Well got some XPBs and Harvester Crush Rib sabots on order and headed my way from MidSouth Shooter's Supply
HERE . XPBs are .429 diameter and 200gr. Will be putting them on top of two BlackHorn209 loads in two different CVA Optima V2 muzzleloaders. One to approximate a .44 Mag low recoil load with BH209 and the other full up 84 weighed grains of BH209. Maybe a little more. The low end loads will be for my wife and the others for myself or my son. As I said before I need a low recoil load but the 200gr ShockWave (Hornady SST) didn't do well whacking the spinal process, upper ribs of the neck spine, at max load on a 170 #ish whitetail buck last year. It disappeared in a cloud of bone chips, lead powder & bits of copper, and shredded venison. Hope to do some shooting either this weekend or next. Minute of deer will be sufficient within a 150 yd perimeter.
Max loads of BH209 are a puzzlement to me. Max loads are stated by the manufacrturer but with seemingly no regard to bullet & sabot weight. Just my simple way of viewing things, but seems MAX LOAD would differ between 300 gr and 200 gr projectiles. But no, they are listed as the same charge weight. ??????? Black powder idiosyncrasies? extended to BP substitutes??