savage 10ml aluminum bullets w/sabot

[nonoguy]

hi, this is the first time i have entered a gun discussion group, so here is my question im trying to find a high velocity low chamber pressure bullet/load combo, for my savage 10ml. i was using 250gr cast bullets w/sabots and im not satisfied with the accuracy, so following the recommended savage info i decided to get a 300gr. cast mold, looking at the new 300 gr bullet i decided to duplicate its shape with a machined bullet made from grade 100 aluminum rod this bullet now weighs 82 grains i reasoned the lighter bullet with a sabot could reach much higher muzzle velocity at lower recoil and lower chamber pressure, with less powder, im guessing i could easily get 3000 fps velocity im going to try these bullets with a small charge of a fast powder like 3 gr. of bullseye, anyone out there have any comments? thanks pat.

[deerwhacker444]

Hello,...welcome.

JMO,..don't really know much. But, I would think that a bullet made out of Aluminum for a .50 cal muzzleloader only weighing 82 grains would have a TERRIBLE Ballistic Coefficient. I'm not even sure they would stabilize when fired. If you did hit a game animal with one, I don't think you'd get good performance.

About the lightest bullet I think would shoot well out of a muzzleloader would be the 200gr. Shockwave bullets and sabots from T/C using a .40 cal bullet.

Also, I wouldn't deviate from the Savage manual. Using an unknown smokeless bullet/powder combination in a 10mL is asking for trouble.

[Hobie]

Well, I do have a comment... or two. Unless you actually know any of us, you shouldn't take anything we say as the gospel truth.

Now for my other comments. Well, I was going to make some cogent points but I am so convinced it is a useless exercise that I'm going to leave that for the others.

[AJMD429]

Another option would be to use the same setup as the old Remington "Accellerator" brand .30-06 loads that used 55 grain .223 bullets saboted to .308 caliber. There are a variety of sabots other than the .44 and .45 in .50 diameter out there, "MMP" makes many of them.

What I'm getting at is for instance using a .357 bullet in a sabot, if need be nested inside another sabot, to get to .50 caliber.

I've never done it, don't know it would be accurate (or even 'safe' for that matter), but cannot see any logical reason it would be dangerous. The velocities attainable should be great, and the rotation very fast, so perhaps a relatively long-for-caliber bullet would in fact stabilize, such as your aluminum construct.

Given that you can push the saboted bullet down the barrel by hand, it doesn't seem you'd get over-pressure vs. similar-level loads with jacketed bullets, etc.

Keep in mind that there is a group of shooters out there that is convinced that the Savages are going to all blow up any time, because "you can't use smokeless in a muzzle loader", so anything you think of or ask about will get you that lecture...

[Cliff]

I don't know about aluminum, but some work was done without sabot's using zinc alloy bullets. A lot of work and expense went into casting them, bullet weights were well bellow (about 50 percent) what the lead alloy bullet would weigh. Aluminum might give some high velocities of course they do make copper bullets with expansing capabilities. Might work just have to figure what type of velocity would be needed. I don't know if you could temper or draw aluminum to make it softer etc. As long as you don't go over size or to dangerous levels on powder charges it might be an interesting experiment. In P.O. Ackley's book I believe there was an article on an Army Doctor shooting diseased mules with a 220 Swift, bullets were pure copper specially loaded for him by Winchester. The time period was between WWI and WWII I believe. He wanted to test hyper velocity bullets. Would put an old WWI dishpan helmet on the mules and shot them. Comment was a bunch of tiny holes in the back of the helmet, the Mule's dropped as if poleaxed and no bullets were recovered. The skull more or less exploded. I don't think he knew what his velocities were, but they were fast. Nothing came of it anyway. About all I can remember. Good Luck and be safe.

[Nath]

Plastic sabot may give up at those vels!

N.

[dr walker]

That was my thought Nath.
I dont think any of the commonly used sabots will hold up to 3000fps.

Just curious.
Why do you want to use aluminium bullets?

Also you may want to ask over at Savage forums in their muzzlelading section.
http://savageshooters.com/SavageForum/i ... d,9.0.html