Maven
07-19-2014, 02:48 PM
I took my .50cal. Knight Bighorn to the range the other day to sight it in after reinstalling the original sights. (I had a Williams receiver sight on it, but wasn't impressed with the sight picture or the repeatability of its adjustments, and thus I removed it.) I wanted to see how it would do @ 50 yds. with the T/C Maxi-Ball and a custom designed Accurate Arms conical. The latter looks something like a Lee R.E.A.L., but with slightly more bearing surface and a large, flat meplat. Both designs were lubed with Ox Yoke yellow stick lube (essentially a stiffer version for lube sizers, but basically a clone of T/C Bore Butter, et al., right down to the Oil of Wintergreen odor). The powder charge was 70grs. Diamondback FFg ignited by Win. #209 shotshell primers.*
The point I wish to make is that the lubed conicals were messy to handle and messy to deal with after firing. I.e., while one could reload for a 2nd shot quickly, seating the bullet took more considerably more effort. A 3rd shot without damp swabbing and the ensuing mess, would be much more difficult. Need I say that the point of impact wouldn't be the same either?
Just for my own edification, I gave the bore a quick damp swab, followed by a dry patch and switched over to a RCBS .490" RB (.492" in fact) + .018" pillow ticking patch lubed with 1 H20 : 6 Ballistol. (The patches were wet, but not dripping.) I dropped the powder charge to 60grs., but didn't change the sight setting. Accuracy was VG, i.e., 3 in ~1.5" and 2 nearby. Impact was 7" higher and 2 1/2" to the left of the Accurate conical, but the grouping was much tighter. Oh yes, as to which was easier to reload and scads cleaner to use? The patched RB, of course! There was no need to damp swab the bore after each shot as there was with either conical, and, there was no greasy mess or powder residue all over my hands either.
Accuracy: The longer bearing length of the T/C Maxi-Ball has given me consistently better results than shorter conicals in the Knight Bighorn. Sometimes I can put 3 -5 touching (from a rest) @ 50 yds. with open sights. The shorter conicals, by Accurate and Lee Precision, could do no better than 3" groups (some were even larger:sad:) at the same distance. The patched RB was almost as accurate as the Maxi-Ball, but 60grs. FFg was pushing things a bit in that 1:28" twist [Green Mt.] bbl. I'm going to try a .495" RB (.497" in fact) + .014" pillow ticking next to see if that combination will improve things.
3rd Option: I've had good luck with MMP green H[igh] P[ressure] sabots in the Bighorn with Lyman #429421- or RCBS 44-250K CB's: As accurate as the T/C Maxi's and patched RB's, but with out the greasy mess. However, you still have to contend with the plastic/vinyl fouling the sabots leave behind.
*I've seen no differences in performance in my rifle with #10, #11, or Win. 209 primers. Indeed, I've never had a failure to fire with any of them. I use the #209's mostly because I have more of those on hand than the others, which have been difficult to get until very recently.
The point I wish to make is that the lubed conicals were messy to handle and messy to deal with after firing. I.e., while one could reload for a 2nd shot quickly, seating the bullet took more considerably more effort. A 3rd shot without damp swabbing and the ensuing mess, would be much more difficult. Need I say that the point of impact wouldn't be the same either?
Just for my own edification, I gave the bore a quick damp swab, followed by a dry patch and switched over to a RCBS .490" RB (.492" in fact) + .018" pillow ticking patch lubed with 1 H20 : 6 Ballistol. (The patches were wet, but not dripping.) I dropped the powder charge to 60grs., but didn't change the sight setting. Accuracy was VG, i.e., 3 in ~1.5" and 2 nearby. Impact was 7" higher and 2 1/2" to the left of the Accurate conical, but the grouping was much tighter. Oh yes, as to which was easier to reload and scads cleaner to use? The patched RB, of course! There was no need to damp swab the bore after each shot as there was with either conical, and, there was no greasy mess or powder residue all over my hands either.
Accuracy: The longer bearing length of the T/C Maxi-Ball has given me consistently better results than shorter conicals in the Knight Bighorn. Sometimes I can put 3 -5 touching (from a rest) @ 50 yds. with open sights. The shorter conicals, by Accurate and Lee Precision, could do no better than 3" groups (some were even larger:sad:) at the same distance. The patched RB was almost as accurate as the Maxi-Ball, but 60grs. FFg was pushing things a bit in that 1:28" twist [Green Mt.] bbl. I'm going to try a .495" RB (.497" in fact) + .014" pillow ticking next to see if that combination will improve things.
3rd Option: I've had good luck with MMP green H[igh] P[ressure] sabots in the Bighorn with Lyman #429421- or RCBS 44-250K CB's: As accurate as the T/C Maxi's and patched RB's, but with out the greasy mess. However, you still have to contend with the plastic/vinyl fouling the sabots leave behind.
*I've seen no differences in performance in my rifle with #10, #11, or Win. 209 primers. Indeed, I've never had a failure to fire with any of them. I use the #209's mostly because I have more of those on hand than the others, which have been difficult to get until very recently.