Few of our pure woods rifles qualify as suitable for hunting all big game from deer to elk and moose with factory loaded ammunition. The Marlin Model 336 (or Model 444 as it is called) in .444 Marlin is one that does. When loaded with Remington 265 grain factory load (now obsolete), the Marlin is perfectly capable of taking down moose and elk at woods ranges. Despite its confusing name, the .444 Marlin is loaded with a .429" diameter, same as for the .44 Remington Magnumcartridge. The 240 grain bullet is an excellent choice for deer, but for bigger game the Hornady265 grain round nose is the best bet. A number of powders work quite well in this cartridge with IMR-4198, IMR-3031, H335, W-748and Reloader-7at the top of the list. It has been said that when a cartridge fails to gain enough popularity to become available in more than one rifle or to be loaded by more than one ammunition manufacturer, its chances of survival are indeed slim. The .444 Marlin is proof enough that one exception to this particular rule does exist. 

This text is based on information from “Cartridges of the World”, Hodgdon reloading manual, the cartridge designer and/or own resources.