I always hestitate a little bit doing this, but then I really liked shared information so here goes...

As some you know I have been testing the the newer Speer Gold Dots, both 250 grain BC .165 and the 300 grain BC .233 ( these are published BC's from Speer) - both .452's. I had excellents results on paper fired from a A&H inline.

This test was done with a homemade from various parts TC Hawkin with a fast twist Green Mountain blank barrel. I installed fiber optic sights on the barrel. The front sight is a Williams ramp sight with a fiber optic open hood. The rear sight is a standard TC fiber optic adjustable sight. I went with the ramp sight and hood because the hood offers somewhat of a tunnel. Placing the front bead on the animal the encircles the impact area, I believe this gives me a little added measure of accuracy and with my 61 year old eyes everything helps. I admit I am a scope shooter so the added appearance of a circle helps the psychy.

I was and have been using 90 grains of t7 fffg to drive the 300 grain Noslers I normally shoot for elk ar 250 grain for deer. After sighting the gun in at 25 yards I moved the target back to 75.

Shooting the Speer GD - 300 gr. HPin an MMP HPH-24 black sabotwith 90 grains did not impress me for grouping.. Shot #2 was my fault not the gun's, it isstill hard for me to get use to a set trigger. On the target shots 1 through 4 were actually the 13, 14, 15, and 16th shots of the session.

After completing this string I decided I would back down to 80 grains and I produced in my mind a much better group. Shots 5 through9 - and 9 darn it all to heck was again my fault - the pressure got to me shooting a decent group with open sights - I really wanted to drop #9 right in between 6 & 7.

On paper reading Speer's literature about these new bonded core bullets and should hold together and have controled espansion. I regret that i did not get to test the last part here at the end of our season - but next year will come.

Thanks for your time...

The 80 grain load does look pretty good actually. I bought two of the stainless steel Green Mountain Barrels with the 1-28 twist. I have only opened one of them, but so far was so impressed with the accuracy from it shooting .430 300 grain Hornady XTP's and 100 grains of Goex 2f that I took it deer hunting this year.

So your saying the 300 grain are better then the 250 grain or you just have not had the chance to try them as much as you want? I will add them on my list of to buy with the next order. That would still make a reasonable elk load with 80 grains wouldn't it.

cayugad

Yes, I think agree - I was strapped for time so I was not able to set up the chrono - next trip I will. I really just hate to back down in powder because I want the most velocity I can get and in the same token I do not want to overdo the pressure nor do I want inaccurate loads - so I guess sometimes you just got to easy up a bit. The last 4 shots of the day I was shooting at a snow bank on top of a gravel pile. Little twigs/plants would be sticking out of the snow so I would line them and shoot - the bank was just over 100 yards and my impact marks were right there - I really like shooting "Killable" better than paper.

I have them both and I have shot them both - but the paper ballistics of the 300 grain far overshawdow the 250. No doubt about it the 250 shoots well and I really believe it will take deer but I really like the ballistics of the 300 even if the published BC is 10/15% high it is still really good. I THINK speer re-designed the nose of the 300 when they went from .451 to .452 to achieve better ballistics.

No doubt in the short ranges and I am thinking it will be even out to my self imposed max of 150 yardswith open sights and all the other conditions being equal (the worst part of that of all the elk I have shot I think maybe one or two were at ranges greater than a 100) - but until I get a chance to see the velocity readings and of the bullet performance on an animal I really, in my mind, will not know for sure. I am actually think the velocity might surprise me - I am hoping to get those reading after a round or two of trap on Sunday.

I am the same way when I target shoot. I mean do not get me wrong, I'll punch holes in paper all day, but set out a tin can or a pine cone, something that is out of the ordinary, and I really think I sometimes shoot better.

I wanted to try a couple different bullets today out of the Renegade with the Stainless Steel 1-28 Green Mountain Barrel. I was loading 100 grains of Goex 3f and a 252 grain Buffalo Bullet HP and the 270 grain Speer Gold Dot FP. I was pretty happy with the Buffalo Bullets even though I was only shooting at 30 yards.

I was also given an opportunity at a small pine squirrel that has been trying his best to take up winter quarters in my wood working shop. He made the mistake of me catching him on the ground at 36 yards. Although it was a free standing shot, the Buffalo Bullet was very accurate. The squirrel will no longer be chewing holes through my siding anymore.

Weather conditions were perfect for shooting, 22ºs, snowing like the devil, strong cross winds gusting at times, and the Renegade using Goex and Dynamite Noble 1075 caps never misfired at all. Shot just like a calm spring day.

cayugad

Good shooting, to bad for the squirrel, wish those Speers had grouped for you better... I wonder what the pressure differences would be between 100 grains of Goex and 80 grains t7-3f... If you were a guessing man what do yu figure your velocity was with the 270's?

100 grains of Goex 3f seems pretty stout. I would guess that they are somewhere around 1600 fps but again, that would only be a guess. The Gold Dots I have are .430 and for some reason I can not get them to group at all past 75 yards. After that distance with them it is anyones guess as to where they will hit in relation to the bull.

I just decided today to shoot off some bullets that do not work the best for me. It was the first time I tried them in the Stainless Steel GMB and the Buffalo Bullets did pretty well. Next time I am going to try the 302 grain Buffalo and see what they do.

cayugad

I agree with the 44's getting eratic - now I know there are some that do not, but all the short 44's I have shot they do open with range and I do get a flyer on occasions. I really think that is all a product of the sabot and I even think the condition of the crown on the barrel has an effect on the 44's.

I really want to try some of the new MMP HPH 44 cal sabots. I was taking to Del (MMP owner) about them the other night - and they may be the answer. I have not shot 44's in years and I was using the older sabots. On one gun I could even see the sabot come off and go straight up in the air 5 - 10 ft before falling to the ground... now thats not normal.

See I am hoping that I am shooting a 250 grain at and over 1700 and the 300's at and over 1650--- guess I'll just have to shoot some this weekend over a chrono if I can get out there.

funny you mention the green sabots coming off a few yards in front of the rifle. With the snow on the ground I could shoot and actually see the green sabot hit the snow not more then 15 feet in front of me. They opened up beautiful, nice and wide. The yellow sabots on the Buffalo Bullets, some of them were found almost 20 yards down range...