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

[Distant Thunder]

GrumpyBear,

I drew this up today from my actual bullets as they come from the mold. It's not perfect but it's really close. The hard part is capping the tip with the 1/8 radius and blending that to the ellipse. I like a fairy generous nose radius because I believe it help with the stability as the bullet drops below the speed of sound.

This mold started at 1.260" long and that was good in my 18-twist .45-90 at over 1400 fps. I shortened it to 1.435" long when I began using it in my .45-70 and the velocity dropped below 1300 fps. At 1.435" long it shoots very well from my 18-twist .45-70.

Then other thing I adjusted was the shank diameter. I think it was .443" for my .45-90 Shiloh with its .450 bore. My .45-70 Hepburn has a bore diameter of .451"+ a little. I bored the shank out so that it casts at .455" and that was just a little too big. Not all rounds would chamber with thumb pressure.

I then made a push through size die at .4513" and I size the bullets after they are patched. That results in a very uniform fit in the bore.

I made the drawing at .444" but it all depends on your rifle and paper.

Boring the shank resulted in a step where the ogive starts. I use that as my patch to line.

The only way I know to define an ellipse is by the major axis and the minor axis and I noted that on the drawing.