.44-77 and paper patch?

[Distant Thunder]

I have run through the numbers on bullet length and twist rates for the .446 groove diameter and the numbers only reaffirm my thoughts on twists.

A 19-twist should stabilize a bullet up to 1.321" long.

An 18-twist should stabilize a bullet up to 1.395" long.

A 17-twist should stabilize a bullet up to 1.505" long.

For comparison, a .458 groove dimeter with a 1 in 18-twist should stabilize a bullet up to 1.470" long.

I know from years of shooting .45 caliber rifles in Creedmoor matches that you can shoot a bullet in an 18-twist rifle that is 1.500+ a few thousandths...…, sometimes! It's when things get ugly that you'll end up wondering what the heck went wrong. I much prefer to shoot a bullet in my .45-70 that is 1.430 to 1.440" long because years of shooting under match conditions has shown me again and again that the .030" difference in length will allow my bullet to hold up against the quartering head winds when other shooters that are pushing the bullet length to the maximum and beyond are scratching their heads and trying to figure what went wrong. I believe this very strongly.

Still I am amazed at the shooters that try to stretch the limits and fail. Sooner or later their bullets will struggle and there isn't anything that will help them during a match. They wonder why the load that shot so well before just fell apart this time. I tell people that if their bullets were just a bit shorter they would hold up in the tricky winds much better and they look at me and say, "That little bit shorter can't really make a difference.". I think it can and does.

So I, personally, would be much happier with a bullet that isn't right up at the edge of being stable and I want to stay back just a bit in my .44-77.

I want to be able to shoot a bullet in this .44-77 I'm hoping to have that is probably 1.400 to 1.450" long. And yes I could probably do that with an 18-twist barrel and just maybe with a 19-twist under just the right conditions. I don't want to shoot only when things are "just right" I want to shoot well when things are eating everybody else's lunch! I design my bullets to do just that. They are not the highest BC bullets available, but they are well stabilized. I will take a well stabilized bullet over a high BC bullet any day and every day. This is especially important in the transonic zone where we play.

I know the ODG in many cases used slower twists than we do today. They did some very fine shooting with bullets that were long and twists that were slow, I don't think they did it when things were on the twitchy side. I have done some very good shooting with a 1.420" long bullet in my 18-twist .40-65 and with a 1.555" bullet in my old 18-twist .45-70. Both those bullets are too long for those calibers and twist rates and eventually I'd have a bad day when using them. Going to bullets better suited to the twist rates of my rifles I didn't see those odd, unexplainable shots where you ask, " Where the heck did that come from?".

So that is my theory on bullet length, twist rate, and bullet stability. And why I really want a 17-twist for my .44-77. I know it will just serve me better when I really need it to.

I just need to be a little patient and work this out so that I can get my 17-twist barrel and have it chambered for paper patch bullets.

There is nothing wrong with the slower twist rates. With bullets that each will stabilize well they will be very accurate and shoot well in even the worst conditions and if I came across a Shiloh for sale with a 19-twist barrel I'd be all over it. Here I have the option of a 19 or a 17-twist and if I can I will go with the 17. If I have to go with the 19-twist I will design my bullets to be well stabilized in that twist and then see just how far I can push them.

I don't know how far my little 383 grain .40-65 bullet will hold up but it has done very well out to 600 yards and beat all the long heavy .45 caliber bullets in so doing! I didn't expect that! I just wanted to see how well it would hold up in a paper match where you can get a better idea of what the load is doing than you can on steel. If I where Rebarreling a rifle to .40 caliber or building a new rifle I sure wouldn't go with an 18-twist. I'd be looking for 16-twist! Or maybe even a 14-twist.

You still need to work with bullets that are of a length that is well stabilized in whatever twist to have if you want the best possible performance in all conditions, even the butt ugly ones.