Hodgson 777 shooters - advice please

[Ben Denise]

Hi Guys,

I finally had a chance to shoot my Pietta 1858 at the weekend. As I don't have an explosives licence yet I am currently using 777.

I went with a load of 20 grains (by weight) and have to say that I was unimpressed with the results on paper. Now I fully appreciate it could be down to me as a newbie, although I have previously shot the clubs pistol with far better results.

In trying to work out if it's me, the gun or the load I thought I would ask what 777 loads other people are using in their 1858's? I'm getting a good fit with the ball (nice ring left after seating) and using 1075 caps which seem to fit the best.

Any and all advice appreciated. :)

B

[dromia]

Have you benched it to get a starting point?

[dromia]

Tripple 7 is finicky stuff prone to pressure spiking and extremely compression sensitive. I would only stick to Hodgdons recommended loads and not "experiment" with loads with the stuff.

If you must use substitutes then Pyrodex is superior to Tripple seven in its load flexibility, but its fouling is very hygroscopic so prompt cleaning is a must with it.

[Ben Denise]

Cheers Adam,

No I wasn't benched, although my previous attempts with the club gun were also free standing.

The Hodgson data lists 20 to 25 grains, so was really looking for the experience of people who use triple 7 to see what weight they use. Once I have finished the tub I will definitely give Pyrodex a go.

[dromia]

You will just need to methodically try out loads within the Hodgdon limits.

Shooting pistol is difficult and it needs constant practice to keep up your skill level.

I always bench rest new guns and loads so as to eliminate as much as possible operator error and give me a benchmark to work around.

As in all handloading it is essential to reduce the variables as much as possible so as to get meaningful results.

[Ben Denise]

That makes a lot of sense, never even considered bench resting. I will do as you suggest and shoot a cylinder in increments of 1 grain to see if there is an improvement. Cheers. :)

[Sim G]

Hodgdon load data is not between 20 and 25, it is either 20 or 25gns by volume, not by weight and using an Ox-Yoke Wonder Wad eith either load.

As Adam said, Triple 7 is not half as useful in revolvers as other propellants and in order to stay completely safe, you must use Hodgdons published load data. Get rid of the 777 and go Pyrodex. What you will lose in the cost of the 777 you're going to throw away in ball and caps just to use it up.

And either way, pistol shooting is a perishable skill that needs full attention to in order to become proficient. It might not necessarily be the load....

[Ben Denise]

Thanks for the advice. I fully appreciate it may be me or the gun and not the load, purely going off my previous performance using the club Pietta and trying to establish a baseline as to where the load should be based on other users experiences. Saying that I will certainly take on board your advice and source some Pyrodex.

[dromia]

The other good advice that hasn't been mentioned if you really want to get the best from your revolver is to use black powder. It is well worth the little effort and cost required to get a certificate and a box.

[Ben Denise]

Cheers Adam, the plan is to get an explosives licence and build a box, but I wanted to wait until after my summer holiday and got the 777 to use until then.

In my continuing research on this subject, and trying to figure out a conversion from volume to weight (I already have a powder thrower and didn't want to invest in additional equipment, especially as a lot of my research has shown volumetric powder throwers can be inaccurate) I came across this handy conversion table which may well be of use to others: http://www.curtrich.com/BPConversionSheet.htm.

It would seem my weighed charge is actually just under 25 gns by volume, so just under the maximum load recommended by Hodgson. On this basis I will try a lower charge and see if this improves accuracy. :)