Recent content by Otley

I always thought that the sequence of events when a centre-fire gun fires is as follows: 1. Firing pin hits primer and shoves the complete cartridge forwards as far as the headspace will allow. 2. Primer explodes and backs out of the case until it hits the breech face. 3. Powder ignites and, as...

Just an update - I searched through my reloading room rubbish bin and found some of the Winchester primers that I'd removed from the fired cases. I looked at the primer through a 40x loup and in each case, there was a small rupture at the edge of the primer: They definitely shouldn't oughta...

Thanks for the replies - I suspected it might be tricky getting and then exporting a replacement bolt half. I know the pits in the bolt face don't affect the gun's functioning or safety, but then a dent in your new car doesn't affect its performance. It's just annoying.

Having shot many light and medium loads through my stainless 77/44, I thought I'd try some full loads to see if I could get good accuracy at 100 yards. I loaded 24 grains of H110 with a 240 grain jacketed bullet and Remington primer. Groups were good, but after thirty shots, there was a covering...

Hello there. I traded my 1894SS for an All Weather 77/44. I don't know if the stainless steel receivers used for the 1894SS are softer than the blued steel ones, but a steady diet of factory magnum loads definitely increased the headspace on my 1894. The design of the 1894 means that the breech...

Thanks for all the replies. I took the gun to the range with a variety of loads to see if the free-floated barrel made any difference. Things started promisingly with the Lyman 240 grain cast cowboy bullet sized .431" and 5.5 grains of Bullseye. These were grouping into 2 1/2" at 50 yards, so I...

Thanks Vic. I had a look at the Rifle magazine web site. The preview for the July issue ends at page 55 and the 77/44 article is on page 64. Doh! Could you tell me what mods they did and what accuracy they achieved?

I live in the UK and have been reading posts on this forum for a while and finally decided to register. So Hello from Blighty! About a year ago I bought a new stainless 77/44 for use on the local range. I say new, but it’s actually an 09 model with a serial number within 20 of the start of the...