zmason1002

Thanks GM54!

Gm54-120

Something to remember, not all "45cal" bullets are .452. They can vary from .450 to .4525. So, what may work with a 300gr SST (.452) may not work well with a Barnes 290gr TEZ (closer to .4505-.451ish). I have some older Parkers that only run .4505 and new Parkers are .451

I have some Barnes 225gr XPBs that only have a small portion of the bearing surface measuring .451ish. The smallest area is only .450 or a bit less. I can use a much tighter fitting sabot such as the MMP Short or HPH-12 with that bullet.

I can also use a tighter sabot with shorter bullets like the 225gr FTX. The loaded OD is of course larger but the sabot's contact area against the bore is much less than a 300gr bullet in a longer sabot.

falcon

i've killed about 20 deer and dozens of wild hogs using the 240 grain .430 XTP bullet. Ditto for the 250 grain SST. The 300 grain .452 XTP magnum bullet will kill anything in the USA. The 225 grain .429 XPB is a really good bullet too.


This 384 pound hog was killed with the reviled by some 250 grain SST bullet. Bullet was found under the skin on the off side. Hog was 19" through the shoulders.





Pick a bullet your gun likes, put it in the right place and relax.

super_hunt54

I don't think it's "reviled" that much Falcon. It's just SOME of us have experienced "blow up" on shoulders from the SST's from both MLer bullets as well as centerfire. You and most everyone else on this board know I am a HUGE Hornady fan and use their bullets almost exclusively so to be fair, the times I experienced "blow up" on the shoulder was from close range shots. Both ML and CF. At the speeds I load in my TC, I have to have a fairly tough bullet. That barrel wont group worth diddly unless it's a hot load. But out past around 40 yards, I wouldn't be afraid to use that bugger on any game animal on this continent. Problem is, most all my hog ML shots are under 20 yards Granted, that's a good "problem" to have unless you have a bullet that doesn't hold together well at high velocity impact.

lemoyne

It is more critical to match the sabot bullet combination to your barrel and get accuracy. Once you have the accuracy by matching the bullet diameter and petal thickness of the sabot then shoot the different powder loads at the range you expect to use them at and the group size will give you some of the answers.

rafsob

I recommend the Parker bullet for anything over 75 yds.


Very accurate out to any distances:

This is a 3 shot group at 100 yds with my CVA Apex:



Same distance, heavier bullet. That fly was me getting bugged by a fly:



Anything under 75 yds. would be fine. Just my thoughts from experiences in the woods.


Forgot to aadd that these results wee with BH 209 powder.

miketodd58

I have for the most part gotten away from .452 bullets in favor of .458 bullets. The main reason is that the .458 bullets were designed for the speeds we are pushing them with the muzzleloaders. .452 and smaller..MOST of those bullets are designed for handgun speeds in the 700-1400 FPS range.

I have also found better accuracy for the most part with the .458 when you find the correct sabot fit for your MZ.

zmason1002

Thanks guys. I was planning on shooting last weekend but came down with a cold and it was windy. I'm hoping to get out Sunday and shoot a bit.