sabot question,thoughts
 

I just bought 100 hp/xtp 250gr bullets and I got tc shockwave sabots,harvester .452 under 300gr sabots, and HORNADY SABOTS 50cal (.452) HIGH-VELOCITY 50/BX.....putting in the bullets I noticed the harvester's seemed to fit the best to the bullet (seated best)...the hornady sabots were taller than the harvester ones.......and looking at the package of the hornady they said they were for .240 xtpmag and 300xtpmag,....I have some 300gr xtpmag bullets and there .452 im not sure what difference would be fit wise....anyone out there shooting 250gr hp/xtps and have a favorite sabot , I'd love to hear what everyone thinks

left to right harvester-hornady-shockwave

iv'e only used barnes in the past polymer tipped fly great and put some game down for good! a little pricey but you only need one shot right ?

last year I shot 300 gr hp/xtp mag with crushrib harvester sabots...they shot good for me...I couldn't find non mag 300gr xtp bullets and ...I'm only shooting 90 gr pyrodex so its not a mag load....I got some blem shockwave type 300 gr bullets from midland that's why I got the shockwave sabots, but they fit the 250 hp/xtp bullets too

From what you've described, it appears all your sabots are .45/50's and compatible with your bullet. I would pick one, find an accurate load with it, then try the other sabots at that load to see which is most accurate.

Looks like it's time to hit the range.

Did you mention the rifle? TC rifles generally have a tighter bore. However, you will see variances from the same manufacturer.

Its a matter of trial and error now.

Those 250s in .45 caliber are pretty short bullets anyway, the only real way to know is to shoot them..

There are a few things worth mentioning The only way to tell with sabots will shoot best out of a particular gun is to shoot and compare, you can not be sure any other way because of the amount muzzleloader bores vary.
The other point is if you have warm to hot the Harvester often work best in those conditions if you must hunt in bitter cold then the MMP will work better at that point in time. To start with just try both in something close to your hunting conditions if possible.
Also most if not all sabots are made by either MMP or Harvest though a lot are made by them under contract for others.

the .452 250 hp/xtp with the harvester sabot was tight in my black diamond xr........loading a 300 hp/xtp mag in the hornady sabot wasn't super tight the tc shockwave sabot with 300gr .452 blem type shockwave bullets was the easiest to load