Development of PP loads for the .44-77.

[Distant Thunder]

For brass I have some Jamison, which is hard to find, and some of the BACO .50-110 stuff, which looks pretty good and is much easier to get.
The next purchase will be bullet molds. Yes, I said molds plural, because a man can never have enough of those darn things it seems!

[Griff]

The next purchase will be bullet molds. Yes, I said molds plural, because a man can never have enough of those darn things it seems!

I'll be reading this with particular interest. It's one of the things that I'm trying to figure out now.

Griff


Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[beltfed]

Jim,
I hope you know that my little dissertation about shallow seating design bullets ,etc
was definitely Tongue in Cheek, just a bit of fun. No offence meant.
Indeed, you may find a light load by deep seating the Dual Diameter/2d bullets over a light powder load
may work into a very serviceable load.
I had loaded some cases for some Brooks NASA gg 380s and patched gg bullets-56 gr Swiss 3f- in some of the cases for my 38-50. 0.400" down to the wad.
Then I received my 371360E DDEPP mold and cast up a bunch. Well, to shoot up the 56 gr loads , I got curious. So I loaded some of the DDEPP bullets
into those cases. Recall, these 360 gr PP bullets have only a 0.125" long 'patch to case I.D." base band.
Well, they actually shot pretty good deep seated 0.400" like that. There is still a goodly length of the "patch to bore" body to give good concentricity to the bore.. So Why Not?
I am already thinking about working more with this deep seating, particularly for the 200yds Schuetzen matches if they shoot well enough to consider.
I will continue to follow your journey with this 44-77 Classical ctg/rifle.
Hope it is FUN for you.
Arnie

[Distant Thunder]

Arnie,

I took you serious about the seating depth comment but I took no offense at all.

That is interesting that to DDEPP bullet shot well seated deep. That gets me thinking how that all worked as the bullet upset. You do run those pretty hard and they mat not have upset too much and caused any problems.

I started seeing the deeper seating in the .44-77 as having some advantages and uses. I'm thinking offhand loads at 200.

I probably need a cartridge that uses 56 grains of powder just for fun shooting if nothing else. There were a lot of small cartridges back in the day and they very popular. I'd have to really study that idea to see what trips my trigger.

There is so much I want to try/test in the .44-77 I don't see how it doesn't keep me busy and happy for a good while. I do hope it can be competitive at long range and it should be. It also has excellent hunting potential. Is an excellent silhouette cartridge and mid-range too.

It was those pictures of the .44-77 cartridge with a paper patch bullet sticking out that impressed me years ago when reading Elmer Keith's tales of shooting an original Sharps that probably planted the early ideas in my head.

So before I hang up my Sharps for the last time I just had to give this cartridge a run and see how it does.

[Eric Johanen]

It was a very good initial match for our club, 11 participants shooting mostly lever actions. 1 other shooter using a Ubertti Highwall in 45-70 light smokeless loading. My results were mixed. NRA 200 yard SR target. First shot 9 just above, touching the number 12 O'clock down the middle. #2 a bit higher Raised the slider and shot the bottom notch on the Lawrence rear (marked 100) and shot several shots 6 O'clock 7 and 8 rings. Rest of the rounds 200 yard slider bottomed and holding line of white. Most shots went high. Last 3 of 4 landed next to my 1'st shot for a 4 shot group bullets touching, Too difficult to hold a consistent sight picture so I will take some metal off the bottom of the slider to get it to sit lower There is enough metal to get this set for center @ 200 yards with a bit of careful work. Very rusty have not shot a Sharps or any other rifle since middle of November last. Need the work now that things are opening up.

[Don McDowell]

Sounds like a good time.
I like to file the front sight down to where using a center hold at 200 the bullet lands mostly to point of aim. I do agree with you that a consistent hold on paper with a ladder sight and blade is a tough thing to do,

[Eric Johanen]

I did some work on my sight yesterday. At the match with the slider bottomed it was just at the bottom of the 200 yard line. I am now at 3/64" below the 200 yard line. Still plenty of metal on the bottom of the slider to go lower if necessary. Must shoot it and see where it prints now. Using the Lawrence long staff rear and a Hartford front sight on a heavy octagon barrel . The load I used held windage pretty well when I did my part nothing wider than the 9 ring at the widest, just need to get the elevation sight picture consistent. V notch on the slider after opening it up a bit for older eyes centers the front well. I did open the notch on the sight when the staff is down and both are much easier to center the blade now. Staff down shoots well at 100 yards and modifying the slider for two hundred should be just the ticket!

[Distant Thunder]

It's been my experience that verticals are always a problem with barrel sights. I don't use them much on my single shots, in fact most of them have no provision for a rear barrel sight at all. The reason for that is most, if not all, of my shooting with those rifles is at 200 yards and beyond.

I do a fair amount of shooting with my leverguns using barrel sight. A number of which have only iron sight or barrel sights on them. Even the ones that are scoped have an option to use some sort of iron sights. Fortunately the hunting I do with my leverguns here in the heavily wooded northern part of Wisconsin is limited to about 150 yards and irons can be very effective at those ranges even for me.

How other shooters, or the buffalo runners of old, can shoot so well at extended ranges using only barrel sights is a mystery to me. I would guess it requires a lot of practice and not just from the bench but in the field. For me the range limit with barrel sights would be a bit beyond 100 yards. For that reason I really have to resort to target sights or more so a scope these days as my eyes age. I kinda like hitting what I'm aiming at!

[rdnck]

Jim, hitting targets at extended range with barrel sights is an acquired skill that can be learned and taught. I do it all the time and I taught one of my friends how to do it. Kurt can do it as well. The old buffalo hunters could work out to 800 yards and better if they needed to. I have taken a number of animals in Africa with both a 45-110 Shiloh Sharps and a Shiloh 45-70 using both paper patched and grease grooved bullets in excess of 540 yards. I'm talking about first shot hits and one shot kills. I have a lot of it on DVD. An elk at 300 yards with a 45 caliber Sharps and barrel buckhorn and blade sights is an absolute gimme if you know how to use your rifle. Shoot straight, rdnck.

[Distant Thunder]

Bill,
I am not doubting it was done and is done, I know it can be. It is something few people can do today, it's not taught or practiced much anymore.
It is one of those things I will work on given time and time is getting shorter, I know this. I am in awe of you and others who can do that type of shooting.
You should make and sell a DVD of "HOW TO" with hunting footage worked in. That would help preserve the skill.

I never knew you shoot grease groove bullets! Oh my! Now what do I think!