What do we really know about the transonic zone?

[Distant Thunder]

Gavin,

Good to see you chime in! I don't think you can go wrong with that Brooks original Postell nose shape. You just have to remember to keep the overall length in line with the twist rate and the nose length somewhere around 40-45% of the OAL. Then keep the tip radius something close to 30%, or slight more, of the cast diameter.

Following those guide lines should make for a very well stabilized bullet with enough weight in the nose to keep the center of gravity and center of pressure close to as good as it gets. It somewhat depends on the ogive radii because that will also determine how heavy the nose is.

Making the nose too light weight (slender) pushes the center of pressure forward and the center of gravity back and that is some of what can make a bullet easier to knock out of balance as it spins toward the target. More velocity can help prevent that, but we are so limited in gains there with the black powder and lead bullets we use. We are pretty well stuck between 1200 and 1450 fps, with most of us being in the 1300 to 1400 fps area. I think that is the sweet spot velocity wise for us if the bullet design is kept in line.

I hope to move forward with an original Postell design this winter for my .44-77, but first I have to clear this hurtle that has me struggling beyond 300 yards. I will shoot two different bullets at Rapids Saturday and hopefully see some improvement and come away with a sense of direction. My money is on the slightly harder alloy, but only shooting at more than 220 yards is going to tell.

It's hard to make this .44-77 shoot bad at 220 yards. Most everything I've tried here at home will group near 1 moa at that distance and then seems to open up past 400 yards. I'm thinking the bullets are setting back a little too much wit the extra kick they get in the .44-77, but Saturday should tell me for sure.