Need help finding a dependable load for my "new" .50 cal Black Diamond

[Couger]

Hello.  Any Black Diamond owners reading this?



I need to find a dependable load (accurate and powerful enough) to kill a deer!  I'm interested in anything that uses a .44 or .45 caliber bullet in a .50 sabot, but no Powerbelt loads.

Also interested in any loads that use Triple-7 or Pyrodex.

Anyone have any favorite loads they want to share?  Thanks for any input!   

[DennyRoark]

It will shoot just about any bullet out there with the right powder charge.  Mine shot 240gr XTP's with 80-90 gr Pyro RS just great.  250gr Shockwaves and Jacketed Hydra-cons with 100gr, and even shot Maxi-hunters with 80gr well.  They made some early ones with a really fast twist (one in twenty or somethng like that).  If you have one of those, disregard this, but I've heard they shot longer heavy bullets like a .458 well.

80gr Pyro with a 240 gr XTP WILL kill a deer out to 125 and farther!

[Muddly]

My .50 cal XR LOVES Swiss black under 250 and 300 grn .45 cal Hornady XTP's in Harvester crush rib sabots. Lit by musket caps, the 250 and 70 gr of 3f swiss gives 1560 fps and puts 3 under 1 1/2 inches at 100 yards regularly. 90 gr of 3f Swiss and the 300 gr( non-magnum) gives a flat 1600 fps and this load hugs the 1 inch mark for 3 at 100. My XR has a 26 inch barrel. If your Diamond is the stock 22 inch, you'll lose about 75-100 fps. The Black Diamonds are SUPERB rifles and I believe them to be the best of the plunger fired models. Enjoy!

[Spencer, Carey]

Sir, I know tht they arent very popular these days, and you stated an interest in sabots, but in answer to your question, 100grns of pyrodex select behind a .50 cal Hornady 385 grn Great Plains conical shoots under 2.5" @ 100yds in mine. I have not experienced leading problems and swab between every 4-5 shots. Bought a bunch of XTP (240, and 300gr) sabots, some powerbelts(285 I think) and some others. Tried them and all shot well enough. I mainly hunt with one of my two TC Renegades during smokepole season, 1 in .50, 1 in .54, and just because I had a bunch on hand decided to try them in my Black Diamond for ha-ha's. Havent bought sobots since. They arent as flat shooting as the sabots of course, but they hit like sledgehammers, and I have yet to have a 200yd. shot during the earlier blackpowder season with so much foilage still hanging around, so that has just never come up for me personally. Thought I would mention that to you in case you were interested. Oh yea, Ive got a Burris Timberline 3X9X32 on top of the Black Diamond. That definately helps!!   

[bud58]

I have a optimia pro 50 cal. 100 gains of pyr.or t 7 and it like it but now i have been using blackhorn 209 90 gains and 250 shockwave and i really like it no swapping between rounds .I love the way it  shoots now

[johnnyb]

My Black Diamond really likes 100 grains of T7 and the TC 250gr 50 cal sabot. I get 1.5 inch groups at 100 yds