Smokeless or Not
05-25-2012, 08:11 AM
#21
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,918
Muley, I suggest you do everything you can to personally handle a Savage before you buy one. I had a friend who ordered one back when they were the hot item. He waited anxiously quite a while for it to arrive. He shot it a few times but sold it before I got a chance to see and handle it myself. When I asked him why he sold it he said that while it shot well it was too heavy and bulky for his taste.
05-25-2012, 08:20 AM
#22
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 5,605
Anytime.
I use mostly loads that produce 33K PSI or less and can do it with a low standard deviation and extreme spread. Peak FPS/FPE are not the reasons i like SMLS. There are guys that want that but where i hunt it isnt needed.
I use mostly loads that produce 33K PSI or less and can do it with a low standard deviation and extreme spread. Peak FPS/FPE are not the reasons i like SMLS. There are guys that want that but where i hunt it isnt needed.
05-25-2012, 08:26 AM
#24
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,557
I'm looking for all the advantages it has. I've mostly up close in timber most of my life. I'll continue to do that in ML season. However, I want to try some longer range hunting. There's certainly lots of that around here. I figured a smokeless ML would have a better chance of pulling it off. Then when I want a soft recoiling gun I have that too. Cleaning has never been an issue with me. I'm looking for performance now, and a softer shooting gun when I can't take anymore recoil. At my age. That's not far away.
05-25-2012, 09:13 AM
#25
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 5,605
I may not currently hunt with my Savage BUT i have worked up some nice loads.
NULA
Barnes 225gr XPB at 2300fps+
Parker 275gr BE at 2250fps
Both are very pleasant to shoot
Savage 50cal
325gr FTX at 2150fps and at 2300fps with another powder. This bullet can easily go faster in the Savage. The 2150fps load isnt too bad. The 2300fps load will wake you up a little. I use the same amount of powder in the 45cal Pacnor conversion for convenience and get 2600-2650fps with a 200gr.
NULA
Barnes 225gr XPB at 2300fps+
Parker 275gr BE at 2250fps
Both are very pleasant to shoot
Savage 50cal
325gr FTX at 2150fps and at 2300fps with another powder. This bullet can easily go faster in the Savage. The 2150fps load isnt too bad. The 2300fps load will wake you up a little. I use the same amount of powder in the 45cal Pacnor conversion for convenience and get 2600-2650fps with a 200gr.
05-25-2012, 11:20 AM
#28
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 1,068
Just my opinion but I think if you can bulge a smokeless barrel, chances are you can bulge a black powder barrel. It all comes back to being cautious and careful. A double load is a double load is a double load.
05-25-2012, 03:45 PM
#29
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 861
I just can't see any advantages of BP guns over a smokeless unless BP is just what you like personally. So in a way you can say that it is just a personal preference but as far as performance along with other things go the smokeless won't be beat by the BP.
05-25-2012, 04:02 PM
#30
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,557
You're probably right, but it's hard to get a smokeless ML that I can't use in ML season unless I use BP. Kind of defeats the whole idea of getting it. I'm ok with using it in rifle season, but it would be nice to use it all the time for what it's made for.