sabotloader: I'm using a New Frontier Beartooth (purchased from Cabela's). It's a .50 inline. I didn't get the packaged bullet/sabot combos, but bought a box of .44 cal 300 gr. XTP's. I tried Knight, Hornady and Harvester Sabots - all with the same results - VERY difficult loading. I should probably try a different bullet - perhaps one that is slightly smaller diameter. I don't remember the exact size of the XTP, butI think it's .430. I bought some 295 gr PowerBelts because the season was upon me and I hadn't found anything that would load easily enough for hunting. They loaded great and shot well out to 100 yds (the extent of the range I was on). I am using 2 - 50 gr pyrodex pellets.
I also got some great plains conicals, and they loaded OK - just a little hard to get started.
I guess I don't know which sabots are the thinner ones.

pglasgow: That picture I posted was from Cabela's - I didn't see any PowerBelt 444 gr flat points. All they showed were the lead hollow points, jacketed hollow points (including those with plastic in the cavities) and the dangerous game bullets. I'll have to look again a little closer.
Thanks for the help.

IM jaybe

jaybe,

Go to http://powerbeltbullets.com I am sure they can help you find a retailer. Sorry.

Happy Hunting, Phil

jaybe

I am surprised that the Beartooth has that tight of a barrel and part of that might be the .430 bullet.

There are not as many sabot options in the 44 caliber as there is in the 45 cal. but there is one option. Harvester now makes a new sabot called a "crush rib" if you have a vendor I would suggest you try some of them. MMP is actually making a thinner 44cal sabot for TC but I do not think it is on the open market yet. The last time I talked to Del Ramsey about this I am not sure what the correctanswer was. I am going to follow up one of these days.

http://www.claybusterwads.com/harvester.html

They do make a .429/.430 crush rib

Another sugestion would be to try some .452 (45 cal) 250 Grain XTP's with an MMP HPH-24 sabot. I know that .451/.452 bullets do not have the BC's that 44 cals do but over the short range of an ML they 45 work very well.

http://www.mmpsabots.com/

I do not owm a Beartooth - but I really think that a HPH-24 50 cal sabot and bullet combination would go down fairly easy. The crush rib would again be the thinnest.

I would not want you spend a bunch of money on these experiments but I am fairly sure they would work, and again I would suggest 45 cal vs 44 cal.

I do load all of my guns with thumb pressure - no short starter involved. If you would like to use sabots I think you could. Again going from what I think I know the Beartooth barrel should be an "extruded Spanish Barrel" and while my CVA Firebolt is tight I do use sabots in it.

Good luck - let me know

The 444 gr. Powerbelts are shown in the Cabela's shooting catalog supplement. Product number is XS-21-4282 Code: 490. They shot well for me with 100 gr. of Pyrodex and 85 gr. of 2F Triple 7.

I shot a buck, using a 345 gr. aerotip pushed with 115 grs. of 3f/trip. 7. I was shooting an Omega, at about 40 yds. It killed the buck but the bullet completely came apart, not even leaving a mark on the oppisite side, I believe that I woluld have had a wounded deer if I would have hit the shoulder instead of the ribs. I am going to use something else next year,probably a Barnes (if my gun shoots them acurately) Good hunting.

mayguy

Just a side note for you, since I am not much on buying those really exspensive bullets - can not shoot them for fun. And you are showing an interest in another bullet, take a look at the new Spreer Gold .452 - 300 grain or the 250 grain. The ballistics on the 300 are outstanding. These are bonded bullets much like the BearClaw bonded bullets that have been so successful. I have shot a lot of them at targets at various ranges out to 150 yards they do work. I have recovered some that I shot into a sand bank - they stay together the bonding works - the lead does not separate from the copper. I do not have a picture of an expanded one at this computer but if you are interested I could post one. Actually Cur-dog got the picture so I should give him credit.

take care

Here is a link for the 444's at cabelas: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0012630214282a&type=product&cm Cat=search&returnString=hasJS=true&_D%3Aha sJS=+&QueryText=powerbelt&_DARGS=%2Fcabela s%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.22&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mod e+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=powerbelt&noImage =0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp

They are listed under the hollowpoints, but just scroll down and you will see them with an * meaning they are not hollowpoint. They offer them in copper plating and lead.

I actually didn't think that they were produced any more, but I guess they are. The only 2 elk I have killed with a muzzleloader were taken with this bullet. In fact theywere the only bullets they produced the first fewyears they were in business. I am pretty sure that the hollow points were in response to hunters using the flat points and telling the company that they were getting complete pass throughs without ANY expansion. I know that was true on a bull elk I killed. I shot him through the chest and it passed through both lungs and the heart. The exit hole was no bigger than the entrance hole. This was with the copper plating. However, I did not hit any bone. Sounds like a bullet failure right???? NOT. The bull turned around 180 degrees, took 1 step and fell over. Bottom line is that a 50 caliber hole through the chest is deadly with or without expansion. Would like a little expansion, and I think that powerbelts felt like adding the hollowpoint/aerotips were the answer. Not sure it was.

Making me think about going back to the 444's. Question is pure lead or copper plated? I am also going to try the no excuses 460 gr bullets.

To top that off, I just got a pound of BM3. Going to try it out in my Omega. Will probably start about 85 grains and see how those two shoot.

txhunter58,

Will you please report on how the BM3 performs? Are the ballistics (velocities)on the website realisitic?

Happy Hunting, Phil

I tried BM3 and it was, at least, 200fps faster than T7. I had some accuracy problems and some large diffrences in velocity, from shot to shot. It is very clean and I am going to experiment with it some more(different grs. of powder and different bullets). You only get a little white residue when you patch between shots. It was quite warm(nearly 80 deg.) when I tried it. I am going to try again in cool weather.

Have you thought about the 405 gr. Powerbelt? I got some expansion out of the 444 gr. in wet phone books, but it wasn't a lot (the front 1/3 of the bullet) and a shot through the ribs might not create enough resistance tofacilitate any expansion. There is one local guy here that went to the 405 gr. Powerbelt (for elk) a couple of years ago. He has only taken one elk with it, and was favorably impressed. Carries the mushroomed bullet, that was found just under the hide on the off side, around in his pocket. Looks like nearly 100% weight retention. I keep meaning to try this bullet, but haven't gotten around to it so far.

I kinda settled in on the 410 gr. Hornady Great Plains - fairly inexpensive and shoot real well ahead of a MMP Ballistic Bridge sub base. I don't think they expand a bunch either - but the results are hard to dispute. It puts animals on the ground pretty efficiently.