44-90 Remington straight

[Angus in Wyoming]

Anybody have any experience with this cartridge? I have a friend, (not computer savvy and doesn't want to learn), who just purchased a beautiful Hepburn in this caliber.
I guess we are looking for any suggestions for bullets and loads. Brass, dies, and other stuff is already to go.
I don't know a thing about this cartridge other than it is different from the 44-90 found in Sharps. Thanks in advance. Angus

[Don McDowell]

Angus you might drop Kelley Roos a pm thru the shiloh or bpcr.net board. I'm thinking he shoots that one in one of his highwalls.

[Angus in Wyoming]

Thanks. I pm'ed him on the Shiloh site. Angus

[Angus in Wyoming]

Where is Hell Gap?

[Mike Venturino]

Angus: Are you speaking of an orginal Hepburn .44-90 straight or a newly built rifle such as one of the DZ Arms Hepburns?

If new the rifle will undoubtedly have a barrel with .446 groove diameter and a chamber to match. It will be a simple rifle to load for.

If an original then the barrel can vary widely. I've slugged original Sharps and Remington RBs that went from .446 to .457 (Sharps) and .446 to .451 (Remingtons). One and all their chambers would accept rounds loaded with bullets no larger than .446 inch. Therefore the originals will have to be loaded with very soft bullets (no harder than 1-40 tin to lead) and rely on bullet "slug up" to fill the grooves.

I had a C. Sharps Model 1874 .44-90 Straight that was extremely accurate with its .446 inch Badger barrel, but when I got the bug to buy something else it was sold as I decided to stick with .40 and .45 as my BPCR Silhouette calibers.

I hope this might help a bit.
MLV

[Don McDowell]

Angus you'll probably hear back when they get thru at Pala.

Hell Gap is about 15 mile sw of Rawhide Butte.

[mazo kid]

Angus, I hope you will share your findings....I bought a very nice Rolling Block that had been rechambered to 44-90 Straight. I got dies made at CH4D ($$) and it took them a couple of tries to get it straight, misplaced my chamber casting, etc. and haven't loaded any of my brass yet. The rifle still has the original .439 bore, so will shoot soft boolits.

[Angus in Wyoming]

Don--- Rawhide Butte???? I guess us northern Wyoming people must be sheltered. I don't know where that is either.

MLV-- The Hepburn is an old one, but has been rebarelled, so who knows. I will make sure he slugs it. The need for a really soft lead is new to me. I guess he will need to spend some time with it. Remember, this is not my gun, I am just helping out a non-computer operator. BTW my Shiloh from Kirk should be here Mon or Tues!!!!!

I know he bought dies. I don't know where or what kind.

[e15cap]

News from Pala: Kelley shot a 40 yesterday and a 36 today. Hard holding indeed.

[Don McDowell]

Angus why Rawhide butte is only about 8 mile northwest of JayEm. I figgered everybody knew where that was........

e15 thanks for the update. My son went up there yesterday to look things over. So I'm hoping to get him and family wound up about this stuff, and hopefully you get a new shooter in your midst.

[Angus in Wyoming]

Got me again. JayEm? You are making this stuff up.

[Don McDowell]

Got me again. JayEm? You are making this stuff up.

:-D Nope look in the zipcode page in the phone book:)

[Kenny Wasserburger]

I thought eveyone in Wyoming knew where the buttes were also? South west of Lusk Wyoming at bit or 65 or so miles south-west of the Wasserburger Ranch. Never heard ofJay Em? Augus are you a Wyoming Native? I wont mention Lance Creek or Mule Creek or How bout this one Bright Wyoming Where I was raised. Still on the Map.

Ahh how bout the Pumpkin Buttes?

The Lunger 4th Gen Wyoming Native

[Leverluver]

He even lost me on Hell Gap and Rawhide Butte but I remember where JayEm is. I was taking my first night cross country for my pilots license. One leg of the trip was from Torrington to Lusk and the only dang thing to use for a check point between the two is JayEm. When the stop watch said I should have been over JayEm, I looked out and couldn't find a thing. The instructor was laughing his butt off. I asked what the deal was. He said the rancher must have forgotten to turn on his porch light that night. :mrgreen: Hey Don, when I get that 76 running, I'm coming down and we're going blasting. Have a great holidays.

[Don McDowell]

:bigsmyl2: MIkey dang its good to hear from you, thought them diggers had done got ya..... You feel free to come down here anytime. Do you need to borrow that Lyman mold for that 76?

[smilie=s:Kenny guess when Angus gets the directions to your Creedmore, we'ld best not confuse him about turnin a couple miles past Redbird.:redneck:

[Leverluver]

If you have a different email than before, email me tonight. I sold the company but I still have the same email, at least for a while.

Just going to order some various 458s from MBW and see what works best. When I find out, I'll get the mold. Got a little more free time now ;)

[Don McDowell]

I still got the same ol addy. Dave does a good job with his bullets, I believe you'll like them.

[Mugs]

I've got a set of dies marked 44-90S I would like to sell if anyone is interested $50.00 shipped.
Mugs

[e15cap]

Don, Tell your son to come on out. Harold has a match the 1st weekend of every month and is open for business on others. I believe Kelley was match winner by a good bit.
Best Roger

[Don McDowell]

Cap he was out there Saturday, and introduced hisself to Kelley,and apparently visited with other folks. He was pretty impressed with all you guys out there shooting, and I'm pretty sure he'll be back to visit and watch. He did say he's pretty wound up about competing, so I'm hoping its something they can pick up as a family . They still have 2 1/2 years duty there in San Diego.
Tip of my hat and a big thankyou to those at the Pala shoot that made him feel so welcome.:drinks:

[hydraulic]

Hell Gap must be pretty close to Spanish Diggings. The wife's grandparents owned that place back in the thirties. Never saw so much flint in my life.

[hydraulic]

Angus: You know where the historical marker is between Ranchester and Dayton. The Sawyer's Wagon Road to Virginia City originated here in my hometown of Niobrara, Nebraska.

[Don McDowell]

Yup its not far if you cut straight across on a saddle horse, but its a pretty good drive if you have to take the roads.
If you know where the transmission line crosses the Wildcats, Hell Gap is about 3 miles south of there.

[Angus in Wyoming]

hydraulic--- I know exactly where you are talking about. One of my favorite prarie dog spots. Quite a trail.

Kenny and Don- Yes I am a native of the great square state of Wyoming. However I have not spent much time around Lusk area. However, my grandfather homesteaded somewhere near Bill. He died in 1955 and I didn't come around for about 20 years later so I never new him to learn about the area. In fact my dad was only 11 when grandpa died, so he didn't have any memories or stories of that country either, except one. It involved some missing livestock and a few years in some prison camp.

[Don McDowell]

Angus its always a pleasure to visit with another Wyoming native.:drinks: Looking forward to meeting you one of these days.

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Angus same here!

Hope to see ya at Ten Sleep or one of the other many shoots in our area and your welcome to come to my match in May.

The Lunger

[hydraulic]

Well, I'm about half Wyomingite. Spent 20 summers with the USFS in the Bighorns just up the road from Angus at Burgess Junction.