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sabotloader

Keep Shooting Muzzleloaders - They are a Blast
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Got another opportunity today to get some shooting in. All had to do was to dodge or time the expected rain storms that were to occur today + plus I needed to be back in town by 3:30 for the Gonzaga basketball game.

My excuse for this trip was actual bullet testing... Lehigh brought a new bullet out late last year. I got to shoot it enough to site the rifle in with it and then I really wanted to harvest a whitetail with it to compare it to the Bloodline. Did not get a chance to use the bullet because I got to choosey looking for the RIGHT buck.

But, the bullet is a copper .452x265 gr. with a the open nose hollow point.

Lehigh__452x265.jpg


IMG_1323.jpg


Also last fall while shooting through a chrono I did establish the velocity I was shooting

265_Misc_Pics.jpg


To me this is a really good looking CNC machined bullet. My early and first testing of the bullet showed that it was really and accurate bullet from Knight Ulite. The accuracy is there + plus I got a bit lucky.

265__16_10_6_Tgt_Composite.jpg


Today my mission in my mind was to reshoot this bullet and see if I could feel as good about it today as I did last fall.

It rained on me most of the way to the rock pit but by the time I got to the pit the rain had stopped. I quickly got the shooting bench and tailgate setup. Then in the back of my mind... I had been shooting so well with the fast twist 45's - really shooting clays @ 100 just didn't seem to be a challenge any longer. It worked out because there were plenty of chips on the rock wall in various spots. I got loaded as quickly as possible and started my experiment.

This rifle as the others I shoot have been setup with a 6" PBR and back when I set the rifle up I set to be just under 3" high at 100.

This ballistic print out shows the information computed from last fall.

452x245_PBR_BH.jpg


I set up on the first chip... @ 100 yards I have found that just above the main cross hairs at the beginning of the thickened vertical post conforms to 0 at 100. So I placed the vertical post on the ship and took the shot. After the smoke cleared - the chip was gone. That provided a huge ego boost and a great reason to continue the shoot.

I continued the shoot till the rain started and washed me out of the pit. And I have to tell you I feel that I made some really difficult chip shots. The bullet just seems to be consistent as heck even though I am using a volume measure for loading.

Lehigh_452x265.jpg
 
GREAT report I just bought a box of the same bullets but with over a foot of snow still on ground in ne pa I still haven't gotten to range. after it melts the mud will remain for awhile I am sure. by the way what sabots did you use ? and thanks for the info. guy
 
Great shooting. I can hardly wait to try those. I take it that you put those in the MMP HPH 24?

I sure wish we could get a good day to shoot here. Today was not bad but the rifle range was closed for the first High-power match of the year. :evil: The weather here has not cooperated at all for us. :cry: The Wind has not stopped blowing over eastern Long Island for almost 4 weeks now. :evil: Mother nature has treated us something hateful this year.
 
gmstack said:
GREAT report I just bought a box of the same bullets but with over a foot of snow still on ground in ne pa I still haven't gotten to range. after it melts the mud will remain for awhile I am sure. by the way what sabots did you use ? and thanks for the info. guy

I know we had one of those years here also but it has finally mostly melted. This is the first week I have been able to get into the Rock Pit and normally I am in long before this.

Those were MMP HPH-24 sabots. The MMP sabots have worked really well for mew they have a more pliable Polymer formulation. But... during the summer I often switch to Harvester as they with stand the heat better.
 
ShawnT said:
Great shooting. I can hardly wait to try those. I take it that you put those in the MMP HPH 24?

I sure wish we could get a good day to shoot here. Today was not bad but the rifle range was closed for the first High-power match of the year. :evil: The weather here has not cooperated at all for us. :cry: The Wind has not stopped blowing over eastern Long Island for almost 4 weeks now. :evil: Mother nature has treated us something hateful this year.

I am not sure about the great shooting but it really was dang fun and it was one of those days when the bullets followed the guidance of my mind right to the spot. But even then these things seem to be very consistent in each shot. Almost like they were laser guided!

The weather has been terrible here also BUT we do need the water just wish it would stay farther back in the Mountains and in the aquafers...

It is because f all the movies and TV shows that they make on Long Island - they need weather for the movies. :D
 
It is because f all the movies and TV shows that they make on Long Island - they need weather for the movies. :D

I've seen them working on a few, usually just makes traffic worse than it already is. :evil:

This year has been the strangest winter. We had a day or 2 that got up to 60* and next day it was 25* with wind blowing 45 to 50, so wind chill was in the teens or lower, and sleeting too! The last 3 weeks I don't think the wind dropped below 15mph or so. Flags standing straight out most days and some days the flags popped so loud you would think they would tear off the poles. Being on an Island there is pretty much always a breeze but it has been very bad this year, most days it just cuts right though you. It just takes the fun out of it if you spend most of your time tying to keep your rags and patches from blowing away! :roll:
 
Sounds like some nice shooting :yeah:

I can't remember if you have a SwingLock 45 cal smooth sizing die, do you think that bullet would go through a sizer with minimal effort or would the bullet need to be annealed first?
 
BuckDoeHunter said:
Sounds like some nice shooting :yeah:

I can't remember if you have a SwingLock 45 cal smooth sizing die, do you think that bullet would go through a sizer with minimal effort or would the bullet need to be annealed first?

I do not have a Swinglock - but I have tried to re-size them with just a regular press re-sizing die - not a chance - they are hard.
 
I just ran these through a few twist calculators. At the speed i normally shoot in my NULA for this weight the 1-32 twist checks out fine.

Annealed may really change the way this bullet performs. It may act more like a Barnes if softened instead of fracturing.
 

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