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tradition pa pellet, trouble loading sabots

5K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  CHECKSTER 
#1 ·
bought a new pa pellet muzzleloader, having a ^&^%$ time trying to load sabots. cant get them started, then , if I do, it almost takes a hydraulic press to set them......when I unloaded end of season, the two 50g pellets were all broken and the tip of the sabot was crushed/deformed. which may explain my two misses this year, no way that bullet could fly true. Any tips or suggestions
 
#2 ·
Flintlocks are made for patched balls, I have the same one. didnt shoot sabots good at all. The rifling is cut deeper in a flinter. What fit in mine was a hornady 230 gr 44 cal xtp and a green harvester sabot. But shot lousy. Patched balls shoot
1 1/2 inch group at 50 yards on sand bags. Also black powder ignites faster then pellets so some of your problems could be from that.

Good luck, Stant
 
#3 ·
I have a Pa Pellet, which is a very accurate flintlock. I've used three different bullets with it very successully. The first load chain is the 370gr Maxiball over 95 grs of FFG Goex. This was a solid 50yard load about 1 1/2" 50yd groups.

Second is the Traditions 250gr sabot over 100 grs of Goex FFG. These shot into about 3/4" at 50yds, and more less needed a specific short starter and working rod tip to avoid damaging the tip. Loading is not really that difficult provided you don't try forcing the sabot down, just use enough pressure for it to begin moving down and keep that same steady pressure untill it's seated.

The last load, and the one I'll have in the rifle this afternoon is the .490 patched ball,(.015"Ox Yoke pre-lubed) over just 75 grs of Goex FFG. The 1:48 twist of the Pa Pellet makes lighter charges with patched ball more predictable. Yours may handle a heavier powder charge than mine, only one way to find out.

Two things that I've done which may help you some: When I charge the powder, (and you need real black under those pellets for reliable ignition), I put it in the bore about 5grs at a time, then settle the powder by tapping the side to be certain it gets all the way into the breech plug.

The other thing was to have the trigger properly adjusted to a more usable pull weight than the 12 lb pull they come with.
 
#9 ·
I’ve had 2 PA Pellets. A right hand nickel barrel and a left hand blued barrel. Both shot Hornady 240 gr XTP’s extremely well with the green sabot and 2- 50 grain pyrodex pellets. They were easy to load and were one of the suggested loads in the manual.
Did you clean the barrel thoroughly, in a hot soapy bath before shooting it the first time?
I always followed the drying with a light swab of bore butter followed by several dry patch’s before shooting. I would also dry swab the barrel after each shot during practice. Never had an issue following this procedure. Very nice accuracy, penetration and nice exit hole.
 
#14 ·
I just bought one.
Shot it today for first time.
I had to really clean the barrel right out of the box, but it seated a load tightly, but ok.
After shooting a round, I ran a cleaning brush down the barrel, and loaded another charge. Went better.
I was pleasantly surprised how accurate it was right out of the box. No adjustments ( yet). After a good cleaning, barrel seems a lot cleaner. Ready for the next range day.
I like the gun, incredibly light and nimble.
I will experiment with different bullets, but I am only using Hogdon T-7 pellets ( never had an issue with ignition using these for years)
 
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