My continuing efforts with the .44-77.

[Distant Thunder]

Kurt,

I will be looking forward to seeing what I can do with it at a Creedmoor match or two this summer. I think this bullet is a winner since I opened it up a bit. I had a thought when I ordered it to convert it to a 2-D bullet, but I don't think that will happen the way it's shooting now. I will also try to make it to Alma for a silhouette match or two with this .44-77, it should work very well there. I'll probably work up a chicken load with a light bullet. In fact that would be a good thing to work on next!

[Distant Thunder]

Don,

I have to say I am very impressed with the .44-77. It has a little more case capacity than is needed for mid range and silhouette but I see no reason it could not be used for any kind of BPCR match, very versatile. Hopefully I'll get a chance to prove what a great cartridge it is for playing all the games. I am very pleased with my 17-twist Krieger barrel that is for sure.

[Kurt]

My first .44-77 was the Shiloh Hartford hunting rifle. I only had a scope on it for hunting and it does not have a tang sight on it, it is just setup fro the barrel sights. The last time I used it for a Buff hunt it had a scope on it and I swore that I would never put it on again because fumbling around loading and the lack of room pulling the hammer back.
Shooting that 19 twist it has I shot it once at the Q before the match using barrel sights it shot very good staying on the 805 yard buff white spot. I don't have a doubt that with long range sights that it would do good to 1K.
If the .45-70 and the .45-90 does well at the 1K I know the 77 will do just as well maybe a lot better than the .45-70.
One caliber that is overlooked and that is the .44-90 BN. I have two, one has a 19 twist and the other has a 16 twist. The 19 outshoots the 16 twist even when I use a 507 grain 1.450 long KAL elliptical bullet. It stayed 10 for 10 in a row on the 1K diamond at the Montana 1000 before the match and I have used a 520 gr with the original Sharps profile bullet that shot just as well on the 800 buff at the Q.
The Quigley range can be a tough range to test loads at with the bare ground patches and grass covered plus a ditch that kicks up air currents you cant see. I spend a week there testing loads and many times I leave home with 2000 rounds doing test loads at the Baker and the Quigley and run out of ammo in the three-four weeks shooting there.
The .44-77 won't take a back seat to any straight walled calibers.
The 90bn uses 100 plus grains of powder pushing the bullet faster I feel is the reason it handles the longer bullets that should not stay stable in a 19 twist.
The 16 twist 90bn has a barrel with deep grooves and it never has shot well even lapping the lands down. Someday I will pull the barrel or reline it.

The .44-90 BN Remington Special has slightly less capacity than the Sharps and it was used for the Creedmoor matches with good showing.
The .44 BN shells are very under rated and get reports of heavy fouling problems, something I have not found worse over the straight walled cases shooting my BN rounds.