Well we're at a complete disagreement then. As I pointed out once before, go back and read that last paragraph. Keep on shooting the weakest link while the rest learn how to get more from their rifles.
Target shooting and hunting.................. Yup, there's a difference but, learning how to properly place a shot accurately just helps in hunting. With over 400 whitetails in both the U.S. and Canada, I'd say I pretty much know the difference.
I know about cooling rods and they're a pain in the ask. Period. Its OLD SCHOOL when people didn't know what has been learned. I don't know a single shooter anymore that uses cooling rods. Its one more NEEDLESS method and more junk to haul to the range.
Its just one more reason why more and more shooters/hunters are going bullet to bore.
If the weakest link in modern muzzleloading works for you, keep it up. However, there are others that may want to learn a better way.................................
Happy Thanksgiving.
You’ve gotten so far down the “1000 yard target shooting with a multi-thousand dollar custom target rifle” road that you’ve totally lost your perspective, George.
Read the title of this thread again and the OPs post: New to muzzleloading, .50 Knight, wanting to develop a load for deer and antelope that’s good to 250 yards. That screams sabot all day long.
For bullet-to-bore, in a .50 caliber rifle a guy has very few good options in thin-jacketed made-for-the-task bullets. Fury is, to my knowledge, the only real choice (Furys are offered in about six .50 options) unless you want to get into experimentation with conventional thinner jacketed bullets. And there your choices are also quite limited. Just to get started a guy would want a .50 adjustable sizing die and a hand press - a $200 combined investment. If you like bullet to bore shooting you’ll likely decide to ditch the .50 and buy or build a .45 so you will have ultimately wasted your money on the .50 sizing die.
“Shoot the .50 Fury Universals and you don’t need a sizing die,” you may say. You’re really just shooting a full bore conical like a Bore Driver, BOR Lock, Powerbelt or Thor in that case and not gaining anything. If I wanted a full bore conical like that I’d shoot a Thor or maybe try a Hornady Bore Driver ELD-X.
The bullets made for bullet to bore shooting are comparatively very expensive - ranging from about $1.40-$2.40 per bullet (in .45 and .50 options) as compared to perhaps .30-.50+ each for commercial .45 bullets. Sabots offer you the versatility to shoot literally hundreds of different .45 ish caliber jacketed bullets from say 185 grains to 400 grains in weight. Way more choices!
I love bullet to bore shooting in a smokeless .45 custom build. It’s the way to go for long range shooting. Although there are some drawbacks. This is still an emerging and somewhat experimental field. In 5-10 years perhaps it will be the way to go for many guys. It’s not right now.
“Weakest link?” - I’ve never been entirely sure what you and others are really saying when you throw that phrase around. Aside from paying some attention to barrel heating in the summer at the range - sabots and modern jacketed bullets have no downsides.
“But high BC bullet to bore custom bullets (Pittman,Parker, Arrowhead) are way more accurate,” you will say. Maybe. But that’s a moot point at the ranges the OP and the other 95% of muzzy hunters are shooting game. One to two moa accuracy is more than adequate for ranges under 300 yards on deer-sized game.
Sabot shooting is cheaper, simpler for nearly every hunter, more than adequate for shooting to 250-300 yards, and offers exponentially more choice in bullet type and weight.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a Michigan whitetail hunter - but…I’ve personally taken hundreds of animals ranging from pigs to caribou to whitetails to moose to sheep to impala to Kudu to duikers to bears all over the country and world with saboted bullets from sea level to 12k, in hot, cold, snow and rain, while backpacking, atv and truck hunting. They work wonderfully.
There’s zero good reason in 2022 for the average inline muzzy hunter to shoot full-bore (unless required to) or bullet to bore.
Happy Thanksgiving, brother!