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Today's Saboted Bullets Continue To Evolve!
Temperatures were on the extremely mild side for northern Nebraska in mid December. The state's month long muzzleloader deer season was in full swing, and while I was seeing plenty of deer - the nicer bucks seemed to be holding back in thicker cover before heading out to feed after sunset. At this time of the year, typical daytime temperatures were usually in the teens, dropping to around 0-degrees at night. Up through the middle of this season, temperatures were running 30- to 40-degrees warmer.
The promise of a fast-moving cold front coming across the northern plains made me change my hunting plans for the fourth evening of my hunt on the 18,000 acre Arrowsmith Ranch along the Niobrara River. Instead of taking a stand along the edge of a river-bottom hayfield, this evening I decided to hunt a green winter wheat field up on higher ground. The several hundred acre field was surrounded on three sides by heavy cover, and I knew when a fast-moving front blew in from the northwest, this was where the deer often went to get a belly full of feed before bad weather set in. And my hunch paid off.
I was in place by 2 p.m., making a quick ground blind among a small stand of cedars forty yards from the fence line around the field - and at 3 p.m. dozens of whitetails, and a few mulies, began streaming into the field. Then, about an hour later, just as the snow began to blow, a big doe shot right past me, less than three yards away. And right on her tail was a handsome heavy-horned eight-pointer. The deer jumped the fence and raced out into the open green field. The doe stopped at about 180 yards from where I now watched through the 3-9x Hi-Lux muzzleloader scope. The buck had slowed to a stiff-legged walk and slowly sauntered in her direction. And when the big-bodied northern whitetail turned just enough to allow perfect quartering away shot placement, my finger slowly tightened on the trigger of the deadly accurate Knight .50 caliber Long Range Hunter.
The promise of a fast-moving cold front coming across the northern plains made me change my hunting plans for the fourth evening of my hunt on the 18,000 acre Arrowsmith Ranch along the Niobrara River. Instead of taking a stand along the edge of a river-bottom hayfield, this evening I decided to hunt a green winter wheat field up on higher ground. The several hundred acre field was surrounded on three sides by heavy cover, and I knew when a fast-moving front blew in from the northwest, this was where the deer often went to get a belly full of feed before bad weather set in. And my hunch paid off.
I was in place by 2 p.m., making a quick ground blind among a small stand of cedars forty yards from the fence line around the field - and at 3 p.m. dozens of whitetails, and a few mulies, began streaming into the field. Then, about an hour later, just as the snow began to blow, a big doe shot right past me, less than three yards away. And right on her tail was a handsome heavy-horned eight-pointer. The deer jumped the fence and raced out into the open green field. The doe stopped at about 180 yards from where I now watched through the 3-9x Hi-Lux muzzleloader scope. The buck had slowed to a stiff-legged walk and slowly sauntered in her direction. And when the big-bodied northern whitetail turned just enough to allow perfect quartering away shot placement, my finger slowly tightened on the trigger of the deadly accurate Knight .50 caliber Long Range Hunter.
The muzzleloader barked as 120-grains of Blackhorn 209 spit the 300-grain Harvester Muzzleloading saboted Scorpion PT Gold out of the muzzle at more than 2,000 f.p.s. A millisecond later, the poly-tipped spire point drove home with a resounding "wallop". The buck dropped a bit, caught itself and charged farther into the field. Less than forty yards into that run, the deer came to an immeidate halt, stiffened up and keeled over. One very well placed 160-yard shot, holding practically dead on, and my hunt was over.
Polymer-Tipped Saboted Bullets Are Top Sellers...Top Performers...
This is exactly the kind of performance the majority of today's muzzleloading big game hutners have come to expect, thanks to advanced No. 209 primer in-line ignition designs, and hot new powders. But far from being the least of the equation for honest 200-yard performance from today's extremely modern muzzleloaders is the thought and design that's now going into the streamlined projectiles now being shot out of these rifles. The 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold used to take my Nebraska buck is a great example.
At first glance, this bullet looks like a jacketed lead-core polymer tipped spire-point .451" diameter bullet, loaded into and shot out of a .500-.503" (.50 caliber) bore using a .50x.45 sabot. Well, the bullet does have a copper outer surface, and a lead core. But it's not a jacketed bullet, which is constructed with a separate core and jacket. Harvester Muzzleloading's new bullet, which has been on the market for less than five years, starts out as a slightly hardened swaged lead core. Then the outer copper surface is applied through an electroplating process. While the copper skin is only several thousandths of an inch thick, it is permanently bonded to the lead core. The result is one tough bullet that, thanks to the rearward push on the polymer tip, still expands for needed transfer of energy. However, the rear half of this bullet holds together extremely well, insuring the weight retention needed to achieve deep penetration.
At first glance, this bullet looks like a jacketed lead-core polymer tipped spire-point .451" diameter bullet, loaded into and shot out of a .500-.503" (.50 caliber) bore using a .50x.45 sabot. Well, the bullet does have a copper outer surface, and a lead core. But it's not a jacketed bullet, which is constructed with a separate core and jacket. Harvester Muzzleloading's new bullet, which has been on the market for less than five years, starts out as a slightly hardened swaged lead core. Then the outer copper surface is applied through an electroplating process. While the copper skin is only several thousandths of an inch thick, it is permanently bonded to the lead core. The result is one tough bullet that, thanks to the rearward push on the polymer tip, still expands for needed transfer of energy. However, the rear half of this bullet holds together extremely well, insuring the weight retention needed to achieve deep penetration.
The bullet that dropped my winter wheat field buck at over 160 yards caught the deer right behind the last rib on the side facing me. The bullet then angled through the 250 to 275 pound live weight whitetail and came to rest under the hide of the front shoulder on the opposite side. In all, that 300-grain bullet passed through about 25 or 26 inches of hide, muscle, bone and internal organs before expending every ouce of energy to the target. And the recovered bullet had expanded at the front to .765" across, and retained 268 grains of weight. That's nearly 90-percent weight retention. For those who prefer a lighter bullet for deer, the company also offers 240- and 260-grain versions. (The 260-grain Scorpion PT Gold is shown in the above right photo.)
More Thought Is Now Going Into Muzzleloaded Hunting Bullets...
Another very modern saboted bullet design that shoots exceptionally well at the higher 2,000+ f.p.s. velocities today's muzzleloading hunter seeks is the all-copper Barnes Spit-Fire TMZ. Knight Rifles also offers this same bullet as their Boat Tail Bullet series. And both companies offer the sleek boat-tailed poly-tipped .451-inch diameter spire-point in 250 and 290 grains - for .50 caliber only. All of the Knight No. 209 primer ignition rifles I've hunted with for the past five seasons have always shot these bullets exceptionally well, making them a logical choice for testing the new .50 "Mountaineer" rifle by Knight, which I'll use through most of the 2011 seasons. The rifles are all built with a premium quality Green Mountain barrel - and all .50 caliber barrels feature a turn-in-28 inches rifling twist. The new rifle model has shot the Barnes Spit-Fire TMZ/Knight Boat Tail Bullets with exceptional accuracy.
Ahead of a hot 130-grain charge of Blackhorn 209, the 290-grain Barnes/Knight saboted bullets have proven capable of consistent sub 1-inch 100-yard groups, with the all-copper boat-tail bullet getting out of the muzzle at 2,138 f.p.s. and 2,943 f.p.e. With two of the IMR White Hots pellets, the rifle gets the 290-grain bullet on its way at 2,056 f.p.s., and several of the groups shot with that load combination were closer to 3/4-inch across.
Many shooters love the performance of the Barnes produced Spit-Fire TMZ, but often complain about how difficult it loads with the sabot that comes with the bullet. In really cold weather, some have found the bullet impossible to ramrod down a tight .500- .501" bore. One solution is the replacement Crush Rib Sabot that Harvester Muzzleloading now offers for .451-.452" boat-tailed bullets. Loaded into the same .50 caliber bore, it is easy to determine that the Barnes all-copper boat-tail bullets load with 40- to 50-percent less effort when loaded with the ribbed sabot. And the accuracy is just as good. In fact, my best groups when testing Knight's new rifle with the 290-grain Spit-Fire TMZ/Knight Boat Tail Bullets have been when loading and shooting with the replacement Harvester ribbed sabot.
Ahead of a hot 130-grain charge of Blackhorn 209, the 290-grain Barnes/Knight saboted bullets have proven capable of consistent sub 1-inch 100-yard groups, with the all-copper boat-tail bullet getting out of the muzzle at 2,138 f.p.s. and 2,943 f.p.e. With two of the IMR White Hots pellets, the rifle gets the 290-grain bullet on its way at 2,056 f.p.s., and several of the groups shot with that load combination were closer to 3/4-inch across.
Many shooters love the performance of the Barnes produced Spit-Fire TMZ, but often complain about how difficult it loads with the sabot that comes with the bullet. In really cold weather, some have found the bullet impossible to ramrod down a tight .500- .501" bore. One solution is the replacement Crush Rib Sabot that Harvester Muzzleloading now offers for .451-.452" boat-tailed bullets. Loaded into the same .50 caliber bore, it is easy to determine that the Barnes all-copper boat-tail bullets load with 40- to 50-percent less effort when loaded with the ribbed sabot. And the accuracy is just as good. In fact, my best groups when testing Knight's new rifle with the 290-grain Spit-Fire TMZ/Knight Boat Tail Bullets have been when loading and shooting with the replacement Harvester ribbed sabot.
Barnes Bullets also made loading an all-copper spire-point a bit easier as well, with the introduction of their flat-based all-copper version of the Spit-Fire TMZ. This .451-inch diameter bullet comes with a sabot having a slightly smaller outside diameter than the sabot that comes with the boat-tailed TMZ. The new offering is known as the Spit-Fire T-EZ. And as claimed, it does load into a .50 caliber bore a lot easier than the tighter fitting Spit-Fire TMZ. (Both versions are shown in the above left photo.)
That Polymer Spire-Point Tip Does More Than Add Good Looks...
There's now a great selection of flat-shooting, very aerodynamic spire-pointed saboted bullets available for the range conscious muzzleloading hunter. The bullets covered here, and others like the Hornady SST, Parker Ballistic Extreme, Precision Rifle Dead Center, and a few others truly make today's advanced primer ignition in-line rifles effective 200 yard deer rifles. And when shooting some of the newer and hotter black powder substitutes, maximum effective range for some rifles and loads is now out around 250 yards.
The one feature that most all more recent muzzleloader hunting bullets tend to share is a more aerodynamic polymer spire-point tip. It sure makes them look sleeker and more streamlined, but it's there for more reason than good looks. The addition of that sharp frontal surface can actually reduce bullet drop at longer ranges by as much as 30- to 35-percent.
The one feature that most all more recent muzzleloader hunting bullets tend to share is a more aerodynamic polymer spire-point tip. It sure makes them look sleeker and more streamlined, but it's there for more reason than good looks. The addition of that sharp frontal surface can actually reduce bullet drop at longer ranges by as much as 30- to 35-percent.
During the early development of Harvester Muzzleloading's poly-tipped Scorpion PT Gold, I did much of the test shooting for the company. In fact, I mocked up the first prototypes of this bullet. Actually, all I did was rob the poly spire-point tips from another "then new" bullet of this type, and with a small dab of Super Glue in the hollow-point nose of the Harvester Muzzleloading "funnel-point" Scorpion bullet, I transformed several dozen into the new Scorpion PT Gold. To make these bullets even less identifiable (and tips as well), I masked off the bullets and spray painted the tips gold in color. In fact, some of my prototypes are seen in the photo above right.
The bullet in production today is the same exact bullet as the Scorpion hollow-point bullet - only fitted with a polymer tip at the front.
Shooting with a 100-grain charge of FFFg Triple Seven, I found that the point of impact at 100 yards with either was basically the same when shot from the same .50 caliber in-line rifle. Even so, due to the better aerodynanmics of the polymer spire-point, the mocked up version of the "Scorpion PT Gold" typically tended to produce the tightest groups. Going to 200 yards, another advantage of the sharp tip was immediately realized. From 100 to 200 yards, the 260-grain Scorpion hollow-point dropped 15.9 inches. The very same bullet, only with a tiny plastic spire-point tip forming the nose, reduced the amount of bullet drop to 10.4 inches. And both had left the muzzle at 1,944 f.p.s., with 2,176 f.p.e. At 200 yards, the hollow-point's velocity dropped to 1,170 f.p.s. (with 790 f.p.e.)...while the poly-tipped spire-point version of the same bullet retained right at 1,350 f.p.s. (with 1,050 f.p.e.).
The bullet in production today is the same exact bullet as the Scorpion hollow-point bullet - only fitted with a polymer tip at the front.
Shooting with a 100-grain charge of FFFg Triple Seven, I found that the point of impact at 100 yards with either was basically the same when shot from the same .50 caliber in-line rifle. Even so, due to the better aerodynanmics of the polymer spire-point, the mocked up version of the "Scorpion PT Gold" typically tended to produce the tightest groups. Going to 200 yards, another advantage of the sharp tip was immediately realized. From 100 to 200 yards, the 260-grain Scorpion hollow-point dropped 15.9 inches. The very same bullet, only with a tiny plastic spire-point tip forming the nose, reduced the amount of bullet drop to 10.4 inches. And both had left the muzzle at 1,944 f.p.s., with 2,176 f.p.e. At 200 yards, the hollow-point's velocity dropped to 1,170 f.p.s. (with 790 f.p.e.)...while the poly-tipped spire-point version of the same bullet retained right at 1,350 f.p.s. (with 1,050 f.p.e.).
Heavier & Higher B.C. Bullets Shoot Flatter Once Past 200 Yards...
The loss of velocity is the reason for the greater amount of drop by the blunter frontal shape of the hollow-point, which also means that the bullet has lost energy as well. At 200 yards, a load built with 110-grains of FFFg Triple Seven and the more aerodynamic 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold retains just over 1,400 f.p.s. and 1,305 foot-pounds of energy. The blunter hollow-point version slows to around 1,185 f.p.s. and hits with 925 foot-pounds of energy. While still plenty for taking a whitetail, the spire-pointed version of the same bullet retains easily 30-percent more knockdown power.
During the fall 2005 seasons, I tested the concept on several does at ranges approaching 200 yards. In 2006, Harvester Muzzleloading put the Scorpion PT Gold into production, and that fall I took the buck in the photo at left, at 191 yards, shooting a 110-grain charge of FFFg Triple Seven behind the 260-grain version of the new poly-tipped bullet. (The 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold came out in late Spring 2007.) At the muzzle, the load was good for 2,035 f.p.s., with 2,392 f.p.e. After being hit with more than 1,200 foot-pounds of retained energy, the deer went maybe 20 yards.
During the fall 2005 seasons, I tested the concept on several does at ranges approaching 200 yards. In 2006, Harvester Muzzleloading put the Scorpion PT Gold into production, and that fall I took the buck in the photo at left, at 191 yards, shooting a 110-grain charge of FFFg Triple Seven behind the 260-grain version of the new poly-tipped bullet. (The 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold came out in late Spring 2007.) At the muzzle, the load was good for 2,035 f.p.s., with 2,392 f.p.e. After being hit with more than 1,200 foot-pounds of retained energy, the deer went maybe 20 yards.
Due to the vastly improved aerodynamics and higher ballistic coefficient of modern saboted bullets, more and more muzzleloading hunters are now going to a slightly heavier weight. The added weight translates into a longer bullet, and a bullet with a higher ballistic coefficient. Shot with 110-grains of Blackhorn 209, the 260-grain Scorpion PT Gold drops 10.2 inches at 200 yards. The heavier 300-grain version of the same bullet, shot with the same charge, drops 10.6 inches. The lighter bullet has a b.c. of around .220, the heavier bullet has a b.c. of about .250 - and once past 200 yards, the higher b.c. 300-grain bullet begins to shoot flatter than the lighter and lower b.c. bullet. At 250 yards, the load with the 260-grain Scorpion PT Gold hits nearly 3 1/2 inches lower than the heavier 300-grain bullet.
Who knows, next fall, I might hunt everything from whitetails to moose with the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold. Pushed out of the muzzle of a 26 to 28 inch .50 caliber barrel at 2,060 to 2,070 f.p.s. by 120-grains of Blackhorn 209, this heavy weight copper-plated spire-point is still flying at around 1,525 f.p.s. at 200 yards, with just over 1,500 foot-pounds of retained energy. At 250-yards, the load is still good for about 1,350 f.p.s. - and around 1,150 foot-pounds of wallop. In fact, all the way out at 300 yards, this load will hit with more than 1,000 foot-pounds of knockdown power. Toby Bridges
Who knows, next fall, I might hunt everything from whitetails to moose with the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold. Pushed out of the muzzle of a 26 to 28 inch .50 caliber barrel at 2,060 to 2,070 f.p.s. by 120-grains of Blackhorn 209, this heavy weight copper-plated spire-point is still flying at around 1,525 f.p.s. at 200 yards, with just over 1,500 foot-pounds of retained energy. At 250-yards, the load is still good for about 1,350 f.p.s. - and around 1,150 foot-pounds of wallop. In fact, all the way out at 300 yards, this load will hit with more than 1,000 foot-pounds of knockdown power. Toby Bridges
Visit The Blackhorn 209 Website At www.blackhorn209.com
Visit The Harvester Muzzleloading Website At www.harvestermuzzleloading.com
