First Shots Down Range

[Donny123]

Well the deed is done as far as successfully getting some lead flying!

I must say the entire process is a bit intimidating. Reading about all the things that can go wrong had me a bit hesitant about it. But as a reloader of pistol, rifle and shotgun I knew everything would be fine if I followed the proper steps.

Things I learned today:

Yes, sabot's leave residue which is a bit tough to get out.
It's dirty powder but does clean much easier than smokeless.
Recoil was less than expected but I started very low on charges/bullet weight.
A slight breeze is nice to remove the smoke in front of you

I started very wimpy at the lowest charge.

CVA Optima V2
Triple 7
Hornady XTP 240gn .431 in Green Sabot

Charge (by vol)/FPS
50gn / 1392
60gn / 1555
70gn / 1671

Not really sure what my target fps should be. As far as accuracy, who knows. I was sighting in a scope, paying attention mostly to cleaning and loading. I shot around 10 rounds and had a blast, literally!

I do have one question. The How often do you clean and apply grease/anti seize to the Breech Plug? I noticed it was a bit stiffer after a couple of shots but in no way getting to stiff I couldn't turn by hand. I was removing it and cleaning the bore after every shot because I wanted to stay on top of everything the first time out. Honestly I don't think I could shoot very many sabot's without cleaning, definite residue left behind and harder to load.

Good learning day.

Thanks to everyone here for the help and advise on many subjects!

 

[snapbang]

Let your gun tell you how much powder to use. Accuracy IMHO is the goal. Some say a thousand pounds of energy is a goal to hunt deer with. I think a well places shot can kill deer with much, much, less.

When I go out to shoot my gun I try to have a goal in mind and try to limit my shots to 8-10. Then give it a thorough cleaning that always includes the breech plug, vent liners, or nipples.. I just use regular grease from a tube and it seems to work just fine for me. For the 8-10 shots I spit patch in between each. Others here will have different procedures for the different powders and bullets they shoot. All are good. Just pick a procedure and go with it. As you gain experience you will modify it to your liking.

 

[deermanok]

Sounds like you had a good first time out.
I don't think you have to pull the breech plug after every shot.
With my Optima pistol, I pull it after 5 or 6 shots to give a quick wipe down.
Like snapbang said, you'll learn what your gun likes.
Most importantly is to establish a good routine, loading and shooting. Try to stick with that routine for consistency.
Best of luck.

 

[ronlaughlin]

Yes, sabot's leave residue which is a bit tough to get out.

The tough isn't from the sabot; the powder is the source of the work/crud.

 

[Donny123]

Ok, well next time out I will be swabbing between shots without removing the breech plug so much. I found quite a few videos about different techniques for this.

Just when you think you figured something out. In all the research I did I don't know how this didn't come up. Always learning. I guess I never really though about it until I fired the first shot.

 

[snapbang]

Donny123, Always something to learn about mz if you are interested.

 

[Caniborrowsomeammo]

I pull the B plug about every 10 shots, clean the residue out with a 1/8 drill bit, BY HAND. Bang the crud out on a piece of wood, check to see through it, screw it back in.
When I get home, I soak the B Plug in Hoppes 9 get all the gunk out blow it out with air, grease the threads and replace.

 

[deermanok]

I've been shooting muzzleloaders for longer than I want to say, Lol.
Always something new to learn.

 

[rangerod]

I have never known modern sabots to leave any residue to speak of in the barrel of a muzzy. What small amount that would be left cleans out easily.

 

[snapbang]

rangerod, I'm curious about that too. I have shot a lot of sabots and never was concerned about a residue. Always concerned about getting the powder out but not the residue from sabots. Is there a chance part of what we believe to be powder residue could be from sabots???

 

[ronlaughlin]

Is there a chance part of what we believe to be powder residue could be from sabots???

Not much, no.

Finding the answer is easy............ Load a rifle with 777 powder, and a bullet in a sabot; shoot the rifle. Usually before one can reload the rifle the barrel needs to be swabbed.

Next, load same rifle with Blackhorn powder, same bullet, same sabot: shoot the rifle. One will be able to reload and shoot the rifle maybe 40, 50 times without swabbing.............

 

[Donny123]

Kind of pointless if it's nowhere to be found.

The local shop I got the 777 from sometimes has Pyrodex Select and RS, not sure if those are any better but no 209 anywhere here. Also I'm not sur how it measures but it's a but pricey by comparison. I got the 777 for $30 a pound, though not available 209 is $40-$45 for 10 oz.

 

[sdporter]

Pyro select is every bit as good as T7 in my opinion.

 

[Donny123]

One will be able to reload and shoot the rifle maybe 40, 50 times without swabbing.............

If this is true it might be worth the extra expense

 

[sdporter]

If this is true it might be worth the extra expense

I used to say I would never shoot it because of the price. I absolutely love it. Is it worth what it costs? It’s roughly $1 a shot. Not really when you compare it to every other powder out there, but it is a niche in the market so they charge out the wazoo for it. I will continue to shoot it, when I can find it that is….

 

[rangerod]

rangerod, I'm curious about that too. I have shot a lot of sabots and never was concerned about a residue. Always concerned about getting the powder out but not the residue from sabots. Is there a chance part of what we believe to be powder residue could be from sabots???

No. There was a time in the past when it was in fact a concern. CVA use to (still?)tell customers that sabot residue was a problem. They said that to sell their powerbelts. Modern sabots use modern materials. Residue no longer a problem.

 

[snapbang]

thanks for the clarification.

 

[Donny123]

At 50 cents a round I'll shoot the sabots for now, kind of put off at the price of Powerbelts for punching paper.

 

[Bad Karma]

At 50 cents a round I'll shoot the sabots for now, kind of put off at the price of Powerbelts for punching paper.

You might look into bore sized bullets. They can be found in weight ranging from 240-600 or so.

 

[rangerod]

You might look into bore sized bullets. They can be found in weight ranging from 240-600 or so.

Hammer em with a Thor.