Black Powder Fla. Buck

[Patocazador]

I shot a small 3 pt. today with my Ruger Old Army pistol and handcast 255 bullet after the hollow point sabot bullet in my rifle blew up on his shoulder and didn't penetrate. Luckily he stopped 40 yards past me and I put the pistol bullet through his lungs.





He only weighed 92 lbs.

 

[rodensouth]

I wouldn't have expected that with a muzzle loader, even with a sabot, but I have no experience with them. Thought there would be enough mass and velocity to punch on through. I'm about to get into the black powder thing myself, what type of sabot?

Cool that you had a ROA to back it up! What kind of penetration did it have?

Congratulations on the tender back straps!

 

[Patocazador]

I used the MMP black sabot. The load is very accurate with 90 grains of Blackhorn 209 but the hollow point failed when it hit the shoulder bone. ROA bullet hit the lungs .. passed through.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

What brand bullet was it?

 

[osprey176]

Good shooting! Happy to see a whitetail in the palmettoes.Were did you get him?The last buck I took in Florida was in Rock Springs Run WMA in Lake county.That was a black powder buck too.I never hunted with my Old Army,but they do shoot well enough.

 

[bigbore442001]

Excellent shot.

 

[Patocazador]

What brand bullet was it?

Hornady 250 gr. .452 HP/XTP.

I've killed hogs twice the size of the deer with it but never hit the shoulder. I think I'll see if the same cast bullet I shot from the Old Army will shoot good in a sabot in the rifle.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

OK...I was wondering if it was an XTP. I shoot .452 300 grain XTP's in my .50 cal. using a sabot. I was having trouble with the XTP's blowing up on deer and losing the deer...as in not finding it.

I use FFG black powder still instead of Pyrodex granular or pellets as I get tighter shot groups with the nasty black stuff.

I've slowed my velocity down by dropping to 80 grains of FFG with the .300 grain XTP JHP and have had excellent results with pass through shots and dead real quick deer.

You could try slowing them down and see what happens.

 

[Patocazador]

OK...I was wondering if it was an XTP. I shoot .452 300 grain XTP's in my .50 cal. using a sabot. I was having trouble with the XTP's blowing up on deer and losing the deer...as in not finding it.

I use FFG black powder still instead of Pyrodex granular or pellets as I get tighter shot groups with the nasty black stuff.

I've slowed my velocity down by dropping to 80 grains of FFG with the .300 grain XTP JHP and have had excellent results with pass through shots and dead real quick deer.

You could try slowing them down and see what happens.

When I used to shoot my Hawken clone with 75 gr. of 3FG and a 325 grain hand cast Maxi-ball, they all just fell over dead. I think you are on to something.

 

[Patocazador]

Good shooting! Happy to see a whitetail in the palmettoes.Were did you get him?The last buck I took in Florida was in Rock Springs Run WMA in Lake county.That was a black powder buck too.I never hunted with my Old Army,but they do shoot well enough.

I got him at Chassahowitzka WMA on the Gulf coast.

 

[MCgunner]

THAT is cool! I wanna shoot something with my ROA. Been saying that for 30 years, but I ain't done it, yet. I cast a Lee 220 hp that I push near 1300 fps in front of a compressed 777 load, should be enough, but I don't know about the bullet. I'm sure it won't expand and it's a round nose profile. Sounds like you may be using something a tad better.

I got my first black powder buck last season, well 777 buck, using my CVA Wolf I bought a couple of years ago. I used a Hornady 385 grain "Great Plains" minie on him, DRT, not a twitch. I don't know that the pistol bullet sabots offer much in comparison to a big, full caliber lead bullet. I've been into BP for near 40 years, but I haven't hunted much with it as Texas has no BP special hunts PRE season and the ones that they have are limited to inland counties AFTER the regular gun season which is stupid, but that's the way it is. I don't archery hunt this time of year, rather dove hunt and the skeeters can be bad along with the heat as you probably know. Our climate on the Texas coast is much like yours.

 

[leadaddict]

You said you are using 90gns of Blackhorn. Is that 90gns by weight or volume? I shoot 250gn Hornady SST's over 77gns of Blackhorn by weight. That equates to about 110gns by volume.
http://www.blackhorn209.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/b209muzzleloaderdata.pdf

I've been very happy with my combination. I've killed three deer with it now. The least ideal shot was on a running buck last year at about 60 yards. I shot low and the bullet went through the middle joint on his front leg that was up over the side of his chest at the time (due to him running up a steep hill) and then through the chest cavity and out the other side. I was very happy that the leg bone didn't take all the energy and it still ended up being a quick kill. I've been very happy with the SST thus far.

 

[leadaddict]

PS: Congrats on the buck and nice work on the quick follow up shot! That's awesome, I don't really have a backup plan. I'd have to try to reload, and that isn't fast for me.

 

[Patocazador]

You said you are using 90gns of Blackhorn. Is that 90gns by weight or volume? I shoot 250gn Hornady SST's over 77gns of Blackhorn by weight. That equates to about 110gns by volume.
http://www.blackhorn209.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/b209muzzleloaderdata.pdf

I've been very happy with my combination. I've killed three deer with it now. The least ideal shot was on a running buck last year at about 60 yards. I shot low and the bullet went through the middle joint on his front leg that was up over the side of his chest at the time (due to him running up a steep hill) and then through the chest cavity and out the other side. I was very happy that the leg bone didn't take all the energy and it still ended up being a quick kill. I've been very happy with the SST thus far.

I'm using 90 gr of Blackhorn by volume == 63 gr. by weight.
You're more of a man than me with 110 gr. load.

 

[T.R.]

I hunt with the Harvester crusher sabot cup and Speer .429 hot core bullet weighing 270 grains. Excellent penetration every time.

TR