Development of PP loads for the .44-77.

[beltfed]

Looks like your new "toy" is going to "go to the top of the heap"
at upcoming rifle matches. Good work!
Arnie

The gong match at Wisconsin Rapids was held yesterday and while we did not get rained on I seriously doubt anyone remained dry. With the temperature at 88 and the dew point at 67.54 I know I was soaking wet after 15 minutes on the 300 yard line! There was a tail wind at 14 mph but it had very little effect on me laying in the sun as it mostly blew above me it seemed. The wind did a lot of switching from 4 o'clock to 9 o'clock and got pretty gusty from time to time.

I used two different bullets and loads for the match. I used a heavier bullet at 300 and 600 and a lighter one at 200.



The heavy load:

A 510 grain Sagebrush bullet - these were given to me to try and at 200m they looked pretty good in a test a week before the match.
.060 LDPE wad - these usually prove to best the best wad for me.
86.0 grains of Swiss 1 1/2, lot #18/01/2016. This is a new lot that I have never used before.
JBA brass - I used these because they have only been fired once and need a second go to fill them out.
Federal 210 primers - These are always my starting point with Swiss 1 1/2
COAL = 3.545"

The light load:

A 450 grain version from my BACO 431 ADJ mold.
.060 LDPE wad
80.0 grains of Swiss 1 1/2 lot #18/01/2016
Federal 210 primer
COAL = 3.250"

We started at 300 yards. The Sagebrush bullet produced very nice overlapping clusters on the 3 gongs with 4 shots on each from any position, I shot prone off
sticks. On a couple the wind did switch enough to push me one way or another 2-3 inches but all shots stayed on the gongs.

At 200 yards we also started from any position for 12 shots, 4 on each of 3 gongs, but finished with 4 shots offhand on a fairly forgiving gong. Here I used the 450 BACO bullet and it shot very well, pretty much in the center except one that slipped just under the second gong. I chalked that one up to a bad bullet because everything looked good and was centered at the break.

There is little a guy can do about a shot that missed, I've learned to quickly move to the next shot unless there is a condition that the miss can be hung on. I've missed many times over the years and I'm actually quite good at it! In the past I've let a bad shot mess with my thinking and that almost always leads to the next shot not being a good one. That is a mistake I can avoid by putting the bad shot out of my mind, the next shot is more important and I do my best to make sure it is good.

The offhand started pretty well for me, but I did miss the last one. This is not one of my stronger areas.

When we moved to 600 the past few hours of laying in the hot sun had really taken a toll. I could not get comfortable behind the rifle and I just wasn't very steady. I adjusted my sticks 3 or 4 times, but the darn hump I was laying on made me uncomfortable. I think I missed 3 at 600, I know I missed the last one. I hate missing on the last shot! An X on the last shot can make a bad string somewhat better, but a miss leaves a bad taste every time.

I for got to look over my score sheet after my 600 so I'm not certain how many I missed. In a few days Arnie will email the scores and I'll know then. I felt it went pretty well for a first outing with the .44-77. It's just a fun match with only bragging rights and egos on the line!

So far the cartridge has been very easy to get very good accuracy with using paper patch bullets. Both loads produced 1 1/2 moa accuracy from what I could see on the gongs It has not been very fussy about seating depth or powder charge and shoots the two bullets I used very well.

Loading accurate paper patch bullets has been pretty easy for me over the years. I do like my bullets to push up into the rifling with some resistance, but not put a lot of strain on my thumb. Other than that I just prime the case, drop tube in the powder, usually 1 1/2 Swiss, seat a .060 ploy wad on top with .030 to .150" compression. I like to use a very, very light taper crimp, such so the bullet can be pulled and reseated with out damage to the paper. If I hold the case upside down the bullet will not fall out unless I shake it. I do this light crimp with all my paper patch bullets be they straight sided, groove diameter or 2-diameter. Whether they are fired from a tight PP chamber or a grease groove chamber like my .44-77. Doing so always improved my accuracy so that I just do it and don't even think about it anymore.

I don't see working to improve the accuracy of a bullet that is not from a mold I own so I will now move toward working with a 2-diameter PPB. I have one on order with BACO and I hope to see it soon. I was given several 2-D PPB by one of the shooters at the match. They are from the BACO mold #JIM443495EPP. They are too big in diameter for my rifle with my usual 9 lb. onionskin, but I wrapped a few with some thin paper I got from a friend that is .0016" thick. So wrapped they fit about as snug as I'd like but they do fit. The bases I just sized to .4465".
I'll load these up over 85 grains of my 1 1/2 Swiss and see how they shoot at 200m, hopefully next weekend.

I also have a mold I made myself that produces a bullet along the lines of the original Sharps design. I plan to set it up and cut a base band that will allow me to load 82-86 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss under it. That one will also be tested at 200m.

The goal remains to develop 1 or more accurate paper patch loads using a 2-D bullet or three. The next real test will be the paper target match at Rapids on August 22. If I have the new mold from BACO in time I will use it, that would be best. If not, I use whatever 2-D PPB I can pull together.

Where things stand now I have to say it is too bad that the .44-77 gets such a bad rap from people on the internet. The biggest challenge has been getting good brass, but it's out there you just have to buy it when you can. Because of the somewhat larger head and rim size (JBA brass) considerations have to be given to loading blocks, ammo boxes and a few other things. BACO's rims are smaller in diameter and less of a problem in some ways, but still work flawlessly. They are the best buy I could find. If you are going to use groove diameter, PP or GG, the neck are a bit tight in my Shiloh chamber. I will eventually have to do some neck turning on the BACO cases.

For me the .44-77 is proving to be a fun challenge, the sort of thing I enjoy, and it is delivering all I hoped for and more. Once I have a mold of my own I'll have no trouble working up accurate loads capable of winning matches for me. In the mean time I am having a lot of fun playing with a cartridge that first caught my interest over 30 years ago thanks to Elmer Keith.