Finally got to an actual range to fully test a sabotless round and try out the Harvester smooth blue sabots.
After the intial fouling shot my first and fourth shots were the higher shots close together. Shot #2 was the one off to the right and I have no idea why except that maybe it had something to do with my loading procedure. Shot #3 was also a bit low (right on top of the "10" score mark) and, again, no explanation why. The lowest two holes were from my 270.
I was aiming at the center of the target. The small, highest dot represents 3.5" high which puts me dead on at 175 and 3" low at 200. It's not ideal but I'm used to being 3" high at 100.
Next I moved on to the 200gr SST to try out the Harvester sabots as suggested by many on the forum. They were noticeably easier to load than the tan sabots and the pic below will show you just about how well they worked out.
A perfect keyhole:
I moved back to the tan sabots and tried 120gr of T7 ffg. In the past I shot 100gr but was in an experimental mood. 120gr was very dirty and shots were all over the place. I moved down to 100gr and it was cleaner but still all over the place. I cleaned the gun and loaded back up with 100gr of BH209 which has been my longtime go to load. It has been reliable apart from having to wait 20 minutes for the barrel to cool between shots.
The first and third shots were together and the second shot (middle of bull) was a flier. The difference between them is that I used my thick brass range rod as a heat sink left in the barrel before the first and third shots were loaded. I finished up with one more shot with a sabotless 300gr. XTP Mag and it hit right in its spot (next to the SST shots).
So I ended up with two loads:
200gr SST in a tan sabot over 100gr BH209
300gr XTP Mag on top of a veggie wad and 120gr BH209
The SST has proven reliable as long as the barrel isn't warm. I really want to trust the XTP but I haven't figured out the fliers. Barrel heat doesn't seem to affect it at all. The only variables I can think of are seating pressure and how aggressive the knurling came out between each bullet. I can say for sure that the shots I made sure I loaded the same all shot the same. It's hard, though, because when that sabotless bullet hits the powder it's solid from the start. If I had to hunt with it tomorrow I'd probably go with the SST based on past experience. I'm just not confident the sabotless load won't loosen on the powder and possibly cause a miss. I'll need to throw several more down the barrel before I can fully trust it.
Just for kicks here is a target I shot while scouting a couple of months ago. Three shots at 50 (middle), 100 (top) and 175 (in the bull). This was with the XTP over 120gr BH209.
After the intial fouling shot my first and fourth shots were the higher shots close together. Shot #2 was the one off to the right and I have no idea why except that maybe it had something to do with my loading procedure. Shot #3 was also a bit low (right on top of the "10" score mark) and, again, no explanation why. The lowest two holes were from my 270.
I was aiming at the center of the target. The small, highest dot represents 3.5" high which puts me dead on at 175 and 3" low at 200. It's not ideal but I'm used to being 3" high at 100.
Next I moved on to the 200gr SST to try out the Harvester sabots as suggested by many on the forum. They were noticeably easier to load than the tan sabots and the pic below will show you just about how well they worked out.
A perfect keyhole:
I moved back to the tan sabots and tried 120gr of T7 ffg. In the past I shot 100gr but was in an experimental mood. 120gr was very dirty and shots were all over the place. I moved down to 100gr and it was cleaner but still all over the place. I cleaned the gun and loaded back up with 100gr of BH209 which has been my longtime go to load. It has been reliable apart from having to wait 20 minutes for the barrel to cool between shots.
The first and third shots were together and the second shot (middle of bull) was a flier. The difference between them is that I used my thick brass range rod as a heat sink left in the barrel before the first and third shots were loaded. I finished up with one more shot with a sabotless 300gr. XTP Mag and it hit right in its spot (next to the SST shots).
So I ended up with two loads:
200gr SST in a tan sabot over 100gr BH209
300gr XTP Mag on top of a veggie wad and 120gr BH209
The SST has proven reliable as long as the barrel isn't warm. I really want to trust the XTP but I haven't figured out the fliers. Barrel heat doesn't seem to affect it at all. The only variables I can think of are seating pressure and how aggressive the knurling came out between each bullet. I can say for sure that the shots I made sure I loaded the same all shot the same. It's hard, though, because when that sabotless bullet hits the powder it's solid from the start. If I had to hunt with it tomorrow I'd probably go with the SST based on past experience. I'm just not confident the sabotless load won't loosen on the powder and possibly cause a miss. I'll need to throw several more down the barrel before I can fully trust it.
Just for kicks here is a target I shot while scouting a couple of months ago. Three shots at 50 (middle), 100 (top) and 175 (in the bull). This was with the XTP over 120gr BH209.