What to use?

SuperKirby · 04-10-2008, 09:30 AM

I know it's recommended to have several different sabots on hand to work up different loads and all. But I'm still trying to pay for a baby and things are a little tight at the moment, so I can't convince my wife that I need to go buy packs of different sabots so I can try out a few from each one. I have a Knight KRB7 with a pretty tight muzzle crown on it. I'mwould liketo get some Hornady XTP's, but here's where I run into problems. Iwant to shoot 300's as I intend to hunt both elk and deer out to 1-150-is yrds.Locally, I canonly get the 300 gr. in a.44 cal .430 dia. Using this bullet, which sabot would be best to get? The best fittingbullet/sabot I've tried so far is the 250 gr. T/C Shockwaveswith slickload sabot. Don't know if that helps any at all.
Anyway, what do you all suggest?

frontier gander · 04-10-2008, 09:48 AM

I'd go with a conical. The 385g hornady great plains seem to shoot good in the KRB.

Chris W. · 04-10-2008, 10:23 AM

As do the 410 gr Great plains conicals.

sabotloader · 04-10-2008, 10:40 AM

SuperKirby

FG lives in one world - so what they do in Colorado should be universal, but if your regulations allow youshoot sabots go for it. And if your were to shoot conicals I beleive there are better conicals out there (higher BC's and they load like a sabot).

Reading your description of what you have loaded successfully - and also reading that you will be shooting a the 44/300 grain XTP - I would suggest that you will need to get some Harvester Green "Crush Ribs" They are a slimmer variety of the 44 cal green sabots. I would also suggest to you that the 44/300 should shoot very well from your KRB.

I recently purchased one of the Knight Extremes with the MHC barrel on it and I can definitely verify what you are talking about "tight crown." Mine was so tight I would peel/shave the lead right off the conical as I put it in, but once by the crown the thing went down just fine. Also, when putting in sabots HPH-24's the crown would disort the petal(s) to the side slighly until by the crown and then it would slide down as designed. I ended up honeing the crown on my barrel to even the lands out. Another thing, there is apossibilty asyou shoot the barrel the crown may smooth itself out and become less of a problem.

The 44/300 should work dandy on whitetail and for the most part be an effective bullet on an Elk. The problem I havefound is when shooting the thicker skinned elk - there is a possibility of stripping the the lead from the copper - especially if you hit a larger bone. This usually occurs at closer ranges - longer shotsdo not seem to present the same problem as the velocity of the bullet has reduced significantly. Because of this Hornady did construct the XTP-Mag version of the 300 - but I think itis only available in the 45 cal. and it is notas effective as the regular XTP on whitetail at close range - it will shoot right through them without a lot of expansion.

One last thing then I'll get out of your hair... If you get a chance to get some Speer Gold Dot .452/300 bullets they are a bonded bullet and will not come apart + have great expansion at all ranges+ they have a pretty decent BC. Whit the tight crown you would need the MMP HPH-3p-Ez load sabot (pretty much the same thing as the EZ load TC sabot - or the Harvester black "crush rib." If you get the crown loosened up then you will be able to shoot the HPH-24 or the regular Harvester which will fit the bulk of your bore much better.

I would suggest you PM -Underclocked- on this forum he spent a lot of time working in a KRB with it's bore - He might have some really good suggestions for you.

Hey! good luck - hope all works out for you....

frontier gander · 04-10-2008, 11:05 AM

Could have suggested a patched round ball

Or a Powerbelt. Which might not be a bad idea either. Just not sure how they'd work in the knight barrel.

sabotloader · 04-10-2008, 11:17 AM

FG

Actually I think they mightwork pretty well if you did not overpower the PRB - well now that you think of it you can not over power either one of them...

frontier gander · 04-10-2008, 11:21 AM

My custom powerbelt round ball does excellent with 110g 2f. Been working on powerbelt testing lately and the 295s will perform with 100 grains Pyrodex select but must be atleast 70 yards away. Anything under and they'll fragment.

sabotloader · 04-10-2008, 11:38 AM

FG

But... I do not think you could shoot them (PRB)that hard in a 1/28 twist.... when I would shoot them from one of the Remingtons the most I could load was 60 grains of RS before they really started wandering...

Quote:

Been working on powerbelt testing lately and the 295s will perform with 100 grains Pyrodex select but must be atleast 70 yards away. Anything under and they'll fragment.

That s exactly why I look for a projectile that will work great from 10 to 150 yards - I just do not know what range the shot will be at - her in northern Idaho we have to get what we get... You do not see food plats and tree stands very often at all because you are hunting on public of corporation lands....

frontier gander · 04-10-2008, 11:47 AM

Same here. You very rarely ever find deer next to water holes. No such thing as a food plot unless its a farmers alfalfa field. Tree stand? About the only thing i can think of that ive used that was high off the ground was a 40-50 foot high pile of bolders

That 295er with 80 PS will perform up close. I like shoulder shots so if a target was around 10-20 yards, i'd Opt for the lung shot.

Although last year my dad nailed his doe with that 225 powerbelt and it went through the lungs and then took out the shoulder on the way out. That was one big mess.

Tenmilephenom · 04-10-2008, 01:35 PM

Kirby-I would try what sabotloader said use the Harvester greencrushribs if your going to shoot the .44/300 xtps. I have shot them out of a knight vision with excellent accuracy. Kerry