.44-77 PP bullets.

[Distant Thunder]

With the Whu-WHO-Flu hanging on for at least awhile longer I am continuing to gather the things I'll needed for the rifle I don't have in .44-77.

Aside from the usual things needed to load black powder cartridge ammo, powder measurer, powder scale, drop tube, etc., I have the following that are specific to the .44-77:

Lee .43 Mauser sizing die.
RCBS #17 shell holders.
Expander die with multiple sizes.
Compression die.
Compression bushing.
Loading block for the bigger rims of the .44-77. (They don't fit in my .45 caliber loading block! )
.44 caliber wad punch and various wad materials.
BACO JIM431ADJ mold and many, many bullets that I've been casting while waiting all these many months. Some from this mold and some others have generously donated to the cause!
Various patching paper.
Jamison brass and some other experimental brass to test.
.44 caliber bore pigs and jag.
A bunch of different kinds of black powder and primers to work with.

Now my question to those who actually have a rifle chambered in .44-77 and have been loading for it is, what else will I need to load PPB for my rifle when it gets here?

I think I've got it covered and I may have not listed something I have, but do you see anything missing? Or do you have suggestions to make it easier.

It's a cold snow covered morning here in northeast Wisconsin and with the entire state in LOCKDOWN thanks to our beloved governor there is little I can legally do other than sit here sipping coffee and thinking about better times to come. Though I haven't actually asked the governor if that is a legal activity, I'm just assuming it is!!!

[Don McDowell]

You might want to add a package of the Muzzleloader Originals dry lubed felt wads, those are the ones used in 44/45 cap and ball pistols, and if you don't have any on hand a 1 oz bottle of jojoba oil.

And if you're really bored, and it's not illegal, go to the shop and duplicate one of those dual diameter bullets I gave you into a mould block only make it a fixed length of no more than 1.4 to fit the 17 twist, flat base and smooth out that nose pour nose to a good creedmoor/remington round nose.

[Don McDowell]

Ps make 2 of those moulds send 1 to me and I'll get it tested out.

[Nuclearcricket]

About the only think I might suggest would be a neck sizing bushing die. If this will be your only 44-77, a bushing die will work well and will keep from overworking your brass. As hard as it is to come by, you want to work it as little as possible. I have made 2 of them, one that will work on 2.1" cases up to the 44-77 and maybe a bit longer. You can make your own bushings and adjust the size so that you size the neck just enough to hold the bullet. In the same die you can put a decaping rod, a compression plug and an expander. Then you can make a spacer and a taper crimp bushing as well. I made my first from steel and it works quite well. The second one I made up out of aluminum and its for a much shorter case and I have only used it just a little but other than forming the case necks down from 45-70 brass there isn't that much pressure on the die body so I think it will work just as well. The last bushing I made up I used 8620 and it worked ok but needs to be hardened so that it doesn't pick forign material and scratch the cases.
things to think about.
Sam

[Distant Thunder]

Don,

I do have some felt wads around here that I use in my C&B revolver. I remember many, many years ago my first Sharps was a .40-90 BN and I tried some felt wads in it, the result was the first three cases had the necks pulled off! I broke down the rest of the loads and never put felt wads in a case again. Now admittedly I knew not thing one about loading black powder ammo at that time and I do not know that the felt wads were to blame but I have avoided them ever since. I know a little bit more these days.

I am bored often with our "safer at home" policy in effect. I do stop by my shop about once a week just because I'm driving by on my way to get groceries, which is still legal in most states. While I'm there I do work on a few things just to keep the dust from settling in one spot. I do not know that it is illegal for me to do so because I am no long a business really and I haven't asked anyone about it. If I was in Michigan I'm pretty sure it would be illegal for me to do that.

When I made that round nose bullet mold I saw it more as a hunting bullet than a target bullet so the flat doesn't really bother me and probably makes a better hunting bullet.

While we are just talking here, is you .44-77 also a 17-twist? If so you would want the bullet at 1.400" long but in a base pour mold? And the same diameters as that 2-D bullets you gave me? No harm in thinking things thru!

[Don McDowell]

My 44-77s are both 19 twists. I do however have 2 44 2.4 with 17 twist. They shoot a 1.37 bullet very well. I have shot 1.4 inch bullets in the 44-77 and they work ok to 1000 with minimal cross winds. Throw in anything approaching 10 mph cross winds and all bets are off.
In the bn case I shoot 76 grains of 1 1 /2 in the straight cases 84 gr.
I'm contemplating see if I can get Brooks to duplicate that 40 cal dd into 44 and 45, but can't decide if it would be worth it or not as I'm pretty dang happy with the 44 and 45 bullets I'm using now.
Here we can't get haircuts, and the restraunts can only do curbside pickup, and as long as we're in groups less than 10 with plenty of space between we're good to go.
We can still go fishing, and use a boat, just can't camp at night to keep folks from bunching up.. Which for the most part still to stinking cold to want to camp or go out on a boat for that matter.

[Distant Thunder]

All the boat ramps in the state are closed, but our season doesn't start until around the first Saturday in May and the lockdown is supposed to end on the 26th of April I believe. I've been looking forward all winter to getting out and doing some fishing this summer now that I am retired officially. Just like you it has been too cold here lately to think about doing too much fishing or camping yet. It's good working weather and yesterday and again today the snow has taken a big hit. I was finally able to get out and haul some firewood this morning with out getting stuck.

The 19-twist rifles should be good to just a pinch over 1.300", but not much over. The 17-twist 2.4s should be able to handle 1.450-ish very well, but again I wouldn't push them too much more. If you favor the new money bullet designs with their long, slender noses I'd tend to stay on the shorter side of things. On the other hand an original Postell or a true Medford style would work very well at those lengths.

[Caprock]

My 44-77s are both 19 twists. I do however have 2 44 2.4 with 17 twist. They shoot a 1.37 bullet very well. I have shot 1.4 inch bullets in the 44-77 and they work ok to 1000 with minimal cross winds. Throw in anything approaching 10 mph cross winds and all bets are off.
In the bn case I shoot 76 grains of 1 1 /2 in the straight cases 84 gr.
I'm contemplating see if I can get Brooks to duplicate that 40 cal dd into 44 and 45, but can't decide if it would be worth it or not as I'm pretty dang happy with the 44 and 45 bullets I'm using now.
Here we can't get haircuts, and the restraunts can only do curbside pickup, and as long as we're in groups less than 10 with plenty of space between we're good to go.
We can still go fishing, and use a boat, just can't camp at night to keep folks from bunching up.. Which for the most part still to stinking cold to want to camp or go out on a boat for that matter.

Whose cases do you have? I'm gearing up for a C. Sharps 2.4 straight and found that newly resized Jameson 45-90 cases hold only 79 gr of OE. I'm sure that will change upon fireforming and compressing the load somewhat.

[Distant Thunder]

Sam,

I tried to reply to your post at lunch time but this stupid computer eat my post just as I finished it! I have no idea where those things go when they vanish like that!

I forgot to list the taper crimp die I made for the .44-77. I also had made up a die body to hold sizing bushings, but I have not made any bushings yet because I'm not sure what size I will need. Remember, this is all for a rifle I don't have yet!

The last time I talked to Kirk he wanted to know what rim thickness I would be using because they were chambering my barrel that morning. That was in early March. Three weeks later they were shut down by the governor because of the Whu-WHO-Flu! So the barrel was fitted to my action and the chamber was cut, that much for sure. Next would be cutting the octagon, cut to length and cut the dovetails. Then just bead blasting and bluing. So if they can reopen after the 24th of April I'm hoping to have my rifle back by sometime in early June, which would be just in time for my birthday! That would be 10 months since I sent my rifle to them.

[Don McDowell]

Whose cases do you have? I'm gearing up for a C. Sharps 2.4 straight and found that newly resized Jameson 45-90 cases hold only 79 gr of OE. I'm sure that will change upon fireforming and compressing the load somewhat.
[/quote]

I use Jamison and I do have a few of the BACO stretched Remington 45-70.