romex21

just something thats enterd my little mind
when the bullet says 45cal is it the same as
the bullet i use in my 45cal kimber pistol???
if so can i use any 45cal pistol bullet in my 50cal t/cencore
with the right sabot ????
i know what your thinking,,,, dang newbies

cayugad

well if the .45 caliber bullet you use in your Kimber is a .430, .452, or .458 there are sabots that will fit it, and yes you can use it in your muzzleloader. A lot of us purchase bulk bullets from such companies as Hornady, Speer, Barnes, Nosler, etc and then use them in bulk sabots.

If you don't know the answer, do not be afraid to ask. No one is going to get after you for a question that you are not sure of...

gleason.chapman

Yes. I use a Nosler Partition HG Protected Point 300g for deer hunting, the HG stands for "Hand Gun". They hold together. You have to be careful however, not all HG bullets hold together well at Encore speeds of 2000 fps (with 150g of pellets). You need a well constructed bullet, Nosler Partition, Speed Gold Dot, even a Hornady XTP if not shot too fast. Most are .451 or .452 in diameter. Chap Gleason

romex21

im still pretty new to muzzel loading
but it didnt take me long to realize
that buying in bulk saves money
as far as diameters of the bullet im not sure which
would be the best for my MZ
ive been using hornaday 240gr xtp (pre packaged)
thats whats available here also T/C shock waves 250gr
what sabots are you using on those HG,S????

Semisane

Here's the problem, Romex. You're probably shooting a .451 or .452 diameter pistol bullet that is anywhere from 185 to 230 grains out of your Kimber. Those bullets are designed to expand at .45 ACP velocities - around 900 fps, or not expand at all (i.e. 230 grain "hardballs"). They will certainly shoot out of your Encore with a sabot designed for .451/.452 bullets, but they would not be a suitable bullet for deer. The hollow point oneswould almost certainly blow up with a massive surface wound. Maybe great for varmints though.

The .451/.452 pistol bullets used in muzzle loaders are those designed for .45 Colt revolver and .454 Casull hunting loads. They are a lot tougher that .45 ACP bullets and are designed for higher velocities anddeer size game.

I've shot a variety of .45 ACP bullets in sabots out of my Mustang -180 and 200 grain cast semi-wadcutters,200 and230 grain hollow points, and230 grain full metal jackets. Never got very good accuracy with any of them. My gun likes longer bullets and shoots best with 300 grain ones. If you can get the ACP bullets to shoot well for you they would make great small game and/or plinking rounds.

cayugad

romex - since you shoot the XTP's and Shockwaves that come as pre packaged items, they are .452 diameter. You can not buy Shockwaves in bulk. The XTP's come in .430 & .452 so you have a choice. The sabots also. The green sabots are normally the .430 diameter. The black are normally the .452. It will often times explain them as .44 caliber or .45 caliber. The .44 caliber being the .430 and the .45 caliber being the .452.

Try both in your rifle. I have some rifles that like the.430 and other rifles like the .452 diameter. Also some rifles load hard. So there are sabots out there called E-Z load, Harvester Crushed Rib, MMP hph-24, and others that will make loading them easier. Whether you need the easy load sabots I do not know.