Low Key
Member
I’ve used 777 off and on over the past year and at first it seemed inconsistent and prone to hangfire. In a discussion with Jule of bigiron barrels, he explained to me that the hangfires and inconsistent behavior under compression was actually an ignition problem and offered me a solution which has worked without fail ever since I tried it.
I’ve basically been using a primer charge to properly ignite the 777, since some percussion caps don’t set it off reliably. I’ve used Swiss Null B, approximately 1grain/vol. under my main charge of 777 and I’ve also used goex 3f and also pyrodex p since all three of those seem to light consistently at lower temperatures than 777. I’ve also switched caps and am currently using CCI #11 magnum caps and have noticed that these will light off the 777 consistently without the primer charge.
I’ve seen a lot of complaints about inability to achieve good accuracy with 777, and I had the same problem until I understood why the 777 was squirrelly under compression. The ignition problems were causing inconsistent velocities and tossing my shots all over the target. Since I’ve started using a primer charge, my accuracy with 777 has improved greatly.
The following targets were shot saturday using 1grain/volume Null B as a primer charge, 25gr/vol of 777, dry card wad, lube pill, .457 ball, and CCI #11 magnum caps. I compressed the 777 to a good degree on purpose, (more than I normally compress pyrodex p for target loads). The distance was 20 yards and a total of 24 shots were fired. The barrel was cleaned with 1 windex soaked patch after every 6 shots, the cylinder pin wiped clean, and fouling wiped off the exterior of the gun with a windex soaked patch, then reloaded with the same load.
I tried six shots with the primer charge and 40grain/vol of H777, but on the second shot I shot completely through my target so I fired the other 4 into the dirt bank behind the house. Accuracy was good...right into the red dot in the center and slightly high, recoil was...shall we say, impressive!
There was a noticeable "crack" to those 6 shots and I even heard their echo bouncing off the neighboring hillsides through my earplugs which I normally don't with pyrodex p or goex.
In the pic you can see the thickness of my target, about 9 inches, and where the ball blew out the backside. The target is a cardboard box with newspapers packed flat inside not crumpled.
Additional info: I checked out CCI's website ( http://www.cci-ammunition.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=3&pg=10&prod_id=28 )and they actually recommend #11M (magnum) caps for bp substitutes, also I sent an email to Hodgedon asking about the ignition temp of 777 and which cap they recommend for the most reliable ignition. If I get a response I'll post it for your information.
I’ve basically been using a primer charge to properly ignite the 777, since some percussion caps don’t set it off reliably. I’ve used Swiss Null B, approximately 1grain/vol. under my main charge of 777 and I’ve also used goex 3f and also pyrodex p since all three of those seem to light consistently at lower temperatures than 777. I’ve also switched caps and am currently using CCI #11 magnum caps and have noticed that these will light off the 777 consistently without the primer charge.
I’ve seen a lot of complaints about inability to achieve good accuracy with 777, and I had the same problem until I understood why the 777 was squirrelly under compression. The ignition problems were causing inconsistent velocities and tossing my shots all over the target. Since I’ve started using a primer charge, my accuracy with 777 has improved greatly.
The following targets were shot saturday using 1grain/volume Null B as a primer charge, 25gr/vol of 777, dry card wad, lube pill, .457 ball, and CCI #11 magnum caps. I compressed the 777 to a good degree on purpose, (more than I normally compress pyrodex p for target loads). The distance was 20 yards and a total of 24 shots were fired. The barrel was cleaned with 1 windex soaked patch after every 6 shots, the cylinder pin wiped clean, and fouling wiped off the exterior of the gun with a windex soaked patch, then reloaded with the same load.
I tried six shots with the primer charge and 40grain/vol of H777, but on the second shot I shot completely through my target so I fired the other 4 into the dirt bank behind the house. Accuracy was good...right into the red dot in the center and slightly high, recoil was...shall we say, impressive!
There was a noticeable "crack" to those 6 shots and I even heard their echo bouncing off the neighboring hillsides through my earplugs which I normally don't with pyrodex p or goex.In the pic you can see the thickness of my target, about 9 inches, and where the ball blew out the backside. The target is a cardboard box with newspapers packed flat inside not crumpled.
Additional info: I checked out CCI's website ( http://www.cci-ammunition.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=3&pg=10&prod_id=28 )and they actually recommend #11M (magnum) caps for bp substitutes, also I sent an email to Hodgedon asking about the ignition temp of 777 and which cap they recommend for the most reliable ignition. If I get a response I'll post it for your information.
