GM .45 barrel at the range
05-10-2008, 04:18 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Florida
Posts: 79
GM .45 barrel at the range
I took my TC Hawken with a 28" GM .45 1:28, and TC Hunter peep sightto the range today. I didn't have a lot of time, just snuck this session in between errands.
I found some .45/.357 sabots on sale at a shop, and remembering that I have a zillion .38 wadcutters thought maybe this combo would work. Long story short, at 50 yards I could have thrown them at the target and gotten the same groups. The bullets seem sort of loose in sabot, and I was using 60gr of fffg. More powder? Different (better) sabots?
Despairing of that experiment, I went back to patched roundball. Same powder load, prelubed patch and a .440 Hornady and the first group of three shots measured a bit less than 2" right on point of aim.
Has anyone used .45 sabots with .357 bullets? Any help would be appreciated.
I found some .45/.357 sabots on sale at a shop, and remembering that I have a zillion .38 wadcutters thought maybe this combo would work. Long story short, at 50 yards I could have thrown them at the target and gotten the same groups. The bullets seem sort of loose in sabot, and I was using 60gr of fffg. More powder? Different (better) sabots?
Despairing of that experiment, I went back to patched roundball. Same powder load, prelubed patch and a .440 Hornady and the first group of three shots measured a bit less than 2" right on point of aim.
Has anyone used .45 sabots with .357 bullets? Any help would be appreciated.
05-10-2008, 08:31 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: GM .45 barrel at the range
Honestly I have not owned my .45 caliber long enough to start to experiment with sabots. Be sure the sabot diameter is right for the kind of projectile. Being loose like you described, I am wondering what diameter that sabot was made for?
Have you tried conicals out of the rifle yet?
Have you tried conicals out of the rifle yet?
05-11-2008, 05:59 AM
#3
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Florida
Posts: 79
RE: GM .45 barrel at the range
I haven't had the chance to shoot conicals yet, butI will.I'd also like to try paper patched bullets at some point.
These sabots say that they are for .357 pistol bullets, but my current combo is bad. I may try some jacketed bullets in them, but if I'm not going to waste a lot of time and powder on this given my first results.
These sabots say that they are for .357 pistol bullets, but my current combo is bad. I may try some jacketed bullets in them, but if I'm not going to waste a lot of time and powder on this given my first results.
05-11-2008, 08:42 AM
#4
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: GM .45 barrel at the range
If that is the case, I would look into some Hornady XTP's or Parker Ballistic Extreme. Some other good ones are Nosler, Speer, and even some shockwaves... I am sure it will not be hard to find the right load.
05-11-2008, 09:43 AM
#5
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,009
RE: GM .45 barrel at the range
TCS
I like the 200gr. XTPs .40 / 10 mm or the 200gr. SST / Shockwave they shoot great out of my .45cal Disc Extreme with 90gr 2fg 777.
you can shoot the 357 bullets out of a 45cal. But you would have to order the right sabot from MMP.
Ron
I like the 200gr. XTPs .40 / 10 mm or the 200gr. SST / Shockwave they shoot great out of my .45cal Disc Extreme with 90gr 2fg 777.
you can shoot the 357 bullets out of a 45cal. But you would have to order the right sabot from MMP.
Ron
05-11-2008, 12:54 PM
#7
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Florida
Posts: 79
RE: GM .45 barrel at the range
Ron, these were Hornady .45 sabots for .355-357 bullets. Although they say you can use them with 9mm (.355), I'd guess the results would be even worse. I'll switch to .40s if necessary, but I'll probably try MMP sabots before I make that change.
Corey, don't believe everything you hear about rates of twist. I think there's a lot more SWAG and voodoo on that subject than tested knowledge.
Corey, don't believe everything you hear about rates of twist. I think there's a lot more SWAG and voodoo on that subject than tested knowledge.
05-11-2008, 01:21 PM
#8
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: GM .45 barrel at the range
Many fast twist barrels will shoot patched roundball very well. The trick is to slow them down so they do not start skipping over the rifling. One of my favorite squirrel rifles is my scoped Wolverine with a 1-28 twist shooting 50 grains of 2f powder and a patched roundball. It is very accurate and with more then enough power to take on about anything in the woods actually.
