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Logan
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #15 - Aug 8th, 2025 at 4:59pm
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Tom,

My apologies for the incorrect wording, still new to all this. The groove diameter is .456". I've just re-slugged the barrel and the "bore" diameter is .449". 

When I started learning to load for my other Hepburn an old timer around me told me to slug my barrel. He said to measure the diameter of the ridges on the slug, which would obviously mean the groove diameter, and get a lead bullet 1-2 thou. larger than said measurement. Is that incorrect? I ended up doing that for the 38-40 Rem Hepburn but had to bump the cartridge into the sizing die for it to chamber.

Also the caliber is 44-90 Remington Straight, same as 44-100 Rem Straight.
  
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marlinguy
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #16 - Aug 8th, 2025 at 5:15pm
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Logan wrote on Aug 8th, 2025 at 4:59pm:
Tom,

My apologies for the incorrect wording, still new to all this. The groove diameter is .456". I've just re-slugged the barrel and the "bore" diameter is .449". 

When I started learning to load for my other Hepburn an old timer around me told me to slug my barrel. He said to measure the diameter of the ridges on the slug, which would obviously mean the groove diameter, and get a lead bullet 1-2 thou. larger than said measurement. Is that incorrect? I ended up doing that for the 38-40 Rem Hepburn but had to bump the cartridge into the sizing die for it to chamber.

Also the caliber is 44-90 Remington Straight, same as 44-100 Rem Straight.


His suggestion usually works, but doesn't always apply since it can vary as you've discovered. Especially so when a old rifle has a groove diameter that's oddball sized for the normal size chamber. It's not all that uncommon to find old rifles with larger than normal groove diameters that wont accept fixed ammo and chamber. I have a Hepburn in .32-40 that accepts all my .32-40 ammo chambered, but the groove diameter is .328" and it wont accept a .328" bullet seated in the case. I has a Saeco mold opened up at the base band to .328" and had Jerry Cleave build me a breech seating tool to breech seat the bullet and I shoot it this way.
I also have Ballard with a .38-55 Schoyen barrel that's a .384" groove diameter and only gets shot as a breech seater due to the large groove diameter. 
I You may end up shooting yours as a breech seater if you discover a .456"  bulleted seated in a case still wont chamber, or do as Tom mentioned and have a stop ring bullet mold made to make it a heeled bullet and fit the case and bore.
  
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Logan
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #17 - Aug 8th, 2025 at 10:08pm
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Ok that makes sense. Will it hurt the rifle to go less than groove diameter? I'm sure it would be unwise to go less than bore diameter, but say a .454" bullet? It would still be contacting the rifling just not filling the grooves. I'll probably play with a neck turner before doing that but just a thought.
  
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marlinguy
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #18 - Aug 9th, 2025 at 12:12am
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Logan wrote on Aug 8th, 2025 at 10:08pm:
Ok that makes sense. Will it hurt the rifle to go less than groove diameter? I'm sure it would be unwise to go less than bore diameter, but say a .454" bullet? It would still be contacting the rifling just not filling the grooves. I'll probably play with a neck turner before doing that but just a thought.


Odds are if you go less than groove diameter with BP it wont hurt at .001" smaller, but more than that will likely begin to lead the bore. Unless your smaller bullets were paper patched, and then you can get away without leading.
  
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MartiniBelgian
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #19 - Aug 9th, 2025 at 4:18am
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marlinguy wrote on Aug 9th, 2025 at 12:12am:
Logan wrote on Aug 8th, 2025 at 10:08pm:
Ok that makes sense. Will it hurt the rifle to go less than groove diameter? I'm sure it would be unwise to go less than bore diameter, but say a .454" bullet? It would still be contacting the rifling just not filling the grooves. I'll probably play with a neck turner before doing that but just a thought.


Odds are if you go less than groove diameter with BP it wont hurt at .001" smaller, but more than that will likely begin to lead the bore. Unless your smaller bullets were paper patched, and then you can get away without leading.

Actually, that's not the case - assuming you don't shoot too hard a bullet (like pure WW),  that bullet will bump up just fine with BP.  After all, patched to bore diameter bullets will do too - and they are .008 smaller.
In my no.2 musket, I'm shooting .455 - .456 in a .458 groove diameter barrel, no issues.  BUT this is with black powder!
  
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TomKlinger
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #20 - Aug 9th, 2025 at 7:38am
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Logan,
Your dimensions make more sense now👍 good luck with your endeavor.


  
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Logan
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #21 - Aug 9th, 2025 at 11:40am
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Thank you all, great wealth of information here. I’ll keep you updated.
  
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Logan
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #22 - Aug 14th, 2025 at 8:20am
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Updates!

I received my case neck turner yesterday and made a couple dummy rounds. Sizing a good inch of the case to 45 ACP then running it through the expander ball and turning. When the wall thickness was turned to 0.010" it still does not fit. Turned to 0.008", still with a 0.458" bullet, it fits! Not real easy by hand, I've ordered a Lee shell holder as that's the only one the tool accepts.

Is 0.008" too thin for the case wall? Wondering if it will crack but I suppose we will see. I can always get a bullet sizer too.

Logan
  
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marlinguy
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Re: 44-90 Remington Straight Update
Reply #23 - Aug 15th, 2025 at 10:43am
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I personally would size the bullets down to groove diameter, and leave case walls a little thicker.
  
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