Critr-Gitr

I have heard lots of talk about PRB's, sabots with pistol bullets, and everthing else, but what about the Buffalo Bullets? I still have some from back in the 80's, I had to scrub the old lube off of them because it was so dried out. Have they fallen by the wayside? How much increased effectiveness over a PRB in 50 cal?

IndyHunter83

Same question as Critr-Gitr but my pertains to the TC Maxi Hunter. Still got afew of them and been shooting them from an old school rifle. With the work up of my new deer load been thinking about applying the old deer load. Any one tried these in an inline?

Critr-Gitr

So no one here has ever used them?[&:]


Nothing to say, anyone, one way or another? I know they are really soft. Turn into a pancake real easy, even 90 grains of RS will make them go about 1" in diameter and 1/4" thick. Too much expansion?

arcticap

I may have tried them in an inlinewith a sabot but don't recall anything good about them. IMO, the .45 Ball-etsare tooshort & lightfor riflehunting really andare mostly made for revolvers. The .50's could be loaded into a sabot and shot in a .54. If used straight as a conical in a .50, I would be concerned about them slipping forward and riding up the barrel if the gun is tilted downward when carried in the field. They areonly .001 or so oversized andonlyload tight at the muzzle and get much looser as it's rammed. Also, they would probably require use witha wonder wadto act asa gas check when usedwith a heavy powder charge.
These Ball-ets are short in length and designed for slow twist barrels because they are easier to stabilize like a round ball. A friend that I gave some to reported that they have an accuracyrange of about 70 yards out of a slow twist GPR, but were quite accurate.
I really believe thatit would be better to loadoneof the 255 grain.45TC Maxi's into a sabot than a .50 caliber Ball-et of about the same weight.The Maxi would have a higher sectional density for better penetration, and the faster twist of an inline should stabilize the longer bullet.
Many inlines have shallower rifling, and I'm always wary of using loose fitting conicals while hunting with heavy powder charges. I feel that the gun would need to be carried in an upright position to help insure that the concial remained firmly seated on top of the powder. And that might also necessitate decapping and checking the position of the concial with a ramrod once in a while whenafield.
Shooting it on the range is a different matter. I would prefer using one with a sabot to better engage the riflingin a .54. But if it worked when loaded straight as is, it could always be used for dispatching a downed animal.
If I'm not mistaken, some of the oldestBall-ets had a slightlydifferent base design than later production Ball-ets. So the base of all Ball-ets may not expandthe same if at all, or shoot as goodbecause the skirts werevery thick.
They always seemed to shoot inconsistenly for me in the medium twist sidelock guns too. While an accurate shot was always possible, they justweren't veryreliable even at the shorter range of 50 yards.

Critr-Gitr

The ones I have are made by the Buffalo Bullet Company, they are .50 caliber, 385 grain hollow point, hollow base, prelubricatedbullet. I see now on their website they have the sabots and Ball-ets also, hadn't seen them before. The ones I have are here:

http://www.gunaccessories.com/BuffaloBullets/MuzzelLoading.asp

They shoot good in my rifle, but I also see what you are saying about moving in the bore. Definately something to think about. I was hoping someone had some experience with them on game. I suppose terminal ballistics was more of my question. Thank you for your reply.

BTW, I am shooting them in a 50 cal Renegade with 90 grains of Pyrodex RS. They seem to be holding together fineat that speed, I am not crushing them out of an inline. Guess I could have gave a little more info.

Semisane

If they shoot well for you don't hesitate to use them for deer. A 385 grain solid lead conical is a killer for sure. I've used 385 grain Great Plains for years with excellent results. Try loading one and (without capping the gun) bouncing the gun around a little as though it were getting a little rough handling walking in the woods. Then gently slide in the ram rod to see if the bullet has moved off the powder. If it stays in place you're good to go.

Critr-Gitr

Good idea with the handling check Semisane, I'll try it. Mostly I hunt from a stand, so I could just re-seat it when I got there also. Do you have that trouble any with the Great Plains? I like the looks of that bullet alot. I had planned to try and find some of them next time I am in the city.

Semisane

The GP's have always stayed put in my guns. They load easily once you punch the top(largest)driving band into the rifling. I have one gun that I can seata the GP into the barrel with thumb pressure only, and they stay seated in that barrel also.

BS

Was that from a deer? [1" in diameter and 1/4" thick]

I have used BB in a .54 cal. The460s they have a solid nose and shoot just fine, if you use a 'wad' under the bullet. The wads really helped with Maxi balls and 410 Great Planis in my 50. Never been fond of hollow points on soft lead bullets, I like penetration, not expansion.

arcticap

I'm apologize for my mistake. You did say Buffalo Bullets and not Ball-ets. The .50 Ball-ets are only 240 grains and don't have agreat sectional density or much surface areafor engaging the rifling because there's a cross-hatch pattern around the sides. I'm sure the heavy bullets will work just fine as long as they stay put in the breech.