NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING
Harvester Muzzleloading's Crush Rib Sabot ...
SIMPLY THE BEST SABOT AVAILABLE TODAY!
That black .50 x.45 sabot shown with several different bullets in the banner photo across the top of this page is, without a doubt in my mind, the most versatile sabot I have ever loaded and shot ... and I have shot tens of thousands of them over the past dozen or so years. The sabot is the Crush Rib Sabot - which also comes in several other bullet/bore configurations. The bullet shown on the left side of that photo is another Harvester Muzzleloading product - the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold. Here at NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING ... that bullet ... and the black .50x.45 Crush Rib Sabot have been our No. 1 Bullet & Sabot Combo ... hands down.
Why? The answer is simple ... it has consistently out shot every other bullet and sabot we've tested. HANDS DOWN! The 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold ... Crush Rib Sabot ... and 110-grain charge of Blackhorn 209 has been our No. 1 choice when it's time to head out on a hunt. That combo puts game down quickly ... no matter which of our .50 caliber modern No. 209 primer ignition in-line rifles we're packing for a hunt. That gorgeous 6x6 whitetail buck that's laying under that wicked looking Cooper Model 22 ML and green Hi-Lux USMC M40 scope in the photo directly above, shooting 110-grains of Blackhorn 209 behind the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold, dropped this buck where it stood - at 223 yards.
(Note: The other two bullets shown in the above banner photo, on the right hand side of the photo, are from our newest sponsor, Cutting Edge Bullets. The two bullets on the right are both the 300-grain MZL Raptor, shown with and without a polymer tip. The company packages these bullets with the best sabot available today - Harvester Muzzleloading's Crush Rib Sabot.)
Why? The answer is simple ... it has consistently out shot every other bullet and sabot we've tested. HANDS DOWN! The 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold ... Crush Rib Sabot ... and 110-grain charge of Blackhorn 209 has been our No. 1 choice when it's time to head out on a hunt. That combo puts game down quickly ... no matter which of our .50 caliber modern No. 209 primer ignition in-line rifles we're packing for a hunt. That gorgeous 6x6 whitetail buck that's laying under that wicked looking Cooper Model 22 ML and green Hi-Lux USMC M40 scope in the photo directly above, shooting 110-grains of Blackhorn 209 behind the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold, dropped this buck where it stood - at 223 yards.
(Note: The other two bullets shown in the above banner photo, on the right hand side of the photo, are from our newest sponsor, Cutting Edge Bullets. The two bullets on the right are both the 300-grain MZL Raptor, shown with and without a polymer tip. The company packages these bullets with the best sabot available today - Harvester Muzzleloading's Crush Rib Sabot.)
Traditions Pursuit Ultralight G4
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Cooper Model 22 ML
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CVA Accura V2 LR
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Thompson/Center Strike
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See those four 100-yard groups directly above? Here's what they have in common - each was shot with a .50 caliber No. 209 primer ignition in-line rifle that was topped with a Hi-Lux Optics rifle scope - and each of these groups were punched with the same exact load ... 110-grains of Blackhorn 209 and Harvester Muzzleloading's 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold and black .50x.45 Crush Rib Sabot. There is a stack of such targets on a closet shelf in my office ... all with sub 1-inch groups. Altogether, there are likely 100+ of those targets ... and while they have been shot (over the past three years) with a variety of different make and model .50 caliber in-line rifles, and a few punched with lighter or heavier powder charges ... easily 90-percent of those groups were produced by the very same load - 110-grains of Blackhorn 209 and the 300-grain Scorpio PT Gold ... using the Crush Rib Sabot.
Look at the Cooper Model 22 ML and T/C Strike groups above. They are nearly immeasurable. That hole punched by the Cooper .50 caliber rifle has a "maximum" spread of .585" ... so, does that make a "center-to-center" measurement .2925"? Or, how about that T/C Strike three-shot "hole" - which has a "maximum" spread of .556". Is the "center-to-center" measurement .278"?
Look at the Cooper Model 22 ML and T/C Strike groups above. They are nearly immeasurable. That hole punched by the Cooper .50 caliber rifle has a "maximum" spread of .585" ... so, does that make a "center-to-center" measurement .2925"? Or, how about that T/C Strike three-shot "hole" - which has a "maximum" spread of .556". Is the "center-to-center" measurement .278"?
The first rifle I ever shot Blackhorn 209 out of was also the first rifle I ever shot with the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold as well. That rifle was the Knight Rifles .50 caliber Long Range Hunter shown above left and at right. This was back in the fall of 2007. At that time, the powder was still in the prototype stage (dubbed Silver Strike) and the 300-grain bullets were from the first pre-production run.
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Less that two weeks after receiving the 300-grain poly-tipped bullets from Harvester Muzzleloading for testing, I managed to take the whitetail buck shown above right - at 186 yards. For this hunt, I had been shooting 120-grains of Blackhorn 209 - and the Knight .50 caliber Long Range Hunter consistently produced solid sub 1-inch hundred yard groups with the load - which was good for 2,052 f.p.s. and 2,803 f.p.e. at the muzzle. At 186 yards, the .250 b.c. bullet would still be flying at around 1,525 f.p.s. - and retain right at 1,550 foot-pounds of energy. My shot was right on, catching the buck right behind the shoulder. The deer humped up and just stood there. I was also testing the prototype powder for reloadability in the field, so pulled out a speed loader and had the Long Range Hunter ready for the second shot in less than 30 seconds. That 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold hit within 2 inches of the first ... and the buck dropped on the spot! That buck remains the ONLY deer I have had to shoot twice when hunting with Blackhorn 209 and the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold. Even so, inspection of the first hit revealed that the deer couldn't have remained on its feet for another minute.
In June 2008, I conducted the first NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING annual "Consecutive 50-Shot Test" ... shooting the same rifle and Harvester Muzzleloading 300-grain bullet and Crush Rib Sabot. The above left photo shows that 1.6-inch center-to-center 50-shot group. Every June we conduct this test ... still shooting the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold ... black .50x.45 Crush Rib Sabot ... and a 110-grain charge of Blackhorn 209. Last year (2016), we used two rifles for this test - the Cooper Model 22 ML shown at the top of this post with that nice 6x6 buck ... and the Thompson/Center break-open Strike used to take the buck and doe in the photo at left. (Note: Each of the deer in this photo were taken with the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold bullet and Crush Rib Sabot - each at just over 200 yards.)
Both rifles had been sighted to print the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold bullet in the same spot at 100 yards. So much so, that the first shot from each rifle cut each other on the target. Both rifles were shooting the same 110-gain charge of Blackhorn 209 ... and allowed to cool in the shade for 5 or 6 minutes before being loaded for the next shot. Alternating shots gave the rifles full cool down time ... but still allowed me to put all 50 shots on the target in just over 2 1/2 hours. That 50-shot group measured just .910-inch center-to-center. This test is conducted annually to check out the year-to-year consistency of the products we rely on ... and present to those of you who follow this web magazine.
For More On That Test Shooting, Go To - http://www.namlhunt.com/mltesting-6.htm
Both rifles had been sighted to print the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold bullet in the same spot at 100 yards. So much so, that the first shot from each rifle cut each other on the target. Both rifles were shooting the same 110-gain charge of Blackhorn 209 ... and allowed to cool in the shade for 5 or 6 minutes before being loaded for the next shot. Alternating shots gave the rifles full cool down time ... but still allowed me to put all 50 shots on the target in just over 2 1/2 hours. That 50-shot group measured just .910-inch center-to-center. This test is conducted annually to check out the year-to-year consistency of the products we rely on ... and present to those of you who follow this web magazine.
For More On That Test Shooting, Go To - http://www.namlhunt.com/mltesting-6.htm
Ever since launching this website back in 2003, originally as HIGH PERFORMANCE MUZZLELOADING, we have shot EVERY sabot and bullet combination to be offered North America's muzzleloading hunters - and without a doubt one sabot has and continues to stand out as superior to ANY OTHER sabot ... and that sabot is the Crush Rib Sabot produced by Harvester Muzzleloading. In our testing, we have shot this sabot with every commercially offered .451"-.452" bullet offered for today's .50 caliber in-line ignition rifles - and without fail, we have found those bullets to produce better accuracy with the Crush Rib Sabot than with the sabots that are being packaged with those bullets. Likewise, we've tested a wide range of bullets, in diameters from .400" to .458", which are not offered pre-packaged with sabots for use out of modern in-line muzzleloading rifles, and those shot with the Crush Rib Sabots have consistently out performed the same bullets shot with any other sabot.
So, why aren't bullet makers pairing their bullets up with ... The Best Sabot Available Today? That's a very good question. The most likely answer is that it is very expensive to tool up for machining the precision molds to produce a new sabot ... and the sabots most bullet makers continue to package with their bullets are being produced with molds built around 30-year-old muzzleloader sabot technology.
So, why aren't bullet makers pairing their bullets up with ... The Best Sabot Available Today? That's a very good question. The most likely answer is that it is very expensive to tool up for machining the precision molds to produce a new sabot ... and the sabots most bullet makers continue to package with their bullets are being produced with molds built around 30-year-old muzzleloader sabot technology.
New Sabot Technology...
The one thing that can be said about all of today's sabots is that they are produced from a far superior polymer material than the sabots of the 1980's and early 1990's. Some of the first sabots just could not stand up to hot charges of Pyrodex ... and surely would disintegrate in front of the hotter Blackhorn 209 and Triple Seven charges the vast majority of modern in-line rifle shooters are now using. Those older sabots also had very poor "shelf life" ... and the "plastic" used deteriorated quickly ... weakening those older sabots even more.
There are two major sabot makers in the U.S. - Muzzleload Magnum Products, of Harrison, Arkansas ... and Harvester Muzzleloading, of Henderson, Kentucky. Both have played around some with the internal configuration of the base cups, and some with the length of the slits between the sleeves, or petals ... but other than that, the only major muzzleloader sabot improvement to come about since the 1980s has been those nearly microscopic grooves, and "ribs", running lengthwise on the sleeves/petals of the Crush Rib Sabot. And they do indeed play a major role in the integrity of these sabots.
There are two major sabot makers in the U.S. - Muzzleload Magnum Products, of Harrison, Arkansas ... and Harvester Muzzleloading, of Henderson, Kentucky. Both have played around some with the internal configuration of the base cups, and some with the length of the slits between the sleeves, or petals ... but other than that, the only major muzzleloader sabot improvement to come about since the 1980s has been those nearly microscopic grooves, and "ribs", running lengthwise on the sleeves/petals of the Crush Rib Sabot. And they do indeed play a major role in the integrity of these sabots.
One relatively new bullet maker which looks to bring updated technology to muzzleloading is Cutting Edge Bullets, of Drifting, Pennsylvania. That is one of their saboted 250-grain .430" diameter machined all-copper MAXIMUS bullets shown at right. This company fully realizes that the future of "Modern Muzzleloading" lies in shooting higher ballistic coefficient saboted bullets at high velocities. Knowing that with modern powders like Blackhorn 209 and Triple Seven, it is now easier than ever to push 240- to 250-grain bullets up over 2,100 f.p.s., Cutting Edge Bullets' new direction is to reduce bullet diameter ... which improves the b.c. of a projectile.
A major drawback of shooting .429"-.430" bullets out of a .50 caliber rifle has long been that the sleeves of "standard" .50x.44 sabots were just too thick ... too stiff ... to open quickly and pull the sabot away from the bullet once out of the muzzle. This is where those microscopic "ribs" of the Crush Rib Sabot come into play. Those grooves running between each of those ribs greatly reduce the overall thickness of the sleeves/petals ... making them far more flexible. This sabot, at 2,000 f.p.s., gets away from the bullet quickly, without affecting the accuracy of the bullet.
Those same "ribs" of the black .50x.45 Crush Rib Sabot are what makes the sabot so versatile ... by somewhat "compacting" or "crushing" during loading into a relatively tight .50 caliber bore - when loading with either .451" or .452" diameter bullets. I have also actually loaded .458" diameter bullets using the .50x.45 Crush Rib Sabot - and while the combination does load a bit tight, with most of the bullets shot the accuracy was outstanding - and using the .458" bullets opens the door to more bullet choices.
Another real advantage of the ribbed sleeve/petal surface is the added strength, or structural integrity of the Crush Rib Sabot. When shooting with heavier 130- and 140-grain charges of Blackhorn 209, the sleeves of "standard" non-ribbed .50x.45 sabots commonly separate from the base. While such separation once the bullet and sabot are out of the bore usually does not affect accuracy, when it happens inside the bore maintaining accuracy is impossible. The sleeves of the Crush Rib Sabot stay attached!
A major drawback of shooting .429"-.430" bullets out of a .50 caliber rifle has long been that the sleeves of "standard" .50x.44 sabots were just too thick ... too stiff ... to open quickly and pull the sabot away from the bullet once out of the muzzle. This is where those microscopic "ribs" of the Crush Rib Sabot come into play. Those grooves running between each of those ribs greatly reduce the overall thickness of the sleeves/petals ... making them far more flexible. This sabot, at 2,000 f.p.s., gets away from the bullet quickly, without affecting the accuracy of the bullet.
Those same "ribs" of the black .50x.45 Crush Rib Sabot are what makes the sabot so versatile ... by somewhat "compacting" or "crushing" during loading into a relatively tight .50 caliber bore - when loading with either .451" or .452" diameter bullets. I have also actually loaded .458" diameter bullets using the .50x.45 Crush Rib Sabot - and while the combination does load a bit tight, with most of the bullets shot the accuracy was outstanding - and using the .458" bullets opens the door to more bullet choices.
Another real advantage of the ribbed sleeve/petal surface is the added strength, or structural integrity of the Crush Rib Sabot. When shooting with heavier 130- and 140-grain charges of Blackhorn 209, the sleeves of "standard" non-ribbed .50x.45 sabots commonly separate from the base. While such separation once the bullet and sabot are out of the bore usually does not affect accuracy, when it happens inside the bore maintaining accuracy is impossible. The sleeves of the Crush Rib Sabot stay attached!
The sabot and bullet shown at left is the combo that could have made the .45 caliber in-line rifles truly "Super" - had the sabot and bullet been around back when that fad took off during the early 2000's. That's the Cutting Edge Bullets 240-grain .400" diameter machined all-copper MAXIMUS bullet - paired up with the Harvester Muzzleloading .45x.40 Crush Rib Sabot. Shooting the combo from a 1-in-20 twist Knight .45 caliber Mountaineer, with a 120-grain charge of Blackhorn 209, I've gotten the bullet out of the 27-inch barrel at 2,179 f.p.s. - punching sub 1-inch groups at 100 yards. Even when the charge was moved up to 130 grains of Blackhorn 209, accuracy was still there ... producing one .515" three-shot group. Muzzle velocity was 2,211 f.p.s.
This kind of performance is definitely a combination of a great bullet design ... and an equally great sabot - the Crush Rib Sabot from Harvester Muzzleloading!
This kind of performance is definitely a combination of a great bullet design ... and an equally great sabot - the Crush Rib Sabot from Harvester Muzzleloading!
As I prepare for a 2017 spring black bear hunt in a few weeks, I plan to take along two rifles to hunting camp - and will use them alternately. One will be my Cooper Model 22 ML that I used last year to take a bear with a single shot, relying on 110-grains of Blackhorn 209 behind a black .50x.45 Crush Rib Sabot and the Harvester Muzzleloading .451" diameter 400-grain Hard Cast bullet. This spring, the rifle will be loaded with the same powder charge and my favored 300-grain .451" Scorpion PT Gold - shown on the right in the above photo. The other rifle will be our Traditions Pursuit Ultralight G4, stuffed with 110-grains of Blackhorn 209 and the 250-grain .430" diameter all-copper MAXIMUS bullet - shown above on the left.
Both of these rifles. and loads, have repeatedly proven capable of printing tight sub 1-inch groups at 100 yards - and I will hunt confidently ... NO MATTER WHICH RIFLE I HAVE WITH ME IF AND WHEN A GOOD BEAR OFFERS A SHOT. If you like the terminal performance of the bullet you are currently shooting, but wish you could obtain better accuracy ... perhaps it's not the bullet's fault. Harvester Muzzleloading offers a good variety of Crush Rib Sabots, even a ribbed replacement for the sabots that are shipped with the Barnes all-copper bullets, including the boat-tailed Spit-Fire TMZ bullets. Before totally giving up on a bullet that has done a great job on game for you, order a package of the Crush Rib Sabots and give them a try. Chances are, 9 out of 10 of you will see improved accuracy.
Instead of having to absorb the cost of expensive tooling for a so-called "Proprietary Sabot", the folks at Cutting Edge Bullets went the smart route ... and simply chose to match their revolutionary new bullet designs with the best sabot available today - the Crush Rib Sabot. - Toby Bridges, NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING
To Take A Look At Harvester Muzzleloading's Crush Rib Sabot Selection - CLICK HERE
Both of these rifles. and loads, have repeatedly proven capable of printing tight sub 1-inch groups at 100 yards - and I will hunt confidently ... NO MATTER WHICH RIFLE I HAVE WITH ME IF AND WHEN A GOOD BEAR OFFERS A SHOT. If you like the terminal performance of the bullet you are currently shooting, but wish you could obtain better accuracy ... perhaps it's not the bullet's fault. Harvester Muzzleloading offers a good variety of Crush Rib Sabots, even a ribbed replacement for the sabots that are shipped with the Barnes all-copper bullets, including the boat-tailed Spit-Fire TMZ bullets. Before totally giving up on a bullet that has done a great job on game for you, order a package of the Crush Rib Sabots and give them a try. Chances are, 9 out of 10 of you will see improved accuracy.
Instead of having to absorb the cost of expensive tooling for a so-called "Proprietary Sabot", the folks at Cutting Edge Bullets went the smart route ... and simply chose to match their revolutionary new bullet designs with the best sabot available today - the Crush Rib Sabot. - Toby Bridges, NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING
To Take A Look At Harvester Muzzleloading's Crush Rib Sabot Selection - CLICK HERE
Officially Published As Our May 1, 2017 Article/Report ... A Few Days Early ... Since We Will Be
Attending The NRA Show ... And Won't Get Back Until Late The Evening Of May 1st.
Attending The NRA Show ... And Won't Get Back Until Late The Evening Of May 1st.
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