sabotloader

Went out with the new Stainless - Green Mountain LRH barrel. Wanted to shoot it for the first time since recieving it last week.

It is a keeper... the first 4 shoots from this new barrel @ 40 yards sold me. I really do like the new Williams sights, I do not like the fact that they are not click adjustable, but the sight picture is awesome. The Red Hot nipple they supplied with the barrel did not impress me, #11 would fall right off - but heck nipples are easy to replace.

My last trip down to Lewiston I did buy a box of 10mm - 200 grain XTP's and I ordered some blue 50/40 sabots from MMP. At the end of the day I decided that I would try some of these through that Hawken barrel. I was really concerned that the thick blue sabots would not load easily into this new barrel. Not only did the load nicely - no short starter necessary - they shot really really well. I did not take the chrono with me so I do not know what the velocity was but I am going to plug them in the ballistic calculator @ 2000 and see what I get. I know a lot of people are taking whitetail with 200 grain SST/Shockwaves so I am reall curious to what the energy and trajectory are like.

Steve F.in MD

That's a nice group! Try pinching your primers a little to keep them on. I've had this problem on many rifles and just a little pinch will usually do the job.

ENCOREMAN

sabotloader,
That is some dang good shoot'n with open sightsWas this a 4 or 5 shot group @ 40yds? What load were you using.
I'd say those S.S. Green Mtn. barrels are working out for you and Cayugad....cool.
I thought I did good today with my .36cal Knight, but you got me beat. I went to the quarry quick this afternoon and shot from my portable bench. When I got there and started getting set up, I realized that I forgot my seat. I had to shoot kneeling on one knee....maybe I won't forget it thenext time.
Anyway I was still pretty happy with my results. 53yds. lasered. I think the loadwill show up on the picture. I cheated.....I used a scope

cayugad

Now you understand why I like my Green Mountian Barrels so much. They really are good shooters. What kind of powder charge were you pushing them little 200 grain XTP's with? That is a fantastic group you shot there. It would be hard to beat that with even a scoped rifle let alone open sights.. Nice shooting there Sabotloader!!

sabotloader

cayugad

I'm sold - but it is a good thing it shot that well, for your sake that is, I am now willing to defend you when Terry asks WHY another barrel?

And again you were right about the breech plug, when I took the nipple out and the clean out screw out it is a different design inside than I thought. The is not as much air space in there, which I think is good, and the channel under the nipple seems to be somewhat wedge shaped to force the flash towards the powder. Shot it 18 times no hint of a hangfire or misfire.

I was shooting 90 grains T7-3f. I'm actually thinking I might go to 100 grains with that light of bullet and the sabot is not that tight so the load is not difficult to start moving - should not build up to much pressure. The recovered sabots looked fine. The cups showed no signs of excessive heat. Most of them then still had the petals attached. They do travel down range farther than any other sabot I shoot.

That is a four shot group - I have shot the same target board so many times there is no wood left behind the bull so the card stock tends to tear versus putting nice little round holes in the card stock.

Remember that was only 40 yards, well actually 38 from the muzzle, on a portable bench with bags.

cayugad

Say what you want ... that is a great group you shot there. 40 yards or not. And open sights. Boy an I glad I am off the hook for that barrel. I was loosing a lot of sleep over it.

Today I started out shooting two 50 grain pellets and the 375 grain Buffalo Bullet SSB. I (like you ) like to shoot a five shot group. It did very well with the pellets. I then went to 100 grains of loose Pyrodex RS and started to shoot a five shot group but was having so much fun I forget to stop. I just kept shooting.

I then switched targets. I found some 350 grain Saber Tooth Conicals and loaded 100 grains of loose Pyrodex RS under them. I had one get away from me, but that was my fault. Just as I squeezed the trigger, the rifle slipped on the wet bench rest. Not much mind you but enough. When I was shooting that group I also realized instead of concentrating on the center of the bull I was focused on the bullet hole. So they started to walk on me.

When shooting the 302 grain Buffalo Bullet sabots, I was not swabbing the barrel. I was shooting Goex 3f in a 100 grain charge. Shot #4 loaded so hard I thought I would bend the range rod or have to hammer it down the barrel. It got into the barrel then seemed to stick on something. I then swabbed and fired the fifth shot. The strange thing is when I looked at the four shot group of them, I can only find three holes. That means I have a real tight group there, or I missed the target completely.

sproulman

that was real good shooting at 50yds. i can do that with my .50cal tc hawkins flintlockwith a .370 MAXI-BALLwith 80grs of 2f geox.my new sights from RMC ,v-peep have helped me a lot too.great shooting.

sabotloader

cayugad

I really like the idea of a 5/6 shot group it really gives you a better perspective of how things are performing.

To me the hole at 5:00 looks like it could have been wedged out a bit by a second bullet. So I' figuring you got it.

Lately I have been shooting 3 shots and then running the swab through the bore. Can not imagine I will ever need to make 3 back-to-back shots during hunting but if I have to I want to kow I can.

I'll bet you really were....

I wish my 70 yard target was that good....

cayugad

OK.. I see what you mean about that hole being a little flared. It kind of botherd me not being able to find it.

If you only knew...

If you took for granted an 80 yard target would double the size of that group.. that would still be a very impressive open sighted group... You got a good rifle there. I am looking into getting me some of those sights to replace the one I have. So far I have not got an answer to my e-mail, so Monday I will give Rick a call at GMB.

.

Sharp Shooter

GM is having a sale on those barrels.

http://www.gmriflebarrel.com/