Sabot bullets

[wstrayer]

I picked up a T/C Renegade this summer in .50 flint. I found a .54 flint barrel and swapped it over. Although the barrel looked good, it never really shot to it potential. I shoot only patched round ball. In other guns, I was able to get it to shoot a 4" group at 100 yards with 100-105 grains of FFFg. Ironically each time I shoot it, the gun seems to do better on the next trip to the range.
I have only been out three times with this gun.
I finally decided to really go after the bore. After two days of scrubbing, I am still recovering black patches. I suspect that previous owner tried the sabots in it and I am still fighting the traces left in the bore. Now starting to get a bit of shine to the rifling.
Anyone have a recommendation for a good solvent to speed the process of removing the plastic pressed/melted into the pores of the steel in the bore?

[jjrothWA]

Try "Shooter's Choice" for getting plastic out.

Then re-season the bore with regular blackpowder or pyrodex.

Might need to use a thicker patch, contact "The Log Cabin" in Lodi, Ohio for possible additional information.

[dave]

You did not say what the rifling twist was. You can not use rounds balls in a fast twist (or the opposite) and expect accuracy. I doubt the sabots would coat the bore. Usually 70-80 grs. is the most accurate load, 100-105 seems hi, try different loads accuracy may improve.

[case42so]

Dave has it right. Renegade barrels have a 1 in 48 twist, and are designed to shoot mini's and maxi's. My 54 cal shoots these well and also does well with sabot bullets.

[Johnny P]

I shot patched round balls in a T-C Hawken .50 caliber with the 1-48 twist for years with excellent accuracy. In the .50 I was using 55 grains of 3F, and shot it in our club competitions for over five years. I built a Sharon Rifle Barrel Co. Hawkin from a kit with the 1-72 .54 barrel. A 65 grain load of 3F and a patched .535 ball shot excellent.

The T-C barrels have very shallow rifling designed for their Maxi-Ball, and I would try dropping my powder charge down to see if that helped. The Maxi-Ball never shot good for me, as I could hear them buzzing all the way to the target indicating they were not properly stabilized. I switched over to the round ball and it was like a different rifle.

[Southron]

REAL Black Powder has a LOWER ignition temperature than the REPLICA Black Powders, but conversely, REAL Black Powder apparently BURNS HOTTER than the
REPLICA Black Powders. A friend of mine made the mistake of using PLASTIC SABOTS and REAL Black Powder in his replica Percussion Sharps. He informs me that after the shooting session, he spent hours cleaning out long, stringy plastic "tape worms" from his rifling.

The moral: Avoid using Plastic Sabots and REAL Black Powder in any muzzleloader. Matter of fact, Anyone sould be dubious of using Plastic Sabots and Replica Black Powders. Use cotton patches with rifles with deep grooves and Minie or Maxi Balls with rifles that have shallow grooves.

[paul v]

You did not say what the rifling twist was. You can not use rounds balls in a fast twist (or the opposite) and expect accuracy. I doubt the sabots would coat the bore. Usually 70-80 grs. is the most accurate load, 100-105 seems hi, try different loads accuracy may improve.

If you reduce your powder charge, you can get decent accuracy with a patched round ball in a fast twist barrel. Nothing is written in stone in the black powder game.