Loose conicals

[Walks with fire]

I have an RMC 1/28" twist barrel. It shoots great with 300gr xtp's in the black mmp sabot and loads tight but not so tight its a problem getting them down the bore. It has a removeable breech plug so I pushed a couple of conicals down the bore to see how they fit. The bullalo ball-et engaged rifleing well but was awful loose and slid right down to the bottom of the barrel. Next, I tried a powerbelt bullet and it was a little loose also. Is there any way to tighten up the load just a bit. When I get a chance to try them at the range it may be better with a little fouling in the bore. Other than that anyone have any tips to make them a little tighter so I don't have to worry about them slideing off the powder charge?

 

[marwat06]

I don't know about the plastic sabots, but for the lead conicals, the bottom of the lead conicals will expand upon the main charge firing. They are design to go down easy, once the gas hits the bottom of the conical it will expand to engage the rifling.

 

[Mad Professor]

If the weather is cold slobering the sides up with some (thick) lube before loading will hold them in place. Once outside the barrel cools and the lube sets up. If hunting its still good to check your load periodically to make sure the conical is still seated. Firing with the bullet not seated on the charge is dangerous!

An other option is paper patching, there was a good thread on this just a while back. Try doing a search.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You might try using a fiber wad behind those " Loose " conicals to help seal the gases behind them until they expand on firing. That initial push will upset the soft lead quite a bit, particularly if the conical has any weight to it. The fast twist of the rifling in your gun was designed for shooting sabots and not plain lead conicals. I suspect your accuracy will not be up to what you get using the sabots and pistol bullet, no matter what you do. If they are so loose they move forward off the powder charge, you are going to have to use a card wad, similar to that used in Shotguns to hold the shot in, to hold that conical in place. Do you really want to go to all that bother to use a projectile that is not designed for the gun? The hollow based conicals designed after the old Minie ball was fired in guns with either no rifling, or shallow rifling with a slow twist(1:66). They were run down the barrel left in the paper " cartridge they came in, so that the paper could help hold them in place before the gun was fired, and provide some gas sealing. But, they were not expected to be able to hit a man at 100 yds! Some shooters today will fool around with various grades of paper, and paper patch conicals to make them shoot. And, they will shoot well if you get them to center in the barrel and seal the gases behind them well. I have known guys who shoot .58 Ca. Zuaves that can put 5 shots into a 6 inch bull at 100 yds off-hand, if they are allowed to take the time to load their guns correctly for accuracy, and not simply according to old military loading drills. And some groups are a lot smaller with the right load. I don't know what kind of accuracy you might get with lead bullets in a fast twist gun like yours. My main concern would be variations in velocity from shot to shot spoiling the group, as a fast twist should be fairly particular on the loads it will shoot well with a bare lead conical. The short lead conicals normally won't stablize properly with that fast twist, and then you have the added problem of your velocity being consistent from one shot to the next. The longer projectile, like your 300 gr. slug used with the sabot, stabilizes well in this fast twist, and give excellent accuracy. Why not stick with a winner?

 

[Walks with fire]

Well so far the saboted 300gr is the accuracy winner not doubt about it. I never shot any Power Belts till this year and thought I would try them in my 1/66" twist rb gun and they worked pretty good out to 75 yards or so. Tried them in the RMC and they didn't shoot too good. I just like to try different stuff since it's a new gun. I shot a couple 250gr xtp's today and they hit about 4" apart at 75 yards; and I shot 3 245gr. Barnes Spit-fires and they turned in a 2" group. It's a GM barrel in 1/28 twist and it seems to like the heavy and longer stuff the best. I wish it would shoot the 250 xtp just a bit better.

 

[Mad Professor]

Well so far the saboted 300gr is the accuracy winner not doubt about it. I never shot any Power Belts till this year and thought I would try them in my 1/66" twist rb gun and they worked pretty good out to 75 yards or so. Tried them in the RMC and they didn't shoot too good. I just like to try different stuff since it's a new gun. I shot a couple 250gr xtp's today and they hit about 4" apart at 75 yards; and I shot 3 245gr. Barnes Spit-fires and they turned in a 2" group. It's a GM barrel in 1/28 twist and it seems to like the heavy and longer stuff the best. I wish it would shoot the 250 xtp just a bit better.

What caliber are you shooting? I've got a 1-28 50 cal GM barrel on my renegade and I'm shooting 385gr buffalo BULLETS not ballets. They are a slip fit about halfway then hurt my palm a bit to get them fully started. I've not had these come loose after seating over the powder charge.

I have had hornaday great plains 425 gr 54 cal conicals come unseated in my 1-28 54 cal GM barrel. As I seat these over a fiber wad I load them up with bore butter to hold them in place. I still check them once in a while but have not had them come unseated when well lubed while hunting.

I hunt with both of the above bullets over a wonder wad and 80 and 90 gr of FFg for the 50 and 54 cal, respectively. Both loads are quite accurate.

 

[Walks with fire]

It's a 50 cal. barrel. I wanted to shoot the 240-250 gr. Hornady bullets because the reviews said they turned in real good performance on deer size game but they don't shoot quite as good as the 300 grainers. Others say the GM barrels will take a couple of hundred shots to settle down so I guess I will just keep shooting it. I prefer the sabots just because of the flatter trajectory possible with them. The conicals that I have tried so far are a bit loose and don't give the accuracy I want anyway.