Hornady SST-ML High Speed/Low Drag Sabot

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December 28th, 2014, 09:22 PM
sharps4570

Hornady SST-ML High Speed/Low Drag Sabot

The majority of reviews (and there are numerous of those out there) highly praise the sabot/bullet combo. A few weeks ago, I used the 250gr bullet in front of BH209 powder (rifle was a TC Triumph). The bullet grouped extremely well and I was able to very easily load/shoot around 13 rounds with just a dry swab at one point that wasn’t actually necessary.

Today, I took a friend to the range to zero his newly acquired CVA Optima. Being brand new to muzzle loading, he chose the convenience of pellets (777) behind the Hornady. We only had time enough to shoot out to 50 yards. But the powder/bullet combo (with Rem Kleanbore primer) shot extremely well with all the impact holes touching each other in a tight group. We shall see what happens out to 100 yards on our next trip.

Anyway, we allowed the barrel/breech plug to remain fouled with no swabbing done throughout the process. I was very easily able to load six times without any effort at all. The 7^th bullet also seated very easily. However, this time, the primer fired but failed to ignite the powder charge. Upon inspection, found the flashhole completely clogged with hard crud which wasn’t really a surprise since Rem Kleanbore is a dirty primer.

Nevertheless, I was quite impressed with the Hornady SST-ML (only tried the 250gr bullet) performance in terms of both superior ease of loading and accuracy, as far as the use in conjunction with 777 pellets is concerned.

I would like to think that such ability to quickly/easily load 3-4 times is ample under field conditions and will suit the needs of many folks who may opt for the use of pellets.

How the bullet will perform on game is an entirely different validation question......
December 28th, 2014, 10:03 PM
terrym

3 of us tried that bullet in our smokeless Savages and they tumbled badly and didn't group worth a damn. They did great in front of 777 in a conventional BP gun though.
December 28th, 2014, 10:17 PM
jim

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrym

3 of us tried that bullet in our smokeless Savages and they tumbled badly and didn't group worth a damn. They did great in front of 777 in a conventional BP gun though.

My hunting partner had a hard time finding a bullet /sabot combo for his Savage, as they seem to be a little over-bored.
December 28th, 2014, 10:37 PM
terrym

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim

My hunting partner had a hard time finding a bullet /sabot combo for his Savage, as they seem to be a little over-bored.

I shoot 245gr Barnes and they are great in my gun.
December 28th, 2014, 10:39 PM
oaknut

The SST-ML shoots great out of my traditions as well providing the charge isn't too much. The grouping is excellent but bullet performance on game left me wanting more. I like dumping as much energy on target as possible and the 300grain sst flew right through both shoulders of the last buck. I have ordered some new goodies from PR will see how they do.
December 29th, 2014, 08:30 AM
Big Jack

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrym

3 of us tried that bullet in our smokeless Savages and they tumbled badly and didn't group worth a damn. They did great in front of 777 in a conventional BP gun though.

I had good success when I used a different sabot with the bullet. You can push them hard as well.
December 29th, 2014, 10:11 AM
jaycee

Quote:

3 of us tried that bullet in our smokeless Savages and they tumbled badly and didn't group worth a damn. They did great in front of 777 in a conventional BP gun though.

Quote:

My hunting partner had a hard time finding a bullet /sabot combo for his Savage, as they seem to be a little over-bored.

In my Savage ,using the 250 grn. Hornady - 50 cal. bullet- .452 dia., I discarded the red sabot that came with them and went with the black magnum sabot, tighter fit and the gun is amazingly accurate with 42.5 grn. of SR 4759 powder.
December 29th, 2014, 01:56 PM
Big Jack

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaycee

In my Savage ,using the 250 grn. Hornady - 50 cal. bullet- .452 dia., I discarded the red sabot that came with them and went with the black magnum sabot, tighter fit and the gun is amazingly accurate with 42.5 grn. of SR 4759 powder.

This is exactly what I did right down to the charge. Did you happen to chrony it?
December 30th, 2014, 05:01 PM
MikePal

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharps4570

I would like to think that such ability to quickly/easily load 3-4 times is ample under field conditions and will suit the needs of many folks who may opt for the use of pellets.

The problem is that most of the guys I know found,thru lots of range time, that 100 gr of T7 was too much powder for the bullet and opened up our groups to much. So it's a trade off.

I use pre-meaured fast loaders for hunting , so it's a moot point, I just pour my 80gr T7 (loose powder) and push bullet with the ball starter in a single motion, never see/handle the powder in the field during a fast load.
December 30th, 2014, 05:31 PM
tracker

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharps4570

The majority of reviews (and there are numerous of those out there) highly praise the sabot/bullet combo. A few weeks ago, I used the 250gr bullet in front of BH209 powder (rifle was a TC Triumph). The bullet grouped extremely well and I was able to very easily load/shoot around 13 rounds with just a dry swab at one point that wasn’t actually necessary.

Today, I took a friend to the range to zero his newly acquired CVA Optima. Being brand new to muzzle loading, he chose the convenience of pellets (777) behind the Hornady. We only had time enough to shoot out to 50 yards. But the powder/bullet combo (with Rem Kleanbore primer) shot extremely well with all the impact holes touching each other in a tight group. We shall see what happens out to 100 yards on our next trip.

Anyway, we allowed the barrel/breech plug to remain fouled with no swabbing done throughout the process. I was very easily able to load six times without any effort at all. The 7^th bullet also seated very easily. However, this time, the primer fired but failed to ignite the powder charge. Upon inspection, found the flashhole completely clogged with hard crud which wasn’t really a surprise since Rem Kleanbore is a dirty primer.

Nevertheless, I was quite impressed with the Hornady SST-ML (only tried the 250gr bullet) performance in terms of both superior ease of loading and accuracy, as far as the use in conjunction with 777 pellets is concerned.

I would like to think that such ability to quickly/easily load 3-4 times is ample under field conditions and will suit the needs of many folks who may opt for the use of pellets.

How the bullet will perform on game is an entirely different validation question......

We tried same bullet in same gun with white hots and found that we could only shoot 2 shots before swabbing. The third shot was nearly impossible to load.
December 30th, 2014, 06:31 PM
sharps4570

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrym

3 of us tried that bullet in our smokeless Savages and they tumbled badly and didn't group worth a damn. They did great in front of 777 in a conventional BP gun though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikePal

I use pre-meaured fast loaders for hunting , so it's a moot point, I just pour my 80gr T7 (loose powder) and push bullet with the ball starter in a single motion, never see/handle the powder in the stand for a fast load.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracker

We tried same bullet in same gun with white hots and found that we could only shoot 2 shots before swabbing. The third shot was nearly impossible to load.

Given my initial/limited exposure to 777 powder (pellets and TC Shockwaves in my Triumph), I was skeptical as to how that would perform in my friend's CVA and I persuaded him to spend on a bottle of BH209 as well.

In view of the results with his new rifle, my friend is pleased that he would neither have to bother with loose powder nor have to further invest in a separate CVA breech plug (compatible with BH209). I'm happy that I can now relieve him off that unopened bottle :) since personally I intend to use loose powder only moving forward.

I've ordered some of the BH209 plastic tubes sold by Cabelas that would assist with rapid loading with pre-measured charges of loose powder particularly at the range. Carrying a couple in the field will be convenient too.
December 30th, 2014, 07:02 PM
crtech22

I've only been using a muzzleloader a few years but, I've always been using the 250 grain Hornady sabots and have had fairly good luck with the grouping on them.
December 31st, 2014, 11:30 AM
DJB

I have been using 250 SST's for several years. Out of my Kodiak, they liked 80 gr. of BH209. Out of my Accura, They keep a tight group with 100 gr. BH209. With the 80 gr. load, they left the same size entry and exit holes in my lung shot deer. With the 100 gr. load, the exit holes are the size of a toonie and the deer have dropped a lot sooner on the lung shots. Seems that they need more energy to perform.
December 31st, 2014, 11:43 AM
twostroke

I use 100 gr white hots and 250 gr sst with fusion primers out of the wolf ....shot well. This yr I acquired a optima I am going to try the same setup and then also going to try usinf 777 pellets with the new powerbelts and see what happens.

Cva reccomends using white hot powder and powerbelts I am sure its marketing reasons but thought I would fire a few different loads this yr and see what works best out of the optima.

ANyone else tried this and what works best for you with the optima....love the gun just gotta do some shooting now.
January 1st, 2015, 12:34 PM
tracker

Quote:

Originally Posted by twostroke

I use 100 gr white hots and 250 gr sst with fusion primers out of the wolf ....shot well. This yr I acquired a optima I am going to try the same setup and then also going to try usinf 777 pellets with the new powerbelts and see what happens.

Cva reccomends using white hot powder and powerbelts I am sure its marketing reasons but thought I would fire a few different loads this yr and see what works best out of the optima.

ANyone else tried this and what works best for you with the optima....love the gun just gotta do some shooting now.

Our group bought 3 Optima and maybe 4 if one guy sells his Savage. We are going to try Blackhorn 209 but will try other powders as will when weather warms up. Too busy with yotes now.
January 1st, 2015, 12:40 PM
pbonura

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracker

Our group bought 3 Optima and maybe 4 if one guy sells his Savage. We are going to try Blackhorn 209 but will try other powders as will when weather warms up. Too busy with yotes now.

Have a cva optima and found you need to buy a separate plug if you want to shoot blackhorn 209.
January 1st, 2015, 12:54 PM
twostroke

What do you use for projectile and primers out of the optima???

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbonura

Have a cva optima and found you need to buy a separate plug if you want to shoot blackhorn 209.
January 1st, 2015, 01:05 PM
MikePal

The more I hear/read about this BH209 the more leery I am of trying it out. It costs more than T7, I may have to go back to using a 209 shotgun primers and/or getting a new plug.....

I'm happy with T7 loose powder...maybe I will just stick with it :)
January 1st, 2015, 01:37 PM
sharps4570

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikePal

The more I hear/read about this BH209 the more leery I am of trying it out. It costs more than T7, I may have to go back to using a 209 shotgun primers and/or getting a new plug.....

I'm happy with T7 loose powder...maybe I will just stick with it :)

I don't understand the motive behind CVA's providing a plug in the first place that isn't also compatible with loose propellant (BH209 etc). The breech plug provided in TC muzzle loaders is similar to the CVA BH209 plug design and work fine for both loose powder and pellets.

True, BH209 powder appear to be the most expensive in the market. A 10oz bottle cost me $52 at Epps and my friend paid $60 @ Cabelas before taxes. Primer wise, BH209 recommends using the stronger primers i.e. CCI 209M (Magnum) or Federal 209A only. I found both to be quite clean burning in my TC rifle.
January 2nd, 2015, 04:51 AM
MikePal

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharps4570

Primer wise, BH209 recommends using the stronger primers i.e. CCI 209M (Magnum) or Federal 209A only. I found both to be quite clean burning in my TC rifle.

I used up the last of my old shotgun 209 primers this past fall on the range...what a mess they make in my Traditions Pursuit, the bypass blow back makes a huge mess and the plug is caked with crap after only a few shots. When I switched back to the Remington Klean Bore primers, all that goes away, but from what I'm hearing they may not be sufficient for good ignition for the BH209.

Sort of defeats the purpose of using a cleaner powder if you have to use a dirty primer :)
January 3rd, 2015, 12:52 PM
DJB

I use Federal 209A for my BH209 and have no fouling issues. I bought my last 2 bottles of BH209 at Guns and Gadgets last July for 39.00 + tax. I did have ignition issues when using my Kodiak which were resolved by modifying the breach plug to Western Powder's specks. In my Accura with a BH209 plug, there are no ignition issues or primer blow back with the Federal primers. I have shot 17 rounds without cleaning or losing accuracy. I could not do this with 777 or Pyrodex which shot more accurately when cleaning after every shot. With 777, I had to wipe the crud ring before reloading or risk damaging the sabot.
January 4th, 2015, 02:55 PM
tracker

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbonura

Have a cva optima and found you need to buy a separate plug if you want to shoot blackhorn 209.

Thanks. Got it when we bought the gun. Bass Pro told me Blackhorn 209 was $43. Price runs from $39 to $59.