Time to continue load development with my .44-77.

[Distant Thunder]

I was a beautiful March day with the temperature reaching 58 degrees and full sunshine. Unfortunately by the time I got around to shooting the wind was screwing around and very unpredictable.

The plan was to shoot my Shiloh .44-77 with to different length bullets from my Brooks adjustable, 1.340" and 1.400". The load other than the bullet was the same, 82 grains of Swiss 1 1/2 (lot #18-01-2021) with a .060 LDPE wad seated on top of the powder and a .060 HDPE wad on top of that. This was loaded in BACO brass with Remington 2 1/2 LP primers.

I set up two targets at 220 yards. With the temp at 48 degrees and a light wind coming from 10 o'clock with switches to 2 o'clock and back I started with the 1.340" bullets. I quickly found that catching the wind at 11 o'clock was not easy and it was clearly picking up to 15 mph without much warning and then dropping back to 7 or 8 mph just as quickly.

It wasn't going very well when the lower right corner of the target came loose and started flapping in the wind. After shot #6 the upper right let loose forcing me to stop and do a target repair. After returning from the target, 220 yards down and 220 yards back, I rested a couple of minutes and loaded and shot #7, the lowest in the group which was followed by #8 which was so high it was even in the group. I never did determine where #9 went. It had to have doubled somewhere but I haven't a clue where. There were no other holes in the new 3 foot by 4 foot cardboard.

After those 10 shots I turned to the 1.400" long bullet and had another annoying high right first shots that have been showing up more than I can account for. As the group formed I could see that #1 was likely the wind and the group was looking good shot #7 which went 2 inches high. #8 was back in the group, but number #9 was 3 high! #10 while in the group ok was the lowest shot of all.

I had started using the second wad, the HDPE one, because the mold came with a cupped base and loading it like that it was shooting fairly well. So when Brooks made the flat base plug for me I decided to start with the load that had bee working with the cupped base bullet. Even considering the wind I don't see where the high shots came from. I think it's time to take out that second wad and use just the one LDPE wad. maybe up the powder charge some to keep the same seating depth and compression.