.45 cal bullet in a .50 cal ML

[Wolfshead]

I was looking at the Harvester ML site and looking at the scorpion PT Gold bullets
They show the bullet without the sabot and they are .45 cal
My question is if that .45 cal bullet is put into a sabot can it be shot out of a .50 cal ML?
If so how do you determine which sabot to use?
I will be shooting a CVA Optima V2 and plan on using BH 209 if that helps
Just trying to get the most bang for my buck (pun intended!) :shock:
Thanks in advance

 

[ShawnT]

I was looking at the Harvester ML site and looking at the scorpion PT Gold bullets
They show the bullet without the sabot and they are .45 cal
My question is if that .45 cal bullet is put into a sabot can it be shot out of a .50 cal ML?
If so how do you determine which sabot to use?I will be shooting a CVA Optima V2 and plan on using BH 209 if that helps
Just trying to get the most bang for my buck (pun intended!) :shock:
Thanks in advance

Yes you can shoot the .45cal bullets in the .50cal rifle, it may be the most popular diameter bullet used in them. Actually with the correct sabot you can shoot, .40cal, 44cal, & 45cal. Some of the pre packed stuff in the big box stores might just say 50cal sabot for 45cal bullets on the package. Look at the Harvester, or MMP, site again and go to Sabots. You look for the .50cal sabots then choose the one you need based on bullet diameter.

The bullet caliber is usually listed by it's diameter,

.40cal bullet =.400 diameter bullet
.44cal bullet =.429-.430 diameter
.45cal bullet =.451 to .452 diameter

The actual sabot you use depends a lot on the diameter of the bore on your individual rifle. Some are tighter than others even in the same make and model. For a Tight bore you may need the Harvester crush rib while a larger bore may need the Harvester smooth blacks or even go to the MMP HPH 12 or 24. This is one place the experimenting starts. If you get a few of each then try them with the bullet you want to shoot and let the rifle tell you what it wants.

I don't have a CVA but seems most guys have very good luck with the 45 cal bullets and a Harvester Black crush Rib sabot.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

check out this link, it has lots of good info. on sabot and bullet diameters; and what would expect to fit loose or tight

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=9798

 

[Edwardamason]

I shot some of those 260 scorpions with the Harvestor black cruash ribbed out of my CVA optima . It was not extra ordinarily spectacular in the accuracy department but hung right in there with most of the loads I tested. I would not hesitate to hunt with it.

 

[GM54-120]

I would recommend the Harvester short black smooth sabot instead with that bullet. The PT Golds are very close to .451 instead of .452. The smooth sabot feels like it loads slightly tighter than the crushrib also. They are both very close though in actual loaded OD using the same bullet. There is a good chance the crushrib will be a tiny bit loose in that bore. I normally only use the CR sabots with a .458 bullet if the bore is large enough or in a really tight bore with the "standard" .452s.

 

[ronlaughlin]

................... There is a good chance the crushrib will be a tiny bit loose in that bore................

Yes, yes i agree.

 

[sqezer]

You can even shoot a .400 out of the .50 with a sabot from Del the maker of MMP SABOTS, 870-741-5019. I use a .38 bullet out of my .45's and the.400 bullets out of the .50's for Hunters Ed. Classes. It really cuts down on the recoil for the young kids but still gives good down range performance.

 

[Edwardamason]

I would recommend the Harvester short black smooth sabot instead with that bullet. The PT Golds are very close to .451 instead of .452. The smooth sabot feels like it loads slightly tighter than the crushrib also. They are both very close though in actual loaded OD using the same bullet. There is a good chance the crushrib will be a tiny bit loose in that bore. I normally only use the CR sabots with a .458 bullet if the bore is large enough or in a really tight bore with the "standard" .452s.

They are indeed .451 not .452 which is just one of the reasons I do not shoot them.

 

[GregK]

The Harvesters & several other bullets became very accurate in my CVA guns as soon as I switched from the crush ribs to the ez load smooths in 44 & 45 caliber

 

[Wolfshead]

I would recommend the Harvester short black smooth sabot instead with that bullet. The PT Golds are very close to .451 instead of .452. The smooth sabot feels like it loads slightly tighter than the crushrib also. They are both very close though in actual loaded OD using the same bullet. There is a good chance the crushrib will be a tiny bit loose in that bore. I normally only use the CR sabots with a .458 bullet if the bore is large enough or in a really tight bore with the "standard" .452s.

They are indeed .451 not .452 which is just one of the reasons I do not shoot them.

Could you explain why you don't shoot them because of the difference between a .451 & a .452?
I am trying to understand all that I can
Thanks in advance

 

[Edwardamason]

I would recommend the Harvester short black smooth sabot instead with that bullet. The PT Golds are very close to .451 instead of .452. The smooth sabot feels like it loads slightly tighter than the crushrib also. They are both very close though in actual loaded OD using the same bullet. There is a good chance the crushrib will be a tiny bit loose in that bore. I normally only use the CR sabots with a .458 bullet if the bore is large enough or in a really tight bore with the "standard" .452s.

They are indeed .451 not .452 which is just one of the reasons I do not shoot them.

Could you explain why you don't shoot them because of the difference between a .451 & a .452?
I am trying to understand all that I can
Thanks in advance

First let me state that I know a lot of peeps that can successfully get good accuracy out of a .451 or .429 for that matter.

Secondly across the board in the majority of the ML applications I shoot the .452s just shoot more accuratly than the .451 and .429's do. I have had a few Ml's that shot the .429 better but its been rare.

The general thought behind using a .452 or even a .458 bullet is that the THINNER the sabot the LESS chance of sabot deformation you have. Think about this for a second. You have both pressure and pressure spikes occurring at various times during the travel of the projectile. The Sabot is taking the brute force of the load. If there is less plastic to go wrong or collapse during the travel then you are better off. Less sabot contact = more bullet contact.