Sabot vs ball and load work up

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Freezer

32 Cal
Joined
Jan 16, 2023
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Location
Southwestern Pa.
I'm getting ready to start my next ML project, a CVA Kentucky Rifle kit. I've built one TC and restored a CVA for co-workers, this one is for me. I've spent the morning researching the ins and outs of ML and learned a lot. The two things I haven't found is Ball vs Sabot and charge work up. I will be using this for deer hunting is special seasons in Pa. The research I found says, use black powder only, not Pyrodex, use priming powder for the pan and FFg for the charge and use 50 grains to start. I didn't give a max load, nor can I find ball vs sabot discussion. Since this is a hunting gun, I'm leaning toward the sabot. I'm an experienced hand loader and understand the point of diminishing returns, but I don't have a chronograph yet.
 
FFF black powder will work fine for prime & main charge in most rifles. FF seems to do better in many shotguns where the slower "push" gives better patterns.
The old Dixie Gun Works catalogs would advise to start with a load equal to the caliber (.50 cal = 50 grains) & go up & down in 5 grain increments to find your guns "sweet spot" , often a lower load for target accuracy and a heavier load for hunting. See what gives your gun good groups.
Since this is a "traditional muzzleloading" forum, we do not discuss Sabots. For info on Sabots, you need to visit the "Inline" forum. PS a great many deer have been taken by patched roundballs.
 
It's in a non modern though, like im interested in the results. Personally I didn't care for the modern forum it's not the same and I'm in the gray area on every topic anyway so...

I want to use both to... but I don't know how that would work. I want to add one iron sight hawken style muzzloader to my hunting collection rifled for sabots yea.
 
https://www.davide-pedersoli.com/en/product/traditional-hawken-hunter-rifle-percussion-model

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Excuse me, the title says "Flintlock Rifles", "Discussion of Flintlock rifles". It says nothing about traditional. The CVA Kentucky Rifle is not an inline and does not have a fast twist rate. I'm concerned with the most effective way to take a deer.

https://images.app.goo.gl/wcrFt5urmhGSGiF79

without a chronograph how do you determine the safe max charge?
 
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