Shooting two stainless steel Model 10ML II rifles, one with loads of FFFg Triple Seven and one with several different smokeless loads, it did not take me long to experience the inherent accuracy of the poly-tipped spire-pointed PR bullets. During this initial testing of the bullets, I primarily shot the 275-grain .45/.50 "QT" and the .45/.50 300-grain "Dead Center" bullets, plus did a very small amount of shooting with the company's unique duplex sabot design that allows a small .357" diameter bullet to be shot with a sabot, or rather two sabots, out of a .50 caliber fast-twist bore. One problem I ran into almost immediately with the smokeless loads was a very high rate of misfires due to the fact that the Precision Rifle saboted bullets loaded just a little too easily. Smokeless powders require adequate compression for positive ignition and an easy loading sabot and bullet does not quite provide that compression. However, this was remedied by simply running a sub-base, formed from the gas seal or obturator cup of a 28 gauge Winchester "AA" wad, down over the powder first, then seating the sabot and bullet directly on top of this. Ignition was 100-percent once the sub-base was added to the load. My first group with the 275-grain "QT" bullet, which is something of a belted bullet with a boat-tail, was shot with a moderate 42 grain charge of IMR-SR4759. My Shooting Chrony showed the load was good for 2,253 f.p.s. And those first three shots at 100 yards printed a very nice 1 1/2-inch cluster on the target paper. That was the best group I'd ever shot with the Savage using smokeless loads behind a soft lead bullet. But after that, it got better... The next three shots with the rifle were with 44 grains of VihtaVuori N110 behind the same bullet, again using the sub-base to insure ignition. Those three 275-grain PR "QT" bullets whizzed across the screens of the chronograph at an average speed of 2,325 f.p.s. And, they printed a tight .830" group on the hundred yard target. Precision Rifle gives a .274 b.c. for their 275-grain .44 (.429") "QT" bullet. Since the one I was shooting has a slightly larger .451" diameter, my guess is that the b.c. will be down around .250. With the 2,325 f.p.s. velocity, the energy produced at the muzzle is right at 3,300 foot-pounds. If the .250 b.c. proves out, it means this bullet will still be flying at around 1,700 f.p.s. out at 200 yards, and hit with a little over 1,750 f.p.e. In anyone's book that's a good whitetail load. Heck, it's a darn good elk load! The 300-grain "Dead Center" also shot well with the same smokeless load, but not quite as good as the lighter "QT" during this initital range session. Three groups were shot at 2,247 f.p.s. that were all right at 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches across. Again, the sub-base was used. This load is good for 3,360 f.p.e., and again it is one great elk load. This poly-tipped spire-point has a b.c. of .270, and at 200 yards this load will retain about 1,650 f.p.s. with right at 1,800 foot-pounds of knockdown power. Both of these bullets also performed great with hefty loads of FFFg Triple Seven. With a 110 grain charge, the 275-grain "QT" left the muzzle of the 24-inch barrel at just over 1,900 f.p.s. (2,211 f.p.e.). The two groups shot with the powder charge averaged around 1.3" center-to-center. The 300-grain "Dead Center" showed a slight accuracy edge with FFFg Triple Seven. A 110 grain charge gets the bullet out of the muzzle at 1,880 f.p.s. (Precision Rifle ballistics), for 2,354 f.p.e. One group shot with the load printed just under an inch across, the other was right at 1.3" center-to-center. I shot one 130-grain charge of FFFg Triple Seven behind each bullet, and both groups were inside of 1 1/2 inches. (The sub-base was used for this heavy load.) Velocity with the 275-grain "QT" was 2,086 f.p.s. (2,650 f.p.e.), the 300-grain "Dead Center" crossed the skyscreens at 2,012 f.p.s. (2,700 f.p.e.).

Precision Rifle makes and sells a tremendous range of saboted bullets. Easily the most "unique" of their line would be a sabot-inside-a-sabot "duplex" arrangement that allows the .50 caliber owner to shoot light .357" diameter bullets at hyper speed. The company offers the arrangement with a 175 or 195 grain bullet. I did get in a little shooting time with the 195-grain duplex sabot/bullet and was very pleased with my initial shooting with FFFg Triple Seven. A 130 grain charge got the long cylindrical poly-tipped spire-point out of the Savage muzzle at 2,327 f.p.s., for 2,340 f.p.e. This bullet has a b.c. of .375, meaning that at 200 yards it would retain a velocity of close to 1,900 f.p.s. and still hit with 1,560 f.p.e. Now, if I can get this extremely aerodynamic lightweight to shoot with smokeless out of the Savage Model 10ML II at around 2,500 f.p.s. with accuracy, there won't be a whitetail in the world that's safe at 250 yards! Watch for my follow up report early next month.  - Toby Bridges, HIGH PERFORMANCE MUZZLELOADING