I have always shot Hornady sabots through a 15-year-old Knight .50 caliber muzzleloader with enough success that I'd rather not mess with what is working.

After seeing a mature-but-small-racked whitetail following a doe through the neighbor's apple orchard yesterday, I poured some powder down the barrel and stuffed a bullet in it. Now I'm ready. . .but wait, the sleeve on the bullet is black instead of green and the new box that I've opened and taken a slug from reads: 50 cal. with 45 240 XTP/MAG and #6727.

The slugs that I've always used previously come in a box printed: 50 cal. with 44 240 HP/XTP and #6720.

I rechecked the printing on the boxes because of the difference in sleeve color and the fact that the new slug (45 240 XTP/MAG #6727) was tougher to start in the barrel. It took more pushin' than the slugs that I'm used to.

My questions are:
1) Can I go ahead and fire the new slug without worrying about having my face blown off?
2) If I can safely fire the new slugs (and I suspect that I can), should I expect to have to use more or less powder to achieve the results that I'm used to?

Question #1 is my greatest concern, 'cause I'd like to go ahead and fire a few slugs from the new box to see how they perform.

Thnx in advance!
eyewinder

I have always shot Hornady sabots through a 15-year-old Knight .50 caliber muzzleloader with enough success that I'd rather not mess with what is working.

After seeing a mature-but-small-racked whitetail following a doe through the neighbor's apple orchard yesterday, I poured some powder down the barrel and stuffed a bullet in it. Now I'm ready. . .but wait, the sleeve on the bullet is black instead of green and the new box that I've opened and taken a slug from reads: 50 cal. with 45 240 XTP/MAG and #6727.

The slugs that I've always used previously come in a box printed: 50 cal. with 44 240 HP/XTP and #6720.

I rechecked the printing on the boxes because of the difference in sleeve color and the fact that the new slug (45 240 XTP/MAG #6727) was tougher to start in the barrel. It took more pushin' than the slugs that I'm used to.

My questions are:
1) Can I go ahead and fire the new slug without worrying about having my face blown off?
2) If I can safely fire the new slugs (and I suspect that I can), should I expect to have to use more or less powder to achieve the results that I'm used to?

Question #1 is my greatest concern, 'cause I'd like to go ahead and fire a few slugs from the new box to see how they perform.

Thnx in advance!
eyewinder

The sabot takes up the slack between the barrel and the bullet. If it fits down the barrel it will shoot out. I have a 50cal knight and I use (2 -50gr) =100gr of pyrodex pellets with a 240gr bullet with a sabot. Any time you change bullets even though the weight is the same you should shoot a couple to make sure the POI is the same. Good luck.

You will be fine to fire it. There are slightly different sized sabots hence the color so they have different fits, some easy to load and some tough to load. Like Fireboat said, it will shoot out but I'd take a couple shots on paper first because most likely it will have slightly different POI than your previous bullets.

I'm reassured and will see how it shoots with the slightly different sabots. Then I'll be ready when the basket-racked buck's daddy comes through.

I use the black sabots, with a 45 caliber bullet - so your new batch of bullets is matched correctly.

By the looks of your description, the Green sabots were made for the 44 caliber bullet.

Don't change the match between Sabot color, and bullet diameter. That's what the color represents on the sabots. I don't recall what the Green color was made for as I don't shoot them. But the Black to 45 Caliber has been my standard for years.