Editorial
These bits and bobs are placed on their own page, as I believe relatively few people have interest in these matters, and these musings in no way are necessary for most to get full enjoyment from their Henry Ball Limited Edition Rifles.
Pressure Puffery
Despite what you may have read about "reading pressure signs" from primers and sabots, neither have any validity in the Savage 10ML-II. The 209 primer was NEVER designed to be used in any muzzleloader or slip-fit into a breechplug; it was designed to be press fit into the bottom of a shotshell. The battery cup anvil primer is nowhere near the primary powder charge, and cannot be reasonably compared with thin button primers pressed into brass cartridges. Reading sabots for "pressure" also has no basis. Cumulative tolerances of powder, primer, projectile, bore, sabot blends, and ambient temperature variations dictate that just because a sabot looks ugly after being fired, it means very little as far as pressure translation. Sabots are designed to destroy themselves, not to be reused. Heat and pressure are not synonyms. Excellent coverage of pressure is found in Chapter 8 of MODERN RELOADING, Second Edition, by Richard Lee, (2003). In summation, there is no such thing as "reading pressure signs" in the 10ML-II beyond the basic, vague, inexact perception of a change in recoil or sound. "Forget It" says Accurate Arms Powder, Hodgdon Powder, Alliant Powder, MMP Sabots, Richard Lee, and Lyman Ballistic Laboratories. Amen, so be it.
There really is no way one can easily read "excessive pressure" in the Savage 10ML-II, or any other muzzleloader made today by merely by looking at a 209 shotshell primer. No matter how perceptive one might fashion themselves to be, a spent 209 primer cannot be translated into PSI, nor can a used sabot. If anyone thinks different, I'll send you some of each-- and let you tell me the peak pressure in PSI. Worse yet, this type of thinking comes at the wrong time-- you already pulled the trigger.
Powder Pondering
Several comments have been made about smokeless propellants for the 10ML-II. Many are misleading, if not just plain wrong. Perhaps you have read about powders that are hard to ignite in the Savage because they are "coated." This brought a chuckle from my friends at Alliant Powders, as ALL powders are coated. Most senior ballisticians gain more experience in one month of work than even avid home reloaders do in a lifetime. I'd look for no powders to appear specifically for the 10ML-II in the near future. It is reasonable to expect incremental advances in sabot blends, though, and vast improvements in the Savage breechplug system have already happened-- they are just not implemented as of yet.
Blackpowder "Substitutes"
It is a real shame that otherwise intelligent people cannot grasp the concept of a blackpowder substitute. Pyrodex and Triple Seven are both classified as "smokeless powder" by the Federal Government, the DOT. Those who say it isn't so really must have other agendas. The glory of obscured vision, expensive powders, corrosive residue, and constantly cleaning guns may hold appeal for some-- but that has nothing to do with hunting, particularly in a sport where the vast majority of animals are harvested inside 100 yards. Cry a lie long and loud enough, and apparently people will eventually believe it. Such is the tortured myth of "blackpowder substitutes". Either it really is blackpowder, or it isn't-- and is something used in its place. Too bad we are seemingly incapable of understanding that. This article may help to remove some of the "mystery": http://www.chuckhawks.com/difference_black_powders.htm .
Sub-Bases, High Velocity Loads, and other Needless Complications
Needless complications is exactly what they are. Perhaps someone, somewhere might think that a .35 Remington is not capable of quickly harvesting deer. They are on glue, as far as I'm concerned. A standard .35 Remington 200 gr. round has a muzzle velocity of 2080 fps, with a BC of .192. It retains 1278 foot pounds of energy at 200 yards. Any number of modern muzzleloaders handily exceed this in terms of trajectory and terminal energy, with larger caliber, heavier, ballistically superior bullets. A larger permanent wound cavity is the result, and today's muzzleloaders can humanely take game quicker whether the bullet expands well or not-- and fortunately, most hunting muzzleloading projectiles do. A simple, bare saboted 260 gr. Dead Center loaded to the comfortable velocity of 2100 fps has some 1700 fpe at 200 yards, a full 33% increase over the .35 Remington. No one yet has ever made the case that this level of performance is technically insufficient to quickly take deer, wild boar, caribou, elk, or even moose. Nothing compensates for accuracy and proper shot placement; it is hard to have one without the other. Game animals don't care how fast you miss them, no experienced shooter I know seeks excessive recoil, and the larger .40 and .45 caliber muzzleloading projectiles have no more "range" than a .22 rimfire. No matter what is done, a muzzleloader just isn't going to shoot like a .270. Large bore, heavy bullets cannot have that type of maximum point blank range. Also, the faster you push large bore projectiles, the less gain for your pain you get; ballistic coefficients tend to erode as velocity increases.
Sub-bases, 28 gauge wads, and hard-kicking high velocity loads are both completely unnecessary and detrimental to equipment and shoulder alike. A study of the downrange trajectory shows that it takes a lot of abuse of your shoulder and your weapon to gain even 20 yards of maximum point blank range. The 10ML-II is an amazingly simple and elegant firearm, by design. It is a pity that some elect to complicate it after the fact, as making it so beautifully simple was the hard part.
Nevertheless, one of the intriguing and enjoyable aspects of muzzleloading is the individual preferences determined by the shooter. It remains anyone's personal choice, just as it should be. But thinking that these needless complexities are somehow mandatory, requisite, or "good" is a bizarre line of thinking. Most would just rather be hunting-- I know I would. Fortunately, with the 14 year history of Henry and Bill Ball's smokeless muzzleloading efforts, accurate and generous loads are easier to find right now than they ever have been before. This rich history, couple with incremental, yet steady increases in sabot performance from Del Ramsey, and far better flying projectiles than available even just a few years ago-- the task of finding "your" load has never been easier.
We can all be thankful for that!by Randy Wakeman
To be c<script type="text/javascript"><!--
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