In the mailbox

[Distant Thunder]

You guys are going to have to give me some time to work my way into this thing! There's just a bit of ground to cover before I hit the road.
I'm thinking my first match with it will be Wisconsin Rapids July 25th. That will be a great first outing, 200, 300 and 600 yards. Hell, I haven't been off the home property since September last year!
I'm figuring Harris in August and Rapids a second time, maybe Alma in September and Lodi, then Cadillac in October. And a whole bunch of shooting at home in between.

[Don McDowell]

Jim what are the dates of the Sept. Lodi match?

[Kurt]

Griff, Welcome to the Old Farts Forums
Nah, you won't have more time playing now that you're retired. You will soon think just how much more time you had doing other stuff when you were still punching the time clock then you have now.

Kurt

[Distant Thunder]

Don,

The Fall Classic is scheduled for September 26 & 27 and there shouldn't be any problems keeping those dates. When I talked to Cliff last week he asked what I thought of having the Cup on Thursday & Friday the 24th & 25th. I think that is an excellent idea and efforts to make that happen are under way. That would be 4 days of shooting for the travel time of two days otherwise. I'm in.

One thing I did mention was that the sun can get pretty low in the western sky in late afternoon by the end of September, but with the format of those two matches it should not be a problem. Both matches will move along at a good pace, the Classic being all 1000 yards and the Cup with it's shorter relays. Everyone will just have to move like the days are short, and they are!

By late September I would hope to have my .44-77 shooting well and have high hopes of giving the cartridge a good showing. That's the plan anyhow, but we all know how plans can go. I'll bring my Hepburn just incase the .44 dives into the dirt at 700 yards!

This is going to be a short shooting season having started in July. So it's going to be fast a furious and I know I'll be taking flak at home about things not getting done and being gone so much. I'll just have to stay low and move fast!

[Kurt]

Jim,

The most crucial object to get the best out of the rifle is the brass quality and fight the frustration when things don't seem to go your way.

[Distant Thunder]

Griff,

Certainly not out of place, I kind of hijacked Don's thread here anyway. Sorry, Don! It is the Front Porch and I think open to a more free flowing discussion.

Please feel free to jump into any discussion of my .44-77 you want to, the more information from more sources the better, I think anyhow.

I can't see any reason the .44-77 can't be made into a fine performer though it may be a bit more particular than the average .45-70 and that is where more info is better.

As I often say, it's the journey and I for one always enjoy the company of like minded shooters. I love the rifles and cartridges, but it is the people I've shared the journey with that have made it more enjoyable.

When I actually have my rifle (next week?) I'll start a brand new thread and keep it going through the early development. I'll welcome any constructive input.

[Don McDowell]

That's what I like about this, we're sitting on the front porch, drinking coffee, and bs'ing..

[Don McDowell]

Cliff emailed the other day asking about doing another antelope hunt, and if he had the cup with the fall match if we thought Carol and I could make the trip. I forgot to ask the dates, but had it in my head that match was a week earlier. But even at that it made it to tight with the BPTRA nationals.
Next spring hopefully,,,,

[Don McDowell]

With that 17 twist your rifle will have, the bullet length won't be as critical on the 600 and beyond that the 19 twist Shiloh is. But even in that 19 twist, bullet length at 1.3 will hold to 1000 in all conditions.

[Distant Thunder]

From what I've been able to figure on the 19-twist a 1.3" bullet should be very stable and the right design would hold up well in twitchy winds. I know my little 382 grain bullet from my 18-twist .40-65 has done well to 600 in some tricky winds. It's all about matching the bullet to the twist and cartridge (powder charge).