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

[Distant Thunder]

Today's shooting is pretty much going to be the end of my short range (220 yards) load development. I shot two 10-shot groups with the loads that have been looking the best over the past couple weeks. The weather was excellent for shooting groups, mostly cloudy with the wind at 2 mph straight in my face. My shooting could have been better, but that is always the case. I need to shoot these loads at a few matches now and see how they perform. Paper would give me the most feedback, but gongs would be good too.

Both loads used my new 490-grain paper patch bullet that Steve Brooks cut to my design.It is the same modified elliptical design that I have used in my .45-70 and .45-90, is just scaled down to .44 caliber. I have used that .45 caliber bullet for all but one or two of the long-range matches that I have won over the past 12 twelve years. It is a good design for 1000-yard shooting no doubt. I have high hopes for this .44 caliber version.

Load #1:

Brooks custom 490 grain PP wrapped with Paper Mill 100% cotton onion skin.
(1) .060" LDPE wad.
86.0 grains of Swiss 1 1/2, lot #210.113
BACO converted .50-110 Starline brass, 2.250 to 2.255" long.
Remington 2 1/2 large pistol primers.
C.O.A.L. = 3.500".


Load #2:

Brooks custom 490 grain PP wrapped with Paper Mill 100% cotton onion skin.
(1) .060" LDPE wad.
89.0 grains of Swiss 1 1/2, lot #210.113
BACO converted .50-110 Starline brass, 2.250 to 2.255" long.
Remington 2 1/2 large pistol primers.
C.O.A.L. = 3.500".

Now for a few excuses!

Load #1 has 11 shots because I used one sighter that I loaded with a bullet that was over 1 grain light. It was the only reject from my last casting effort with this mold and I figured, what the heck! It still went into the group. I shot it at the first target to confirm my sight setting.

This group, like all the groups with this load, has a little more vertical that I'd like to see, but it's not a bad group, it's just not really good. I shot a group with this load because it has been the most consistent load through my work with this bullet. The group today just confirms what the load is capable of. If I were to go to a silhouette match this is the load I would use.

Load #2 could have been a lot better if the jerk on the trigger was any good at his job. I had a complete meltdown on shot #3. One of those times where everything falls apart just as you break the shot. I was a bit surprised to see it come up that far right. I have no idea what happened with #9. It looked good at the break but there it is! I get those from time to time and I usually just say, "Bad bullet." and move on.

Shot #8 broke a bit left and it shows exactly what I saw through the scope at the break. Those kinds don't bother me like #9 does. The bottom line on this group is when I broke a good shot the bullets pretty much went into one ragged hole. And this is at 220 yards! I really think this is a very good load in spite of the over 3" wide that it is.It could easily have been under 2" wide and should have been. I just need to break good shots.

This will be the load I use for any paper matches this summer and for sure for long-range matches.

I am not sure what I could do to cut down on the vertical that I see in load #1. Maybe a different primer?

About the only thing that will improve load #2 is a different shooter! Maybe I need a pinch shooter? I believe this load is really close to something special, it can just lay 'em in there, one on top of the other. That's pretty good for a 153 year old bottleneck cartridge loaded with black powder and paper patch bullets!