Let's talk TRANSONIC!

[Don McDowell]

Interesting find by Research Press a while back. They came up with some patched bullets from Winchester for the 45 caliber sharps for Creedmoor. They look amazingly similar to the money bullet BACO mould. Diameter of the bare bullet is .446, patched diameter .451, and they are made from 14-1 alloy. Those go a long ways toward explaining the "long pointed" bullets that were quite often listed in the equipment list of the shooters in Perry's book.
One of the things that helped me greatly in getting the 44-77's to shoot reliably at long range, was an original bullet pulled from a Sharps factory Creedmoor round. Turns out it is 1.3 inches long, weighs 460 grains, and is .438 diameter. It was easy to see that the round was seated almost 1/2 inch deep in the case. I had Brooks duplicate that length bullet in a bit smaller diameter and things started holding together at 1000 reliably in the 44.
I've said for years that altho we think we know alot, we're just about back to what most teenagers knew in the 1870's and 80's.