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

[Distant Thunder]

Yesyterday and today I tested this new Brooks mold some more.

Yesterday it was a bit breezy but I don't think it was enough to affect the groups too much. I shot 5 groups starting with 86 grains of Swiss 1 1/2 and increasing 1 grain at a time up to 90 grains. The first group with 86 grains is just a retest of the first group I shot earlier with this bullet. That 86 grain charge has been the sweet spot with every bullet I've tried and with this new bullet it has kept 3 to 5 shots in 2 5/8" or less. The other targets with 87, 88, 89 and 90 make me think that 86 grains is where I need to be and I will continue to work with that.

The group with 89 grains has to be a fluke and I don't plan to retest.

Today I decided to test 86 grains with more compression which results in a shorter COAL. With 86 grains there is .050" compression. I also tried .075" compression and .100" compression. I threw in a HDPE wad test too just to see and that was with .050" compression and is target no. 1.

The wind today was very light and my smoke just slowly drifted away.

So that the first shot in the first group isn't waisted I have been loading a fouling shot with 86 grains of powder and a bullet cast from an adjustable Brooks mold set to 1.400" length.

I then shoot that fouling shot at the first target as a sighter and even though it is a heavier bullet that has a totally different nose profile it tends to go into the group. On the #1 target today it happened to be clustered closely with 2 of the other shots making a tight little clover leaf.

I don't think I'm getting a good idea of what shoots well with only 3 shots. Target #4 is another one that is highly unlikely to repeat. I believe that if I shot 5 instead of 3 the groups would all look pretty much the same and be in the 2 1/2 CTC range. I also believe if I shot 10-shot groups they wouldn't be much if any bigger and would just fill in more in the middle.

I'm thinking I'll just work with the 86 grain load at 3.500" COAL and the .060" LDPE wad and see how it shoots at a few matches. It could be that this rifle is just going to be a 1 to 1.5 MOA rifle and not any better. I will just have to make the best of it.