HRNDY LVREVO 444MAR 265GR 20/200

Description

Hornady’s LeverEvolution line was built around a single problem: traditional flat-point and round-nose bullets are the standard for tubular-magazine lever guns because a pointed tip resting against a primer in the magazine creates a detonation hazard under recoil. The FTX bullet solves this with a flexible elastomer tip that compresses safely in the magazine but behaves like a pointed projectile in flight, producing a significantly higher ballistic coefficient than a comparable flat-point load can achieve. The practical result is a noticeably flatter trajectory at hunting distances, which matters when a deer is standing at 150 or 200 yards rather than 50.

The 265-grain FTX projectile in this .444 Marlin loading leaves the muzzle at 2,325 fps and carries 3,180 ft-lbs of energy. That trajectory data — zeroed at 100 yards, the bullet is still only about 4.3 inches low at 200 yards — puts this round well within ethical range for deer-sized game at distances that would have required guesswork with conventional lever-gun ammunition. The copper-jacketed, lead-core construction paired with the polymer tip promotes controlled expansion on impact, balancing penetration with tissue disruption.

Because the elastomer tip is the entire enabling technology here, this load is specifically designed for lever-action rifles with tubular magazines — the chambering that previously forced hunters to accept flat-points or dangerous pointed loads. Brass casings are boxer-primed and reloadable for those who want to work up handloads from fired brass. Twenty rounds per box.