declared an all-around choice.

Related Reads from GunsAmerica Digest

• Marlin 444 Trapper: The Gun That Never Was
• Assembling a Knock-Around Rifle
• Old School Cool, Part 4: Marlin 336 Field Test

Trapr Swonson

Trapr Swonson,…hunter, trainer, competitor, owner operator Trapr Ltd.,  retired firefighter/first responder, and Hunt365 writer.

I’d be called a traditionalist. I like and appreciate the latest tech, but really enjoy doing things the old ways.

Experience/Qualifications

-USAF small arms instructor and competitor since the mid 1980’s and continue providing small arms training to this day.

-Started competing in archery and held state records, as well as part of the Texas state “All Recurve” 3D team.

Progressed to practical shooting competitions with handgun, rifle, and shotgun, and in early long range competitions.

-Have represented the USA several times in international practical shooting.

-Developed the best functioning and most reliable shortened stroke or “stroke timing system” modification for 3 gun-type Benelli Nova/SuperNova shotguns.

-Have hunted from Texas north to Montana and east to Minnesota plus some international hunts.

-Currently retired after 27+ years as a firefighter, medical first responder.

-Started a company that specializes in “destructive animal abatement”, focusing on Canine, Feline, and Swine. Trapr Ltd. has been in operation since 2007.