Bullet Selection question

[TWVOLS]

My wife bought me a CVA Buckhorn muzzleloader last year. I know it is the cheapest one, but it works. I have been shooting 45 handgun bullets with a sabbot, since I have been reading how the powerbelts dont leave much of a blood trail. Last year I though my scope was messed up because it was all over the paper. My father in law has a CVA but its older and actually has bolt. Last year he had an easy 25 yard shot and missed. He is a dead eye so it really shocked me. Last week at the range his first shot was 17 inches to the left. 65 shots later he was still not getting cosistent groups so he figured his scope must be messed up also.

I went to shoot them out of mine and I was 12 inches high. I figured I pulled the shot since I am not that bad of a shot, I was doing this open sights since I figured my scope was still messed up. My second shot cut the same hole. I adjusted my rear sight down and it was still 10 inches high. So I moved the sight all the way down and was 6 inches low. I was about to give up since I had fired 15 shots, when my father in law brings out some 385 grain Hornady Great Plains bullets. They were 20 years old and all chalky. They were from his sidelock days and we figured we would try them.

His results were dead on within 2 shots, then it was my turn to try them. I was dead on also.

My question is does anyone get consistant accuracy with sabbots out of their inlines or was this my problem all along? The only thing I can figure is the plastic is melting and not allowing the bullet to come out true everytime with inconsistant results.

Sorry if I sound like a novice, I just learned how to even use a muzzleloaded a year ago.

 

[Rubberduck270]

Do ya'll clean the barrel between shots? Going from a really dirty barrel to a clean on will move you Point of Impact every time.

 

[ratsnakeboogy]

Some guns are consistent with sabots, some are not. I have several Knights that will stack them very close every shot from a clean or dirty barrel. Just depends I guess.

 

[TWVOLS]

Do ya'll clean the barrel between shots? Going from a really dirty barrel to a clean on will move you Point of Impact every time.

It didnt matter if it was clean or dirty. We tried cleaning to see if that mattered and it was still all over the paper.

 

[ratsnakeboogy]

Don't kill me for asking, but did you leave bore butter or some other lube in the barrel? I was shooting next to a guy that would swab out his barrel after each shot, them lube the barrel with bore butter, then load and shoot. His bullets went everywhere but where he wanted, with a sabot you need it to grip the rifling. It doesn't effect the big conicals near as much.

 

[TWVOLS]

I use it after I am done cleaning (after the last shot of the day). I put some on a patch and run it down the rifle. I used to put some on the sabot last year but I had one fouled shot and quit doing that.

 

[MUP]

Some guns are consistent with sabots, some are not. I have several Knights that will stack them very close every shot from a clean or dirty barrel. Just depends I guess.

Same here, but I also have a CVA that needs a fouled barrel to start out consistently. The first shot(from a well cleaned barrel) will usually be 6" high and about 2-3 in to the left.

 

[muddyboots]

Sounds like low pressure sabots with high load of powder.

 

[TWVOLS]

Could be,honestly I dont know since I just started learning how to use a muzzleloader. I have been using 100 grains of Pyrodex RS.

 

[muddyboots]

Drop down to 80 grains and see what they do.

 

[ratsnakeboogy]

Also make sure you clean all that bore butter out and dry the barrel well before loading and shooting. The butter can cause sabot slippage, if it's not rotating it will not stabilize, then it throws a nice shotgun pattern and will never be consistant.

 

[TWVOLS]

Thanks I will try what you all have said.