In the mailbox

[Distant Thunder]

I know you can gain some stability by pushing a bullet faster, but because BP is so limiting in velocity the gain would be limited I would think. With a marginally stabilized bullet any gain would be good.

I think you would have to push a .446 diameter bullet that is 1.460" long at something over 1500 fps to have really good stability! That's pretty fast for BP. While a 17-twist will stabilize that same bullet at about 1280 fps. That's a velocity the .44-77 can reach pretty easy. I know I researched the heck out of this subject when I was struggling with what twist to go with for my .44-77. I really wanted to just go with the Shiloh standard 19-twist, but I just couldn't make it work with the longer bullets I'd prefer to shoot at 1000 yards, not on paper anyway.

I know the 19-twist will do well with bullets up to about 1.325" long, but that is only about 470 to 480 grains depending on bullet design. I concluded that a .44 caliber bullet of 530 grains would be a better choice than a 480 grain bullet especially in tough conditions.

I also believe that bullet shape and bearing length have a effect on stability. Longer more slender noses will require more rpm (or velocity). So many people talk about bullet stability in terms of weight when there is so much more that comes into play.

I very often see the question asked like this: "How heavy of a bullet can I shoot in my .40-70 ST?". That question is not going to get an answer that is useful. I don't think most shooters understand twist rates at all. I know I didn't for a long, long time. That's why I ended up with an 18-twsit .40-65! Then it took me several years to figure out why the 420 grain bullet I was shooting in it didn't always shoot as well as I hoped and why the little 350 grain bullet always shot so well. I've learned a few things since then.