Time to continue load development with my .44-77.

[Kurt]

J.B
I have both very close to those two and one is a swage die. They both shoot very good in my .44's from the 1/16, 1/17 and 1/19 twist.
I used that bullet profile on your left bullet at the MT 1000 one year and came in 3rd using the .44-90Bn and the bullet was swaged 1.420" because I wanted to keep it close to 500 gr like they used in the past.
I like that type of a nose, they are very forgiving.

[J.B.]

Yes ...well 'forgiving' bullets will be very welcome...considering my usual spotting and wind calling 'skills'. That nose design and ones very similar ...have worked better for me as a general rule. I've had some good results with 'money' type ogives
but generally this design..as you say seems more allowing of different conditions and doesnt have to be driven overly fast to achieve that dependability/ consistency. Me on the other hand... no matter what hat I wear... can be inconsistent. Oh and I
can do that consistently .
J.B.

[Kurt]

JB you have to be consistent on which side you hold your young when you trip the trigger to be consistent

[J.B.]

'Consistentinconsistency' ... Is that a word or a way of life ? Of the cases I have waiting... 200 have been used in my rifle, 100 JBA cases apparently once fired in another Shiloh...and 50 BACo cases. This along with the 100 patched bullets I'm bringing and 400 gg bullets waiting for me. I'll likely run the 'once fired' and BACo brass during 'Q' practice to bring the cases up to spec so its a 'more even' ( note I didnt say 'even') playing field. Given the weight restrictions we cant bring more than a 100 loaded rounds and with the 44/77 or a 45/90 thats more like 90 rounds. No complaints...as its the way its been since our first trip. At least we can travel...and we are allowed to compete. Would be fun to shoot a 'paper' match alongside some of you guys who know what you're doing...because in truth most of us here are still in our 'BPTR' infancy. With the 'Q' and Big Hill being sentimental favourites... I may just have to factor two trips into one year but then picking up the rifle and loading gear in MT becomes an issue. I'm working on it though. .. Who knows...may even have another mould or two made by then !
rgds.. Gavin.

[Kurt]

Well you know where to get more if you need them.
Gavin I hope that I can make it in June, very doubtful right now. I been searching for a sooner appointment than June 17 to get the back working again so I don't have to strap on two back braces.

Kurt

[Distant Thunder]

I have finalized my .44 caliber elliptical bullet and this is the drawing I did today. This is a .44 caliber version of the bullet I use in my .45-70 Hepburn. My plan is to have a very well stabilized bullet that can hold up well in difficult winds. The weight in 17:1 should be around 500 grains at a guess, but it's not really important.

I decided on staying with a straight sided bore diameter design to have the seating depth flexibility it gives me.

I should have the mold by the end of May.

[J.B.]

Sort of a hybrid even ? Sharper than your adjustable Brooks mould but a tad more conservative than a lot of the ellipticals out there ? It actually reminds me a little of one of my Kal mould profiles I got back in 2020. I did cast and shoot some of those with
success out to 800 yds on steel in my 1/19" but the winds were not strong that day so it was perhaps not a thorough test. In 16/1 it weighs in at 494 grns & 1.405" long. A photo below alongside the more 'Metford' style bullet, also through Kal.
rgds.. Gavin.

[Kurt]

My guess it will come in around 485-490 gr

Looks good Jim, I like the relation length between the shank and ogive. And it would be a good one for my 19 twist .44-90 bn.

[Distant Thunder]

J.B.

It will be very similar to the one in your picture. The "Metford" bullet in your picture is similar to, though perhaps a bit blunter than, my "Metford" bullet that I shot at Lodi last weekend. Mine did fairly well in some nasty winds and actually was my best result to date for long range with my .44-77.

As I said, this one is patterned after the elliptical I use in my .45-70 and I have won a lot of matches with that bullet and it has held up best in the wind of all the bullets I have used.

With this new mold I will have molds for all 4 of the bullets I wanted to try in the .44-77 when I started with this rifle, a 2-diameter elliptical, a Metford style, an original Sharps style and now my Lodi bullet. I also have and adjustable from BACO and that one shoots well.

If I can get the accuracy I need out of this new mold it should be the best of them all. Time will tell.

[Distant Thunder]

Kurt,

I have had the best results with any style bullet when the ogive is around 43-45% of the OAL. The one exception is my Lodi bullet, which this new bullet is patterned after. With my Lodi bullet the ogive is over 50% of the length and that is because when I first made that mold it was longer and it was made for my .45-90. With 100+ grains of powder I was pushing it at over 1400 fps and it shot well out to 1000.

When I moved to my .45-70 for long range I used that same bullet but it didn't seem to hold up as well in the when the wind was up. With 83 grains I wasn't quite up to 1300 fps. So I shortened that mold a couple of times and the ogive that was 50% became a higher percentage as the shank got shorter. I think the reason it works is because it is an elliptical and the beginning of the ogive is heavier than a radius ogive would be. I hope I'm explaining that in a way that can be understood.

Shortened to 1.430" it shoots very well at 1290 fps and holds up better at 1000 yards when the winds are up.

With this new bullet I thought I would favor a more balanced ogive but still use the advantages of the elliptical form to my advantage and I went with 48%. I actually think this will be a bit better than my .45 caliber bullet is.