sabotloader

I went out to the rock pit today with the specific purpose of getting some velocities on these new .452 caliber 300 grain HP Gold Dots.

Another thing I learned while in Kennewick, Washington I did find some older .451/300 grain Gold Dots. I was really wondering about them because their published BC was .199 and the published BC for these new ones are .233 - why the big difference? It is all in the tip - it is different - it is still a HP but it is more aerodynamic, maybe that is the difference.

It was 11 degees in the pit this morning but I was detirmined to get those velocities. With 80 grains of t7-3f the highest velocity I got was 1750 the lowest was 1724. With those numbers ran the ballistics and they really look good. Plugging in a 6" kill zone - the sight in would be 2.5 inches high @ 100 yds with a velocity of 1493 and 1484 lbs of energy and @ 200 it is only down 9" with a velocity of 1276 and 1086 lbs of energy.

I really do not know what these long distances are going to do for me because this a Hawkin with open fiber optic sight so my max range for an elk would be 150 yards. But it looks like the bullet is really decent.

Shot a couple of 250 grain Gold Dotsalso MV 1806 and 1812 fps. with 80 grains t7-3f..

Just general information

cayugad

I shot some 385 grain Hornady Great Plains conicals with a MMP sub base under them. I loaded 100 grains of Goex 2f. I do not have one of them fancy speed measuring machines like you, but these Great Plains really seem to have a good ring to them in the steel bullet trap. Accuracy was very good.

I shot them out of a Black Diamond XR at 25 yards for starters, and the accuracy was exceptional. Since my shooting bench was frozen in the snow, I took shooting sticks back to 50 yards and shot them there. Again, more then pleased with the accuracy out of the Black Diamond XR and the 385 grain Great Plains concial.

I did not take photos of the box I was shooting into. Those big conicals just tore big holes through everything they hit. It was 14 degrees outside, and snowing. I want to get them back to the 100 yard next. The scope on the Black Diamond did try and get friendly once, but no cut. You really have to hold on to them. I think I will try them out of the open sighted Renegade Stainless Steel barrel and see how they shoot next.

Sabotloader.. I always enjoy your range reports because of all the effort you put into details. I would have never throught 80 grains of T-7 would have produced those kind of velocities, but then it was 3f and T-7 would have been around a 100 grain load of Goex. Interesting about the older version of the bullets. I think those and I want to get some 300 grain .458 XTP's to try next.

Roskoe

Thanks for the report, Sabotloader. It's amazing how much speed you are getting with only 80 grains of powder. I was loading 130 grains of Pyrodex pellets, and getting only 1924 fps. Not much increase in speed for a 50 grain increase in charge. This bullet has a lot of potential to have some great terminal performance on large game. I have only one elk tag left to fill. Will take the Omega in case one presents itself inside of 200 yards. Will post results if it works out. Regards. Roskoe.

sabotloader

cayugad

To tell you the truth I was hoping for more. And remember this was out of a 28" barrel with #11 CCI caps.

The only time I chono'ed both t7-2f and 3f together I was really surprised. I was shooting the A&H (26" barrel) with 300 grain bullets 209 ignition and 100 grains of T7. As I remember I shot 6 of each - six shots of 2f - six shots of 3f - the 3f averagedonly about 100 ft per second faster than the 2f. Sort of amazed me I was expecting a much bigger jump - did not happen...

I have been shooting the .458XTP's for a long time now - I use the Nosler .458 for elk hunting and since I can not afford to shoot them at paper I sub in the Hornady's - they really shoot well - think you would like them... The only reason I am so stuck on these Gold Dots right now is the BC is so much higher. When you get a chance to get some of the 300 grain Gold Dots - look at the HPoint - the way it is designed the bullet is going to open up and since it is a bonded bullet it should also stay together and be one heck of a tissue cutting machine.

cayugad

I took the Renegade out to day with the Green Mountain Barrel on it. Since the bench is frozen in at 30 yards, and the plow banks are in place it makes it hard to shoot at any other distance. I wanted to shoot some of the Speer Gold Dots in 300 grain and see what they would do. They shot tight groups, although if you changed powders, you changed POI.

sabotloader

cayugad

Nice groups - shows promise... Are you shooting them into anything that you might recover a round or two?

Well, if it is not raining in the morning - I think I am going to run out to the rock pit and shoot & chronothe 54 Renegade. I get so frustrated with this gun everytime I look down the bore - it is so pitted, but everytime I shoot it - it shoots so well... I did try to lap some of the pitting today with some valve grinding compound but as I look down the bore again tonight it is really bad. I keep kinda watching to see if I can pick up an inexpensive 54 cal barrel someplace... Problem is I really can't justify it when it shoots so well and the are so many other cap locks in theback room.

I now want to shoot some 2f and 3f to compare velocities and I want to see if POI changes with that as it did for you.

Hope I am shooting in the morning...

cayugad

I am shooting them into a steel bullet trap. There is nothing left of them after they hit the angle wall and bounce down into the sand trap. I think they do show some promise. I like the Goex 2f better but the next time out I am going to drop the powder charge a little and see what happens. Maybe take them down to 85 grains of powder.

I know what you're feeling with wanting a new barrel and yet you have a good shooter. I look at my rack and wonder what rifle I want to shoot today, and then kind of kid myself that there is no need for all of them, but I never bought them because I needed them..

You'd sure like a Green Mountain Barrel for that rifle...

cayugad

I figured I would try them 250 Grain Speer Gold Dots out of a different rifle so I took out my Wolverine which has a Sightron Scope on it. The rifle is sighted in with 240 grain T/C Mag Express Magnums. I loaded 100 grains of Goex 2f for all projectiles and was shooting off a bench rest at 30 yards according to my range finder, Iwas using #11 Dynamite Noble 1075 RWS caps.

The first shot (pic #1) out of a clean barrel was in the bulls eye. That is the way the rifle is sighted in. The next four were in a good group, but off the bull which did not surprise me. Shots 1-5 These Speer Gold Dot are a dream to load using T/C Mag Express Magnum Sabots.

(Pic #2) I then got out some 300 grain Hornady Hollow Points.458 I was using the orange Knight sabots with them. Well they shot in the exact same spot as the Gold Dots. In fact I was marking shots and was actually only able to mark on hit as the rest were just in that big mess. Shots 6-10. The Hornadys load fine on a swabbed barrel. They are a little tight on an unswabbed barrel. I was swabbing every other shot.

(Pic #3) I decided I needed another 1" bull to shoot at and this time, and placed it to the left of the other one. I got out some Thompson Center 200 grain Shockwaves. (I got a heck of a deal on them at Wal Mart and now own 8 packs of them) I was really impressed with the group they shot. It was a ragged hole is all. Shots 11-15 The Shockwaves load beautiful in my Knight rifle. I was shooting T/C Mag Express Magnum Sabots.

(Pic #4) I got some 250 grain Sabre Tooth conicals and was still shooting them with 100 grains of Goex. They hit exactly in the same spot as the Shockwaves. I only shot three of them because I wanted to save some for a different rifle. Shots 16-18 The sabre tooth load beautiful in my Knight rifle.

The weather outside was crazy today. It was 40ºs and raining. Plus there was such a ground fog in the yard and the woods that when you would shoot, the Goex smoke would just hang there in the air. Kind of cool actually.

All the projectiles I was shooting did exceptionally well. After I got the breech plug pulled from the rifle, while I was shooting I noted three pine squirrels in the lower clearing where I feed my animals, so I grabbed a Hawkins .50 caliber and went to clean the varmints out. I managed to pop one of them before the rest did a disappearing act on me... One less in the woodshop attic..

sabotloader

cayugad

I did not make it out to shoot- hopefully tomorrow..

Man, it sure looks like those .458's chewed up your target really well. They are good shooters.

I still wonder about their ability to expand at very close range, shootinga thin skinned whitetail - and on the other hand I can not imagine the 250's not expanding...

I am trying not to deviate from the plan to shoot the Renegade, but theRemington in-line is just standing here and it hasn't been shot all year.

cayugad

I agree that the 250 grain look like a perfect whitetail bullet. I was looking at those .458 Hornady HP's and that nose looks wicked. Almost like you should aim for shoulder blade to make that thing pop. I think you would be almost assured of a pass through shooting them.

The real kicker was those 200 grain Shockwaves. I shot the first three and was so surprised at the tiny little hole out there, I walked down and looked at it to be sure I was not missing the target. Also those Sabre Tooth conicals are showing a lot of promise. I have pushed them at 100 grains and they are holding very true..

You better take that Remington out to the range. It will think you have abandon it soon....