W.W.

If you want to shoot a .52 its like any custom caliber. You find your supplies on the internet or a good vendor and you stock up on supplies and you should be good. Its just like loading a wildcat load for a centerfire. There are not too many stores that have them on the shelf, but that does not mean it's a bad caliber. I, personally would like to have one of these .52 calibers for my collection.

donjose

So I guess the .458 MMP 50 Cal. Rifle Orange and the .458 325 FTX would be fine in this rifle?

Thanks Jason

Gm54-120

54x50 is fantastic with a 1-28 or faster twist. The 50-275gr Barnes XPB or ML bullet is plain nasty even at mild speeds. Heavy loads of BH209 and good 300gr+ bullets would likely kill anything in North America humanely. The Rem 50-385gr CLHP is very impressive if you want max knock down from a 54x50 and a higher BC.

This year i tried the 458 300gr SOCOM in a Harvester sabot and its becoming my favorite. IMO it turned a brush gun into a potential 200yard gun with less hold over and reasonable recoil in a small package.

Given the choice i would choose the 54 but not because of component availability. The only 54cal sabots i can find locally are the 54x45s from Harvester at Grafs. Knight is just a phone call away for 52cal sabots and they work fine. Rumor has it that Harvester might even offer a 52cal sabot soon too, possibly in 52x452 which will give you a ton of bullet options.

Gm54-120

donjose

Yes they both work fine in a 50cal too with the proper sabot. Some guys prefer using the Harvester Crushribs with the 458 bullets. IMO a faster twist is better for bullets over 300gr in a 50cal but my old Extreme 50 shot them fine in the MMP Orange sabot. The 52cal can do it with a bit more velocity with the heavier bullets. The 52cal was made specifically for long range use with a .475-375gr bullet making over 3000fpe at the muzzle. There is no 50cal sabot that can deliver quite that much energy as accurately. Harvester offers a 50x475 but results are only average.

Not many 1-28 twist 50cals can equal that level of performance with the really heavy bullets.

sabotloader

In a 50 cal rifle yes...

In a 52 cal NO a Orange .457/.458 - sabot is for a 50 caliber rifle.

You would need a .457-.458/52 cal sabot. The Grey sabot shown in the picture.

mountaineer magic

I bought some 52 cal bullets with both the gray and maroon sabots from Knight. They shoot excellent. I also bought a bunch of Parker production conicals in 52 cal. They were the Hydracon. It shoots great but the recoil on it is a lot harder than the saboted bullets. I really like the 52 .I don't think it is a bad caliber. I have to order everything anyway as i live in the boonies, so the fact that a store don't stock any 52 cal stuff is irrellevant. A lot of stores don't stock much if anything for a 45 cal either but that don't make it a bad caliber. Stock up on what you need and you are good to go. I would recommend the 52 cal. Mine shoots great.

Gm54-120

chetmarks

Yep, we pretty much only have 2-3 real choices in 45cal sabots. Im lucky my local shop carries them. I still think its a fine caliber for at least upto deer sized game and IMO it the best to shoot....just for fun.

I stocked up on 52cal sabots for mine so its a non issue and i already have plenty of 458 and 475 bullets. The only real negative is there are extremely few sub 300gr options but tons of 300gr bullets that work very well. Remington offer a 300gr for just $33/100 and is a proven killer.

donjose

With the Parker bullets I guess they are the bore size bullets?And did you use a wad or just straight load them?



Jason

mountaineer magic

I used the felt wad they come with. I didn't try them without the wad. I probably should just to see if there is a difference in accuracy.

MountainDevil54

GM is talking about the sabot choices for a .45cal muzzy. Basically 2 or 3 choices of sabots for it.