Very interesting reading. Thanks for posting the link vabowhunter.
Seems as though most (certainly not all) guys are loosing accuracy when going to a full 0.1" thick sabot. While Toby's groups were acceptable, they're certainly not what I have seen out of a lot of loads with a .05" sabot and BH.
Also interesting that his speeds were a solid 250 fps slower than what I get out of the same charge and a 200 gr SST. Clearly the gaping ogive of the Scorpion compared to the spire point of the SST has much to do with that. I wonder if the thicker sabot plays into it too???
I'm with you guys on the 220gr .40 BE. That would be the balls. If you're going to go down to a .40, to me it only makes sense to go with something that has the best SD and BC that you can get. The Scorpion aint it. I'm sure it will be deadly at 2000'ish fps inside of 200 yards, but then again you can do that with most any 45/50 load.
Man, it sure is funny how things change. Wasn't long ago (and for the most part, it still is) that people looked at me sideways for carrying around a .45 muzzleloader. Now we've got sabots to turn 50s into 45s...
It will be interesting to see if the manufacturers take notice of this trend and start offering some more 45 cal offerings? Maybe even with a 16 or 18 twist... Ahh, dare to dream.
You guys are spot on though. The fly in the ointment is the lack of .40 bullet offerings. While the 10 mm handgun bullets will work, they aren't exactly designed for 2500fps and 250 yards...
So, what's a guy to do? If you can use a sabot to turn your 50 into a 40, maybe I can use the same concept to turn my 45 into a 35. Now you're talking bullet selection! Imagine a 225 gr .358 Sierra Gameking leaving the bore at 2400 fps.... You're now talking nearly 35 Win performance.
Is a 20 twist 26" bbl fast enough to stabalize such a beast? Will a .357/45 sabot withstand 120gr of BH209? Will adding a full 0.1 of sabot retain accuracy? I aim to find out.
