Its Say-Bow....
I just had my first experience taking game with blackpowder and Sabot's. I used a .50cal TC ENCORE, 3[!] 50 grain pyrodex pellets, the TC sabot and a 300 grain .44 calXTP.
I got invited on a trophy whitetail hunt in Illinois. Muzzleloader only. The deer there are much larger than we have here in SC, and the outfitter told me to be prepared for longer shooting than I am used to with a muzzleloader. He said that it would be not uncommom for a 150 yard shot. I've been hunting Blackpowder down here and taking usually 25 to 50 yard shots....using an old TC Hawken and .50 Maxi-Balls. Great penetration, and great performance.
Well, I waited till the last couple of weeks before my hunt to really get my "stuff" together. I got the Encore, and after looking at the performance tables in their literature regarding the SABOT loads, I decided to shoot the load I did. 300 Grain .44 XTP at over 2000 fps! I zeroed the rifle @ 100 yards, with about 1 ft drop at 200. Not to shabby!
I shot the buck pictured at 143 yards. The buck [250lbs] ran about 60 yards[!] with BOTH shoulders broken. The bullet entered the front shoulder, dead centered the shoulder bone, through both lungs, blowing bone shards through the heart, hit a rib exiting the other side of the chest cavity, and passed through the shoulder on the off side[missed the bone though]. The bullet stopped against the skin on the opposite side. I'll try to post a pic of the bullet later.
The bullet expanded splendidly, but maybe a little too much. It DID stay together to its credit, but I would have liked for it to exit the body. Luckily the buck was in plain view where he fell, but after retracing his steps, he did not leave a single drop on blood trail. If he had run into a thicket or swamp, he could have been difficult to find. I shot the buck through the shoulders on purpose. I really wnated this buck, as he wasEASILY the largest I have taken, and I knew that a shoulder shot would cause plenty of internal damage, and disable his "running gears".
I shot a nice fat doe 5 minutes later, filling out both of my tags the first afternoon of the hunt[!], with a slightly behind the shoulder shot[ to damage less meat] @ approx 100 yards. The bullet exited, showing good signs of expansion. She also ran about 50 yards, but left a blood trail Ray Charles could follow!
In summation, I am pleased with the ballistic performance of the .50 cal - sabot- .44cal combination. I plan on hunting next year on a trophy whitetail-muzzleloader only hunt again. I will be looking into a slightly "harder bullet" to put in the sabot. Possibly the Nosler Partition 250 grain bullet, or a 300 grain hard cast LBT. I like exit wounds. They give blood trails, which are a GOOD thing.
Keep in mind, these are really pistol bullets, designed around lower velocity parameters. If they are designed to expand moderatly @ 1300 fps[.44 mag pistol velocities], they are gonna expanded quickly and expand ALOT @ the 1750 fps you probally got using 2 pyrodex pellets, and expand REALLY fast @ the 2000 fps I got with 3 pellets. I knew that I would probally get bullet failure with a 240 XTP[espicially on a big, thick bodied buck like I shot] @ the speed I was shooting, so I opted for the heavier 300 grain bullet to "buy" more penetration.
I "think" the Nosler Partition design will hold together better, thus giving more penetration. The design works great in rifles....the design should work with these pistol bullets too....time and testing will tell. I'll better prepard for next season.