In any rifle of 54 caliber of larger bore I see no advantage in using sub caliber bullets fitted to a sabot over just using a ball.
In 50 cal you have a 180 gr round ball (+or- a few grains) So a 230 to 300 grain bullet fired through it might have some advantage at least in theory.
In a 54 cal you have a ball of about 230 grains.
In a 58 cal you have a ball of about 270 gr.
A 62 fires a ball of about 325 grains.
A 66 fires a 1 oz (437gr) ball. All of these shoot accurately at about 1800 FPS, to a max of about 1900 FPS.
It's false that bullets are more accurate. If you doubt this look at the records set at Friendship for 100 yard flintlock groups.
It is true that bullets will fly a bit fatter if the same velocity can be attained, but getting a 300 grain bullet up to 1800 FPS takes a lot of powder. But you still have to start holding elevation past your zero range. So if you can hold higher, you can hold higher. If you can't hold a good still gun, a flatter shooting bullet is of no value.
I make them for a living so I do know something about the subject. I have 3 bullet rifles int he works right now as I write this. They have been around since before our civil war and there is really nothing new (other than salesmanship.)
I reject the idea that any muzzleloader shoots flat. "Flat" is a bit of a misnomer. Flatter yes, but not flat.
The very best of them shoot in a trajectory about like a 30-30 out to 200 yards. Most are not even that flat with accurate loads.
If you want to hunt with a muzzleloader there can be only 2 reasons.
Reason #1 is the good reason; You want the extra challenge. That means you accept the range limitations and the fact that you get one chance only.
Reason #2 is that you want to find a way to cheat the majority of other hunters. The folks in the gun business are super willing to feed you the lie that their "super modern muzzleloader" is the answer. "You can have a modern long range flat shooting gun and hunt in a season with far less competition" is what they are selling, and like libs and dems, thye are lying to you. But feel no guilt because they know they are actually selling to those that want to cheat anyway. Cheating a cheater is the norm today unfortunately.
I like the old fashioned guns but it's not a religion to me. If you like modern stainless guns with plastic stocks and scopes, use them. But learn to use them well and go back to "reason #1". Reject Reason #2 as a lie, Because it IS a lie.
Accept the challenge of being a better hunter and the tool you use is not that important. If you want to kill elk use a projectile that will penetrate at least 28" deep and learn to use it well.
Last edited by szihn; 05/14/17.
