I bought a TC Encore this past summer and was more interested in getting the 280 Rem. sighted in rather than the 50 cal muzzle stuffer. Now, I'm interested. I have tried Hornady full bores, SST's, and Barnes TMZ's. Let me say, it's way more expensive than reloading rifle cartridges. One can send a small fortune down their barrel with every pull of the trigger. I have had decent groups with the SST's and Barnes but I know that I should be able to do better than a baseball sized group at 100 yards. So, because I want to shoot.........and I'm cheap.........I started looking for a more economical to shoot more and more often. In short, I just ordered some Hornady .430 265 gr FTX ( the Lever Revolution stuff ) and some Hornady bulk sabots. Yep, 50 of each for 33 bucks.......way better than 30 bucks for 24 Barnes TMZ's. The bullet is actually made for a 444 Marlin but, it's this size I need for the sabot I have available and the flex tip to me is really no different than any other ballistic tip. I know this is a stretch but, has anyone else tried their own bullet sabot combo that is a little off the norm? What did you try? What results did you have? Suggestions? Oh and I can't wait to post the results.......unless they suck....in which case I will probably delete my post as I tuck my tail betwix my legs.
Going to do a little inline experiment
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FrontierGander
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you get what you pay for when it comes to bullets. Barnes are expensive for paper shooting but very cheap when it comes time for hunting season. You cant beat a barnes for performance.
I guess that I too am cheap and if you look at some past posts, you will see that I shoot a Pistol Lead Bullet, in .44 mag, 230 to 240 grns, in a good sabot, like Hornady. I've shot most of the expensive spread and don't get me wrong, some were excellent. However, I have settled on this projectile, in my in-line hunter. I get good groups and have taken my share of deer. ...
Be Safe !!!
ever seen a 395lb boar hog go from a full out run to a front flip? I have thallub
Are you talking about these sabots? I looked at those and my understanding is that they are an "easy loading" version of the Hornady's I purchased. Not to hijack my own thread but, What are the most important factors in developing an accurate muzzle loading load? I reload for revolver and rifle so I see loads that cloverleaf the target and loads that don't even come close. Is it the powder (grain weight or type), the bullet, or the sabot? I'm sure all factor in but I think the sabot is doing a lot more as it goes down the barrel than the bullet is. My buddy used to shoot on a league that required side locks and patched round ball only. He said they played with powder weight more than anything. As he increased the powder grain weight he could watch the groups tighten up until he went past the sweet spot and the groups would get progressively worse.
Are you talking about these sabots? I looked at those and my understanding is that they are an "easy loading" version of the Hornady's I purchased. Not to hijack my own thread but, What are the most important factors in developing an accurate muzzle loading load? I reload for revolver and rifle so I see loads that cloverleaf the target and loads that don't even come close. Is it the powder (grain weight or type), the bullet, or the sabot? I'm sure all factor in but I think the sabot is doing a lot more as it goes down the barrel than the bullet is. My buddy used to shoot on a league that required side locks and patched round ball only. He said they played with powder weight more than anything. As he increased the powder grain weight he could watch the groups tighten up until he went past the sweet spot and the groups would get progressively worse.
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Dutch Schoultz's Black Powder Rifle Accuracy System
There's a fellow named Dutch Schoultz who's developed a very successful method for determining the optimum load for a black powder rifle. His web site is http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/
He sells a set of documents that describe how the method works for $20; it's the best $20 I've ever spent on black powder in 40 years. Dutch is in his 80's now and lives on social security and sales of this system. He's a great fellow, very interesting to talk to on the phone.
The system doesn't address sabots per se but the method will give you a great deal of insight into how to go about accounting for all the variables. It would be well worth your time and money.
There's a fellow named Dutch Schoultz who's developed a very successful method for determining the optimum load for a black powder rifle. His web site is http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/
He sells a set of documents that describe how the method works for $20; it's the best $20 I've ever spent on black powder in 40 years. Dutch is in his 80's now and lives on social security and sales of this system. He's a great fellow, very interesting to talk to on the phone.
The system doesn't address sabots per se but the method will give you a great deal of insight into how to go about accounting for all the variables. It would be well worth your time and money.
The results are in.
Well, in addition to testing the Hornady 265 gr FTX bullets, I also tried some Blackhorn 209 powder with 300 gr Barnes Expanders, the 265 gr FTX's, and 290 gr Barnes TMZ's with the blue EZ loader sabots. Take a look. The 290 gr Barnes are in the crappy picture and were shot on a used target. Great group numbered 1-2-3 in black.
Well, in addition to testing the Hornady 265 gr FTX bullets, I also tried some Blackhorn 209 powder with 300 gr Barnes Expanders, the 265 gr FTX's, and 290 gr Barnes TMZ's with the blue EZ loader sabots. Take a look. The 290 gr Barnes are in the crappy picture and were shot on a used target. Great group numbered 1-2-3 in black.
