The .44-77 is ready

[Kurt]

Now that Lodi Creedmoor is in the past and the high heat it has not been much fun for shooting plus the Peaches and Apricots are ripe that needed attention plus making my cold box for the upcoming hunting season.
Took the .44-77 out this morning and did some final filing on the front sight and made a larger V in the Lawrence rear sight so I can pick up the front blade better and got it set for a 100 yard zero and found where the setting is with the ladder up for 200 yards.
I shot 10 rounds using a 485 gr RN sharps PP bullet with 77 gr of 2F KIK, 5 with the use of the blow tube followed with 5 load and shoot without fouling control. Those 10 shots stayed inside 3.5" @ 200 using the barrel sights. So that load is ready to go for filling the freezer.
The second load I used a 480 gr Gibbs tapered PP bullet with the same powder load and that made a very nice round 2-3/4" group @200 for 14 rounds fired with 5 shooting dirty that stayed in that group.
The tapered Gibbs will be the bullet I will use because it loads very well in a fouled barrel. I hope I will never have to shoot 4 follow up shots during a hunt but that bullet will let me do it if I need too.
Both bullets held the same elevation.
This light weight 30" barrel was pretty hot after all this shooting but it never lost its accuracy.
I feel I made the right decision getting the single trigger crescent but plate Hartford with a standard weight barrel for a hunting rifle. Good balance and light weight with that crescent but plate making it a narrow stock and the forearm is narrow because of the light barrel making it very easy and well balanced to carry.

Kurt

[Don McDowell]

Gots to love the 44-77

[Kurt]

Yeh, and buying that tapered Gibbs mould from you is your loss.
I changed the sprue plate and put one with a .100" hole and locked the flat base button in place and I think I will cut off that heat sink of the adjusting screw that is too long anyway. Got it locked at 485 gr and it sure is shooting good.
The only thing I don't like is the way the base is holding the bullet from dropping out without beating the geee wizzzzz out of it.


Kurt

[Don McDowell]

Yessir getting the bullet out without deforming it was a problem. I liked that bullet for close range stuff, but I was more interested in a long range bullet , as I think it would darn hard to beat the tank buster for a hunting bullet.
Sure glad to know it's working for you .
Am curious about the KIK powder tho? I got a lot of verticle with the 2f KIK in my rifle. The 1.5 works great tho.

[Kurt]

I haven't worked with the 77 to much yet Don. Been concentrating on the .44-100 getting it ready for the Creedmoor. I know now that it shoots if I keep the C.O.P.D under control.
I did shoot the old Sharps bullet at Raton when I camped there last winter and it walked the iron critters with the barrel sights. It did a bang up job on the critters all the way to the Buff on the hill at 1200 yds using the barrel sights on the .44-77.
When I get done with the Buff hunt I will put some target sights on this rifle to see just what it will really do after the corn is picked
Might use it for a silhouette match at Cadillac Mich. in October.

As far as the vertical, I havent had a problem with the 2F KIK since the old stuff in the tin cans. That gave me a bunch of fitts. The reason I'm using the KIK right now is I have a bunch of rounds loaded with it and I been pulling the hard bullets and changing the to a soft 1/40 T/L for the hunt. It is saving time that I need right now doing other things like picking the fruit and grapes. The Peaches are so heavy this year that the limbs are snapping as are the Apricots and Apples. Carolyn is busy freezing the stuff and making Jam.

[Don McDowell]

I pulled some greasers loaded on top of 1.5 KIK and added the felt wad then the BACO bullet and those shot real well at 900.
I'm watching the Byers/Watkins schedule this fall, if my busy stuff works , I'ld like to take the 44 and shoot the sillywets at Watkins on Saturday and then burn the last of the long range ammo at Byers on sunday. I believe the 44-77 with those 410 gr bullets hoping out the end of the barrel with their hair on fire at 1370 fps would be a ram whackin combo.
We canned plumbs tonite. The red plumb tree finally got to bloom without freezing or the wind taking them off, so we got lots of little red plumbs.

[Kurt]

1370 is really smoking, what is the load?

[Don McDowell]

It's 74 grs of OE 2f, felt wad, rubber cork wad, and the tank buster at 1.1 inch wrapped in the seth cole 8 lb, primed with a br2.

[bobw]

Kurt where you going Buffalo hunting at? Larry who used my 45 2 7/8 last Feb drew a cow tag in CSP this time he decided to use his #1A Ruger in 7x57 with some 175 gr RN WW loads I gave him.He knows where to hold and doesn't shoot until he knows he is good so I'm sure it will work. bobw

[Denali]

Thanks for sharing Kurt! You are a better shooter than me. I put a lawrence on my 44-77 but have not shot it yet with that sight. With the 100 yard zero what is your ladder up staff base vee approximate zero? Is it 200 or a little more or less?

I might have to try the Gibbs at the longer length one of these days.

I appreciate your info on this and other forums. Thanks!

Mike