Hunter John

Read an interesting post an another forum where one guy was talking about less expensive (translation: cheap ) alternatives to using Wonder Wads. These weren't the typical buy a wool pad and then cut (or punch) your own suggestions, instead he was talking about either punching ordinary cardboard or even using common cotton balls.

He said that the cotton balls (dabbed with bit of bore butter), although burning a bit and blowing apart some, actually enhanced accuracy in many of his tests. He claims to have tried multiple rifles and different projectiles with much better results than one would think.

Have any of you guys ever tried this?!

I noticed last time when I was on the range trying saboted RB short load that I read about here, that the base of the sabot was NOT expanding as they normally do using when using 80 gr + powder loads. Was this creating blow by? Was the sabot fully engaging the rifling as it should? Although accuracy was ok, I was thinking that if I use something between the powder and sabot with my short loads, accuracy may improve.

What do you think?

-Hunter John

Roskoe

I can't help you with the cardboard/cotton ball alternative - however, it sure wouldn't be very expensive or time consuming to try. I did intend to try the .440 roundball in a sabot load in the very near future. I'm curious as to how hot you tried to load these and what sort of results you got. It was my understanding that you got the best results with a fairly warm load.

cayugad

If you want to make the cardboard wads, I knew a person that punched them out of the "waxed milk cartons" and claimed that coating protected the cardboard paper when he shot them and also water proofed it...

I tried the cotton ball thing once and it makes a mess as far as I am concerned. If you want a wad between the sabot, and do not want to go the felt wad route, you could try Corn Meal, Quaker Oats, or any of the ruff grained cereals. You might also consider a sub base on the sabot. I personally have not tried the sub bases but I did shoot the roundballs in a sabot and it "worked." I will leave it at that. I had better luck with small charges and a patched roundball out of my inline.

Underclocked

I've used cornmeal - didn't shoot it enough to really say one way the other. I know it at least did not hurt accuracy and may have enhanced a bit. Sort of messy to use though.

Hunter John

Roskoe - In answer to your question about the saboted RB accuracy, overall I thought it was pretty good. I performed the tests out of 2 MLs: Encore and Firehawk. In both rifles, .440 RB in regular .430 (44 cal) Hornady sabot. Empty sabot seated first on top of the powder charge followed by the RB glently pushed into the sabot. I shot 2 five shot groups with both rifles swabbing between every shot using routine described by Cayugad in other threads. One group was shot with 50 gr of APP and the other was shot with 90 gr. Range was 50 yards.

Now the results, looking at the targets now, the both the Firehawk & Encore produced groups of about 1 1/2 inches with 50 gr load. With the 90 gr load, the Encore group shrank to about 3/4 inch while the Firehawk remained about the same. I should note that I have a 4x scope on the Encore while the Firehawk was shot with open sites.

In summary, having experimented shooting PRBs out of both rifles in the past with mediocre to poor results, I was impressed with saboted PRB load, especially with the Encore. My Encore is god aweful shooting PRBs [:@]. This spring when I have a chance, I will try a 100-110 gr APP saboted RB load out of the Encore to see what that will do. I think I may have a nice low recoil, 'chuckin' weapon on my hands if it produces the results I'm looking for.

-Hunter John

Roskoe

For some reason, I was under the impression that the poster who described doing this thing with the roundball was using a .440 roundball in a .450 sabot. How much force in necessary to seat the .440 roundball in the .430 sabot? Thanks. Roscoe

Underclocked

Seems to me quite a few folks are using Walter's Wads or similar - dry fiber wads with no lube.

quigleysharps4570

I use Walter's wads in my 45-70 cartridges...just never have tried them in a muzzleloader. Sure ought to work. You can get them at Buffalo Arms from .32 caliber up to 50 caliber.http://www.buffaloarms.com/

Hunter John

Roskoe - No, using a .440 RB in the regular 44 cal sabot which accepts a .429 or .430 projectile. I know, how could a .440 RB fit into a .429 sabot? It doesn't make sense, but since the RB only contacts the sabot in one place on each petal, I suspect that the sabot is merely bending in other spots where it normally doesn't or can't bend when seated with a .429 projectile. I didn't believe it either until I tried it on an uncharged Encore barrel that I didn't even have hinged to the receiver. Yep, easily pushed the empty sabot all the way to the bottom of the barrel and could feel it hit the plug (remember, I intentually didn't put any powder in), drop in the .440 RB, and then glently push the RB into the sabot using a ramrob with an end narrow enough to only contact the RB and not interfere with the sabot petals. I would estimate that only 3-5 lbs pressure needed to seat the RB into the sabot.

I really liked being able to FEEL a distinstive "stop" when the RB hit the bottom of the sabot. Whenever I have seated PRBs I was always worried I didn't have it seated on top of the powder charge because I could not FEEL the seat. Seating a PRB in my experience has always been a chore where I'm fighting it all the way down the bore. I did not have this issue when seating the RB into the sabot. Another plus in my book.

I followed the steps presented by LaneNebraska in another thread (http://forum.hunting.net/asppg/tm.as...y=&#968418) and did not experience any problems. The only thing I did a littly differently was bend each of the sabot petals outward a bit before pushing it down the barrel. I did this to ensure the petals would be fully contacting the bore when I later dropped the RB in. The last thing I wanted to have happen is for one of the sabot petals to become trapped under the RB instead of along side of it next to the bore.

Roskoe

Good idea about bending the petals. Did you try any healthy charges of powder?