.429/270 Grain Deep Curls - .50 GM/LRH Barrel
03-11-2012, 07:57 PM
#1
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
.429/270 Grain Deep Curls - .50 GM/LRH Barrel
As that old song goes, "ain't it funny how time slips away?".
Here's my TC Hawken with its .50 caliber Green Mountain Long Range Hunter barrel - 1:28" twist.
It wears the factory GM TC style sight up front.
And a TC Vernier sight on the tang.
I've had this gun over two years and have shot it only four times - less than 100 shots in all. When it saw me packing up Friday evening to head to the hunting lease it begged to be taken along. How could I refuse?
The target file shows I've tried 250 grain Speer Deep Curls, 300 grain Deep Curls, 300 grain Hornady SSTs, and .458/300 grain Remington semi-jacketed hollow points.
The best of the lot was the 250 Deep Curls. As you can see from this 100 yard target shot in my very first session with the gun back in April 2010, they did very well.
This morning I decided to try some .429/270 grain Deep Curls in Harvester H5044G sabots and GOEX FFFg charges of 85, 95, 105 and 115 grains - shooting 5-shot 50-yard groups with each load. All shooting was from the bench with a 6 o'clock hold. I swabbed with both sides of one alcohol patch between shots and did not adjust the sights during the session.
Here are the targets.
Those groups aren't exactly terrible, but not great either. Acceptable hunting accuracy I guess. But I expect a sabot load to give me five shots into something less than and inch and a half at fifty yards, even with iron sights (well, peep sights anyway).
I'm hoping it's a sabot issue. In truth, I have not gotten great groups with 270 grain Deep Curls in any of my guns. But all I've ever tried were the Harvester sabots. I just ordered some MMP HPH-12s to see if something a little thicker will improve the groups. I sure hope so. I have another two boxes of those bullets sitting in the closet.
Here's my TC Hawken with its .50 caliber Green Mountain Long Range Hunter barrel - 1:28" twist.
It wears the factory GM TC style sight up front.
And a TC Vernier sight on the tang.
I've had this gun over two years and have shot it only four times - less than 100 shots in all. When it saw me packing up Friday evening to head to the hunting lease it begged to be taken along. How could I refuse?
The target file shows I've tried 250 grain Speer Deep Curls, 300 grain Deep Curls, 300 grain Hornady SSTs, and .458/300 grain Remington semi-jacketed hollow points.
The best of the lot was the 250 Deep Curls. As you can see from this 100 yard target shot in my very first session with the gun back in April 2010, they did very well.
This morning I decided to try some .429/270 grain Deep Curls in Harvester H5044G sabots and GOEX FFFg charges of 85, 95, 105 and 115 grains - shooting 5-shot 50-yard groups with each load. All shooting was from the bench with a 6 o'clock hold. I swabbed with both sides of one alcohol patch between shots and did not adjust the sights during the session.
Here are the targets.
Those groups aren't exactly terrible, but not great either. Acceptable hunting accuracy I guess. But I expect a sabot load to give me five shots into something less than and inch and a half at fifty yards, even with iron sights (well, peep sights anyway).
I'm hoping it's a sabot issue. In truth, I have not gotten great groups with 270 grain Deep Curls in any of my guns. But all I've ever tried were the Harvester sabots. I just ordered some MMP HPH-12s to see if something a little thicker will improve the groups. I sure hope so. I have another two boxes of those bullets sitting in the closet.
Last edited by Semisane; 03-12-2012 at 07:27 AM.
03-11-2012, 08:06 PM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 11,703
Semi
I have shot a limited few of the 270 grain Gold Dots/Deep Curls and did not get the accuracy that i was really wanting either - on the other hand the 250's and 300's gave me excellent accuracy. I really go back to my old feeling - I want to be as close to bore size as I can with a sabot.
When I first looked at your posted targets... I assumed they were 100 yard targets and would have gone on believing that until I read your next to last paragraph - then I had to go back and look for the target range.
If you need more of those 270's to continue experimenting let me know.
and of all the caps guns you have - why not a scope on that one!!!!
I have shot a limited few of the 270 grain Gold Dots/Deep Curls and did not get the accuracy that i was really wanting either - on the other hand the 250's and 300's gave me excellent accuracy. I really go back to my old feeling - I want to be as close to bore size as I can with a sabot.
When I first looked at your posted targets... I assumed they were 100 yard targets and would have gone on believing that until I read your next to last paragraph - then I had to go back and look for the target range.
If you need more of those 270's to continue experimenting let me know.
and of all the caps guns you have - why not a scope on that one!!!!
03-11-2012, 08:18 PM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
and of all the caps guns you have - why not a scope on that one!!!!
). Besides, I do enjoy shooting with a peep sight once and a while. It makes me feel manly.
I really go back to my old feeling - I want to be as close to bore size as I can with a sabot.
Last edited by Semisane; 03-11-2012 at 10:22 PM.
03-11-2012, 08:48 PM
#4
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
I have two boxes of them. I have had great accuracy out to 75 yards, but after that for some reason the groups take a dump. But I have not tried them in along time. I have to dig them out. Although I tried to shoot today. I figured I could break trail with my atv. Snow was deeper then I thought. Thank goodness for the come-a-long. I guess I have to wait for the melt.
