.44/77 Fired at Last

[Don Kenna]

I finally got all the tools and components together, loaded some cartridges, and fired the original Remington #1 “Rolling Block” in .44/77 chambering that I acquired some months ago. I was very pleasantly surprised at the rifle’s accuracy, especially considering its pretty rudimentary original sights (step elevator barrel and standard blade front). I was also impressed by the load’s relatively flat trajectory, but maybe that had something to do with my just having finished trying to figure the trajectory of a .50/70. I was grateful for the rifle’s 12-pound weight given the Remington #1’s atrocious stock design.

The load employed a grease-groove bullet, for which I’ll likely be roundly criticized, but here are the details:

.44/77 Bottleneck
Bullet: 402-grain flat point, .449-inch diameter; 1:20 alloy; Steve Brooks mould
Bullet lubricant: SPG
Powder Charge: 75 Grains Swiss 1.5 powder
Case: Captech/Jamison (Also have Rocky Mountain Cartridge brass not tried yet)
Wads: .055-inch thickness vegetable fiber punched with Fred Cornell .450-inch punch, plus 2 newsprint wads
Primer: Federal 215 magnum

Reloading dies were RCBS, with Buffalo Arms expander punch and powder compression die.

There we have it, and I’m well-pleased with the results

Don Kenna