muzzleloader/bullet problem

[buckshoot]

I shoot a 50 cal Traditions Tracker 209 inline muzzleloader. Have been shooting Hornady XTP and they group well. They were blowing apart on impact so I thought I would try Barnes muzzleloader bullets. The muzzleloader X bullet shoots alright but not as tight as the XTP. Next I tried the plastic tipped Barnes bullet. Couldn't find it at 100 yards. Moved back to 50 yards and never found the first two. Then I found where the next two at 25 yards and 50 yards hit, but they were tumbling and hit sideways. All three bullets are 250 grain 45 caliber bullets saboted to 50 cal, shot with 120 grains of FFg triple seven loose powder.

Can anyone suggest what to try to make the tipped X bullet quit tumbling?

[209x50]

How are they to load. Do they slide in easy or do you have to stand on them? have you looked at your fired sabots? Can you describe what they look like?
Barnes ML bullets have a very hit or miss reputation. Those guns that shoot them, shoot them very well many others have stories like yours. Solid copper bullets don't obdurate when launched. Cup and core bullets do a little and pure lead more as speed increases. To the point where they don't work in sabots anymore. Because of the lack of obturation it seems that the rifles that shoot the Barnes the best you almost have to pound the bullet down the barrel. It could also be that because of the lighter weight material used in a all copper bullet the bullet is longer. Most inlines with the 1:28 twist don't shoot long bullets well. Tumbling is one sign of this.
You can try backing your powder down to 80 grains, if it don't shoot at that load it ain't gonna at any in my experience.
The XTP is an awesome hunting bullet and Sandi and I have killed 4 bull moose and a half a dozen deer with it. The SSTs or Shockwaves are also great bullets that we have used extensively with great success and would be very good to use if you can't get the Barnes to shoot.

[buckshoot]

they were very hard to load, thought I was possibly deforming them even with the special ramrod tip, but I was just chalking that up to having several shots down it already. See what happens next time. Never thought to look for my sabot.

[aulrich]

I was surprized to hear about the XTP's blowing up, though I was using the 300 grain version and only 100 grains Volume EQ of T7. Of the heads I have tried they seemed to me to perform the worst on game I drove one end for rnd on a small buck @20 yards the exit wound out of the ham was about bullet diameter.

I had OK results with 265 grain Hornady fp and the extra velocity of a magnum load would even be better and the 300 grain 45cal speer fp the metplate is huge on that one so don't expect any sort of trajectory.

This years bullet is a 250 Partition HG very acceptable accuracy from my gun1.5@100 for 3, and not too hard to load. I'll be using it this Thanksgiving up in Northern SK I let you know how they work