Cheap Shot Sabots For Hunting?

[Cosmoline]

A few taps with a small brass hammer until I feel it seat fully are not the equivalent of "bashing it with a mallet." It's a safety precaution, but in any event the big ones aren't stabilizing whether I seat them hard or light. The twist is way too slow for the job for 400+ grain conicals. The fact that it's a double confounds the difficulty. By reconfiguring the sights I can get at least one barrel to shoot them OK, but the other is off paper with the same load. This Kodiak likes RB's and conicals under 275 grains. I'm just trying to find the best mid-range conical for the job.

 

[tg]

". PC or not, these conicals would satisfy your requirements...."

I think he is trying to find some PC bullets to experiment with unless I completely missed the jist of his post, and so far all ar giving him various modern bullet designs.

 

[Vaino]

Cosmoline's first post inquired about a plastic saboted bullet which is a modern projectile but later on expressed doubts as to whether a .50 cal. is sufficient for what game he might encounter. Then it was revealed that the heavier conicals weren't being stabilized in his Kodiak. Cosomoline... what exactly are you trying to accomplish?.....Fred

 

[Cosmoline]

I'm trying to find the middle ground. PRB's in fifty are not my first choice for coastal brownie defense should that situation arise. The large conicals won't stabilize and veer off. I'm looking for a slug of some sort between 200 and 300 grains that's short enough to stabilize in a 1:48 but with more punch and better SD than roundball. I'd also like to stay historically PC, though that's not as vital as my hide. So far those Ball-et style slugs are about the closest thing and I'm ordering some to try. They're modern projectiles but are quite similar to a number of CW era slugs I've seen. They're not the usual keith style bullet stolen from some modern cartridge arm.

Alaska presents some unique challenges, and while it's certainly fun to do a vintage trek or hike there's always a possibility of running into trouble. Most of our brownies are fine and have learned to adapt to human civilization, but we do get some in here that are either too young to know or too old to care. I choose to hike alone, so it's of particular concern for me.

 

[Vaino]

Like I said, the 410 gr "Buffalo Bullets" w/ 100 grs 2f are stabilized in my 1:48 TC "Hawken" bbl and yield outstanding accuracy. The elk shot w/ this load never went very far w/ a ribcage hit.Perhaps the Kodiak bbls for whatever reason don't stabilize other conicals but have you tried the 410 gr "Buffalo Bullets"? I think they're also made in slightly lighter weights. Good luck in your quest.....Fred

 

[Cosmoline]

It would no doubt be easier with one barrel, since I could just adjust the sights to deal with any weirdness. One thing I'm going to experiment with this weekend (assuming we stop getting this snow) is to calibrate one barrel for a heavy slug and the other for roundball and just give up trying to get them to hig at the same POA.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

... I suspect reports of slippage have been the result of poorly seated bullets.

No, slippage from recoil, or even from handling, is a real problem. It seems to be barrel & bullet specific, though - a slick barrel in clean unfired condition seems to be the worst for it, and miniés are much worse than maxi/REAL/etc. engraved-on-loading types. Even easily-seated patched balls have been found to shift in the second barrel of the occasional gun, but I suspect mostly with a clean bore. It's somewhat like needing a second O/S card to keep your second-barrel shot charge from moving with heavy loads - my 16ga with rough bores never has had a problem, but some have.

Respectfully,
Joel