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

[Don McDowell]

Yes it should.
I'm hoping this new bullet I am having built will be here in time I can wring it out before the state match the first weekend in June.

[Distant Thunder]

I made the decision before leaving for Lodi that I was going to shoot my .44-77 even though I probably would have had a better chance to win the match with my Hepburn. I'm not going to get where I want to be with this rifle/cartridge if it sits in the safe.

So the rest of the this year I will shoot this .44 in every match I go to. And in between matches I will analyze the heck out of the results and what should be my next step. The Lodi results are very encouraging and I believe I learned what my next step should be. This new mold is part of that next step.

[Don McDowell]

That’s how you get acquainted with a new rifle and cartridge
Run em till one of you drops ?
Looks like from your Lodi scores you’re on a dang good start with that nasty ol bottleneck case that won’t shoot ?

[Kurt]

Jim I was emptying cases on the Big Hill at Baker Mt one day and I started on the 600 yard diamond and shot 20 rounds at it 1/2 missed using that Sage bullet. I picked up from the 600 and moved to the 1026 and found the sight setting and shot 25 rounds at it and only 6 went outside the ring. Carol said your shooting a very tight group in the center.
Jim that target has a separate ring as well as the center plate and when you hit center or the ring around center they have a different sound like a Church bell ringing When you get out of center the plate sounds like any other gong target.
That 600 yard diamond I think when I shoot at it there is a Gremlin with a baseball bat taking swings at my bullets.

[Distant Thunder]

I didn't do too bad at Lodi in some really tough conditions. When you figure that 4 of us, including Brent and I had to do our own wind calling for the two relays at 1000 yards on Saturday it looks even better. I don't mind calling my own wind, but it is an advantage to have someone else's eyes on the conditions when they are changing as rapidly as they were.

I missed the last shots on both those relays from having things change as I got in the rifle and took the shot. Put those on paper and things look a lot different! I do think most shooters had at least one miss per relay from 1000. It sure was a lot of fun though.

The temps were only in the 40s both days and the humidity was high, so fouling was not a problem for anyone. My bore critters worked well, but I have plans to build new, better ones before we get into the really hot weather. The main reason for the change is to make them longer, right now they are 2" long. It's a bugger to chamber one in that '74 with a scope on the rifle. If I make them 2 1/2 or 3" long it will be much easier and I'll be able to add a 3rd felt in the really hot dry weather.

Except for the last 2 relays at 900 on Sunday I really felt I was in control and the rifle was putting the bullets on the targets well considering the wind. The scope worked perfectly and I didn't have trouble turning the knobs. I did note that I was 7 1/2 MOA above my normal sight setting at both 1000 and 900. Bob Walline had about the same on his scope. Some of that was the temp, some was the damp air and a lot was the wind.

It was really hard to nail both the windage and the elevation in the same shot. You can see by the low X counts that the center was pretty elusive. When I was spotting for Brent at 900 he was hitting at 2 o'clock 9-ring, 10 o'clock 9-ring, 4 o'clock 9-ring and 8 o'clock 9-ring, but 10 and Xs were hard to come by.

My .44-77 is shooting pretty darn well, now I just have to find the best bullet to shoot in those tricky winds and I should be good. One more mold can't hurt, right!

[Kurt]

I don't know what I will be able to do this season, early season anyway. Alliance is this weekend and Harris is coming as well as Alma. I finally see a Doctor next week for the back problem and get the surgery scheduled. I have no idea what will come after the knife.
I started the backhoe this afternoon to dig out some tree stumps and had to quit because the jerking in the tractor was too much.

Jim I think all matches should be just you and your rifle and a person just behind you keeping score. Yes it's enjoyable to have a coach and that makes a team on line. But doing your own shows a true rifle man.
I watch a lot through the scope behind the line waiting for my relay at the Gong shoots and a lot of times I hear the spotter give a wrong hit on the irons for what ever reason if he didn't want to say I didn't see it, or a wind call I would not have made and his partner makes a correction and misses.
Carolyn won't guess if she did not see the hit but she will say the plate moved left or right and that is the way I want it.
No one can see all hits on the irons, paper is another thing when a spotter in the pit marks the hit and you can make the correction as needed according to where you saw the shot break.
Paper or iron matches are all the same in my eye. The will to win and competition is the same. They all want to win or make the top 2 or 3.

The only way is to learn the rifle and load capability is to use it.

[Don McDowell]

No sir one more mould won't hurt a thing.

[J.B.]

[quote="Distant Thunder" pid='30814' dateline='1651674808']
Thanks to all the enablers on this forum I have ordered yet another .44 caliber mold! Don, Kurt and Gavin, you know who I'm referring to!

.... Gee .. whatever do you mean Jim ;-). . Looking forward to seeing the bullet and the results. I've organised another gg 44 mould and some projectiles through Dave at BACo and they are waiting for me at Forsyth already. I have packaged up 100 paper patch to bring with me. 50 of that last Brooks mould ( similar to your own Jim ) and 50 of the earlier Kal mould...the one that looks like a Metford. All these designed around the 17" twist rifle in the States so it will be interesting to see. Just couldnt see myself patching bullets in my hotel room...given my level of impatience at home. If mine shoot half as well as the paper patched bullets I stole from Kurt a few years back I'll be happy.
J.B.

[Kurt]

Hey Gavin,
What kind of a torpedo mould did you order this time?

[J.B.]

Well Kurt... the Kal design looks to be similar to my understanding of a 'Metford' bullet. Is 1.415" long & comes out at 510 grns in 16/1. Its shown in the photo alongside the last Brooks mould I had done which is I believe quite similar to Jims design but I went with a base pour flat base dual diameter. This bullet is 1.41" long and comes out at 511 grns in the same alloy. The 44 GG mould I asked BACo to do for me is basically a 44 cal version of this 45 cal bullet I had Dave cut for a friend of mine. It works a treat in his 45/70 & 45/90. Seats well out with only two bands seated in the case. This will be untried but to a degree...so are the others. My 'load testing' is usually the match before ! I expect the BACo bullet to be around 520 grns or so as they generally cast their bullets in 20/1. It will
be 1.42" long. A few photos below. Do I know what I'm doing ? Probably not...but I wont let it slow me down .

...dont know why the gg photo is 'lying down' ..but there it is.

rgds.. J.B.