OT; Did some muzzleloading handgun shooting.

[bigbore442001]

Over the past weekend I went leaf peeping with my better half. On the way back we made an obligatory stop at Kittery Trading Post in Maine. I bought some jacketed bullets for reloading and while perusing through the store I spied a box of discounted sabots. They were the baby blue Harvester sabots. The baby blue color indicates that they are made for .475 diameter bullets in the .50 caliber. I know it is an odd caliber but something told me to get them. I like the new Speer Deep Curl hollow points. They make a 275 grain HP in .475 which works wonderfully in the .480 Ruger thus I figure that it would work well in a muzzle loader.

My intention is to try it out at the range. I fitted a Hubbard Mag spark to my Kahnke M82 muzzleloading handgun. I like the mag spark since I can shoot the new Black horn 209 powder. I wished I had a working chronograph. I would love to see what 90 grains of 209 under the new sabot/275 grain bullet in that specialty handgun.I am hoping to be able to take a nice NH deer with a muzzleloading handgun. I figured that since the diameter of the .475 diameter bullet is closer to the .500 bore than a .452 bullet it should be accurate. In addition the 275 grain hollow point should produce the necessary energy to expand and cleanly take a nice deer.

What an utter failure. Off of a benchrest and sandbag my twenty five yard group was all over the place. I was about to sight in the gun when my first shot was more than one foot off to the right. Then the second shot was four inches closer to the target. The next shot was one foot below the bull and the fourth was a foot to the left of the bull. I found some remnants of the sabot on the grass. It seems that the load is blowing the sabot apart. It seems that out of this specialty handgun the 275 grain 475 diameter bullet does not work.I will have to go back to using a sabot that uses a .452 bullet designed for the 45 Colt.

[Old No7]

"On the way back we made an obligatory stop at Kittery Trading Post in Maine."

Ayuh, I've been know to do that. (Was just there last week while traveling by on business -- stopped on both the southbound AND northbound trips!)

"...the baby blue Harvester sabots... What an utter failure."

Sorry to hear that... Typically Harverster sabots are great! My Omega does great with their black Crushed Rib Sabots.

I've heard great things about the Kahnke M82 muzzleloading handgun; I know the Head Ranger at Baxter State Park hunts deer with one, using his Old Army as a backup piece.

Guess there is some fun (sometimes adventure, othertimes $&%@#) in trying something new, too bad it didn't work out this time.

Old No7

[bigbore442001]

As a rule the Kahnke is a superb shooter. I believe it may be the result of either the new powder or that the lighter than normal bullet for the sabot doesn't work.

Since the muzzleloading season will open up in two weeks( dad and I are setting up some trail cameras to determine what is out there where I hunt) I plan to shoot the old .452 handgun bullet sabots.I was figuring that this new combination would be a great combination. Not so.