removeing fast load muzzle for sabots on modern inlines.

[johnson1942]

i dont know what that recessed muzzle is called so one can place a sabot in the muzzle with ease to start them? any ways in my mind they allow only one kind of projectile to be used in them. a sabot with a bullet of some type in it. if you want to use bump up cast or paperpatched bullets in that type of inline barrel some inline with this type of crown will shoot them accurately and some wont. i got a cva inline on trade that had this type of muzzle and the custom inline i had built for my son on a h and r action had that kind of muzzle also. last week because of the nice weather we are now having i wanted to sight both these guns in with sabots and paperpatched bullets. i took both barrels off their guns and placed a device i got years ago from brownells securely on the muzzle. it is square in shape and has a large set screw to hold it in place. it is made of such hard steel that a file or hacksaw blade cant even scratch it. i set the top of it just 1/8 below the recessed area and cut both barrels off with a hacksaw right against the tool. i then filed them perfectly square and use emery paper around the file to bring the finish up to a chrome like shine. i then took my 45 degree crown cutter with the pilot on it for 50 cal and by hand cut a perfect 45 degree small crown just on the inner edge of the muzzle. when i was done i had two new crowns that were way better than the factory crowns and no more recessed area for fast loading a sabot. i sighted the guns in at 50 yards with sabots and got groups with holes touching each other with sabots and .451 45 cal cast bullets in them. then i shot each one with a 535 grain paperpatched 50 cal bullet and got groups that were even tighter as i could about keep them in one hole at 50 yards. both these guns have a 9 power scope on them and it was from a rest. what this is all about is this. if you have a nice inline with that kind of muzzle from the factory and the only kind of projectiles you can get to shoot in it is sabots and it doesnt do other kinds. the answer is, cut the barrel off about 1/4 inch or just behind the recess and resquare and recrown it like a regular rifle and you will be able to shoot most any kind of bullet that a fast twist muzzle loader shoots. also those bullets with cupped bases both plastic and copper cupped bases now will shoot perfectly in the newly recrowned barrels. for some reason some inlines with the recessed crown will shoot anything also but a lot of them wont. maybe it is how perfectly on center the recessed crown is. dont be mad at your gun it is one that only does sabots, cut and recrown and shoot what you want. the reason i want both these guns to shoot paperpatched is they may be used for elk one day and you have to have a 50 cal in most states for elk. does your inline shoot everything you put down it or not? tell us what kind it is, manufacture, and if yours only shoot sabots and nothing else as good as the sabots who made that one also. maybe some companys are better at recessing their sabot crowns than others. thanks for listening johnson 1942

[nagantguy]

Very nice write up thanks for sharing, I've often wondered about that dead or recessed space, I've had in lines that would only shoot sabots, my current encore is recessed as such but luckily it shoots sabot, power belts and REALS all with equal aplomb, with the reals having a slight accuracy advantage.

[koger]

I just did one for a guy the other day Roger, after we had talked about it a while back! I have never had a ML with QLA relief at the muzzle, shoot powerbelts bullets very well at all. I have cut off a Hawken, New Englander, and Omega all TC rifles, with the QLA removed. If my Omega does not shoot well with Paper patch, I will do the same on it!

[johnson1942]

thanks for your input. a lot of guys could make a good gun even better with this easy fix. never tried powerbelts but i think ill get a pack and see how they shoot now that my guns are normal at the muzzle. this discussion may help out a lot of guys.

[Squeeze]

the problem with the QLA (Quick Load Aligner) Is that many of the bores are not concentric to the barrel. This wont affect accuracy, its just a cosmetic issue. The QLA is counterbored concentric with the outside barrel. This acts like an offset crown for conicals. (It doesnt seem to affect sabots) The true purpose OF this QLA is to hide imperfect centered bores at the crown, But it was cleverly renamed to a quick load aligner.. Many guys have JUST cut the barrel down past the counterbore, and recrowned, and in every case I know of, conicals suddenly became accurate again. This is not always needed, some get lucky and shoot fine. Most arent that perfect.

[johnson1942]

thank you squeeze for those interesting facts. this is knowledge every one should know when it comes time to buy a inline if one wants to or fix the one they have. also i would like to add that if a bore is slightly off center and that if it is shot enough in one day for the barrel to warm up and and even get very very warm accuracy goes in the toilet really fast. the barrel will bend toward the thin side. these barrels will shoot good cold but heat in them destroys accuracy. nothing can be done except center them on a lathe and make the bore center to the barrel. some manufactures take time to do it right and set high standards and other dont. my very first muzzle loader had a barrel that was drilled off center. it was a gun that taught me many things as it had one problem after another. was a good gun to learn on but horrible to use. it now hangs over a fire place in canada of a very rich man never to be shot again.it is pretty to look at but a real bad useing gun. thanks again for your input, many will read this and learn from you.

[Geezer in NH]

The ones I have seen were turned in from the barrel bore not the outside couture, by using a lathe. Kind of makes it very concentric IMHO, don't want the advantage it can offer shorten the barrel and re-crown however you want.