I am really trying to work on a reliable deer hunting load for this fall. I have a CVA Optima .50 and here in Indiana it is rare to have a open shot beyond 125 yards. Right now, I am using 80g 777 pellets until I get the hang of it.

I assume at that range there would be very little difference between the groups of either the 250 or 300g speer? There isn't much difference with the hornady at least with my Optima.

As all of us, when I take a shot at game; I have an obligation to put them down as quickly as possible. I did see your pics of the recovered speers and they were impressive. Being new to muzzleloading, maybe I made an assumption about hornady that came premature.

Oldrookie


I really do not think that you have made a premature decision... The XTP's have taken one heck of a lot of game over the years and are considered very reliable by a lot of people. It seems like centuries ago now but i use to be a Hornady fan when I was into center fires... then somewhere along the line 30 or 40 years I got a 300 Win Mag and started shooting elk with a 220 grain Hornady round nose bullet. I was, at that time, a pretty decent elk hunter and I took an elk every year. My first 3 elk were taken with the Hornady bullet, but in every case I would find the copper just under the hide into the meat a little bit and the lead blown to bits all over inside. I really did not like this performace - so I switched to Nolser Partitions - never had that problem again. The Nosler partition is the best bullet on the planet as far as I am concerned but, the price of the bullet has put it beyond my reach - so I have been on a serch for a bullet that would eventually replace the Nosler. To this date it is the Speer Gold Dot - it seems to function relativly like the Nosler - I like that...

I would almost guarantee that... My personal preference is 300 grain for elk and 250 grain for deer. When you look at the hollow point on the 250 and then add in the fact that it is bonded... it will do the job easily to 150 shooting dead on. I am one of those people that want a pass through, I am also one of those people that want the bullet to perform while passing through. I do not want the bullet to make a nice clean whole through, I want tremedous hydrostatic shock to occur as it passes through. The 250 does that on a thin skinned animal like a deer.

I would up your charge as soon as you fill confident and comfortable to 100 grains of T7 loose powder I say loose becuase a 100 grains of loose is a lot different than a 100 grains of pellet T7. Pellets are designed to be very comparable to real Black powder or Pyro. Loose is 15% more than pellets, probably more like 10%, but Hornady wants to be safe so they advise 15%.

AMEN - I am to old be be following a wounded or even a dead animal that takes off running through the woods... it just aint fun anymore. I want to anchor that animal right where he stands, OK I'll give them 20 yards, but that is enough. That is why i feel the "hydrostatic shock" is so important, not just the penetration of the projectile.

Oh, that is why you changed your name!

I too was a Nosler fan, Was All I ever loaded in any thing. They then started packing half the bullets in the same price box(now about $1.60 a bullet for 300gr. partitions).I started my search for some thing different that works. I now use Hornaday A Maxes a lot, Speer Gold Dots and Mag tips, Plus some Serrias.
For deer I have not had a problem with the HP XTP's in both 230gr. .451dia. and 240gr. .429dia.
I have both 250gr. and 300gr Gold Dotsbut havn't had the conditions to test them as I want yet.

Al

I find that the 250g XTPs and lower don't go thru a deer, the 300g do, so you have a nice blood trail. Now you loose some range, but only about 25 yards and you get better knock down power. I have not shot elk, but that is my experience with deer.
Chap Gleason

Yes, I noticed that also, that my first box of Noslers was $9.95 for 100 bullets, from Ackleys in Westfield Penna. Next time I bought itfrom Cabelas was$16 for 50. then $21 for 50. Then $26 for 50. Then $32 or $36for 50, now they are $50 for 50. So I am shooting my last box this year. Chap Gleason

Assuming I had pulled up the correct bullet, Midsouth has them for around a buck apiece. As I get closer to hunting season, I will give them a try. I got my order in on the speers and xtps. They were back ordered on the 250s for both. Being the impatient soul that I am, I went ahead and ordered the 300s in each. Looking forward to trying both with the crush sabots I ordered as well.

I was going to order the knight range rod everyone talked about that I thought was 30-31 inches. The longest I found on Midsouth was 28", so I passed.

Getting out tomorrow with the 250 xtp and the tight mmp sabots so I can use the sabots up.....we shall see what happens. Enjoy the day!

oldrookie

Speaking of range rods, I wanted to share with you the Tipton Rod. I have two of these range rods - I have one in the the truck to use in the field and one in the house to use as a cleaning rod.... Do not know if they would work for you but, they are a really cool carbon fiber rod with a rotating handle....




http://www.battenfeldtechnologies.com/654574.html

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=668300

Might want to look at this information

http://www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/StaticPages/pdf/Instructions/Carbon%20Fiber%20Rod%20Instr.pdf

Expensive but really strong....

Good luck
mike

Yep, they were about $1 each. This is the bullet I use:
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0011545350

SabotLoader uses the .45-70 bullet, which is a bit longer. I have shot both and they both shoot the same out of my Omega. Either will do the job no problem.

Not something that you can do a lot of shooting/practice with. This is a bullet that came out of my 2006 ML buck, shot in the brisket facing me at about 50 yards. The bullet went the whole length of the deer and was under the hide in the hip, so it shot the whole length of the deer. Look at the perfect mushroom and it lost very little weight. Most other deer I have hit with these just drop and they go right thru like butter. Chap Gleason

Nice pic Chap. No, I can't see a steady diet on the range at that price. I'll get dialed in with the Speers and then pick up a box of Noslers to see how similar they are as far as groups.

Sabotloader....Knight and Traditions both make a fiberglass rod. Would you recommend fiberlass over aluminum?