Inconsistant ML accuracy???

[Smokepole]

While shooting at the range today I ran into a fellow who was having trouble with an inline .50 TC. I have no experience with inlines, but the problem was unusual to say the least.
He was using 777 pellets and a heavy jacketed sabboted bullet and shooting off a mechanical rest from a bench. The gun was 'scoped and he was cleaning the barrel every shot or two.
The gun would shoot several shots with respectable accuracy, then throw a bullet that would keyhole. Sometimes it would miss the target by several feet! It didn't seem to matter if the bore was freshly cleaned or not.
Anyone have any ideas where to start figguring it out?

 

[powdergun]

I had an safari arms hawken that did just that. The problem was that plastic from sabots built up on the rifling. Normal cleaning would not remove it. BP guns are a btch to clean. I eventually took it to a local expert on such things and he used a brass scraper like attachment and the plastic actually came out in long strips.

This person may be using sabots too soft for his loads. He might try switching to the MMP sabots reccomended for the savage rifles. They are a harder more durable plastic. Or even switch to lead bullets.

Oh yeah all that check the scope mounts blah blah blah stuff applies as well.

Another friend had a Knight do that as well don't know if this was the problem he just bought a different rifle to solve his problem.

 

[snowshoe]

I know of a guy that had pellet troubles. Some pellets went off ok, others partially burned. He even had some that went off like tracers burning in flite.

 

[hakx]

The Sabots are failing. Heat & + pressure from the bbl can turn sabot's in goo

They loose there structural integrity, which will ultimately causes the bullet to do all kinds of wierd stuff.

Swabbing between shots is a good thing, but here are three options I would recommend

1. Wait for bbl to cool down between shots,
2. Reduce the powder charger, even if that means loose powder vice pellets.
3. Change bullet / sabot combo.

Welcome to our world

Hope this helps

 

[Huntsman]

Hahaaaa, that's what I went thru today , I went from measured & weighed 777 powder loads to some 777 pellets offered to me by Hakx and it went to $hit from there
I think the best thing for him to do is take the pellets and toss them out, PELLETS SUCK $HIT
Take the time to measure your powder instead of taking the easy way out and drop pellets down the barrel instead, your only cheating yourself