.50 Knight DISC Elite

Mon Sep 08, 2008



Picked up a used Knight DISC Elite in .50 cal over Labor Day at a gun show. I've shot muzzleloaders for over 20 years but have only dabbled with a few inlines.

I really only intend to use this rifle as a better long-range whitetail option in Michigan's shotgun zone than a slug gun. I have a nice Browning A-bolt but I'm tired of paying $12-20/box for 5 shells. I figure with an inline I can afford to experiment a lot more to find a combo that will do a little better than 3" @ 100, which is the best I've done with the A-Bolt and 2 3/4" Hornady 300gr SSTs.

I really became intrigued with the idea of an inline when I read about BH 209 on this very forum. I like the non-corrosive properties of the powder and the idea that it can go without cleaning during the hunting season.



I've probably got about 50 shots through this rifle so far. All with 100gr BH209. My best results are about 1 1/2" @100yds with a 250gr SST in either either the supplied red, 3-petal "low-drag" or a short, black MMP sabot and Remington STS 209s(in the red FPJ).



You can see from my bench above that I can probably improve accuracy just by shooting from a solid platform but I'm too lazy to drag a picnic table across the farm. Shooting around the weeds and through the corn might not be the most conducive to shooting great groups either but it certainly better hunting practice.



My only real concern at this point is some of the hang-fires I've experienced. Even worse than a traditional hang-fire IMO. More like a real slow burn of the powder with not recoil. First time it happened I pulled the bolt to make sure the bullet was out!

Since then I've read(probably on this forum) that BH 209 is sensitive to loading pressure. After I read that, I made this nifty palm-saver from a failed longbow I tried to build a few years back. I also robbed the T/C replacement ramrod from my Renegade and bought a T/C loading tip/jag designed to fit spire points like the SST. With this improvised range-rod I can put some serious pressure(also consistant) on each load.



I also tried some CCI 209M primers but my groups seemed to open up to nearly 3" with 100gr BH 209, 250 SST, and MMP short-black sabots. I've went back to the Remington standard 209s and have had no ignition problems with firm loading pressure.

Here is a pic with the 209M in the two groups on the right and Rem STS the two groups on the left. I called a flyer on the low shot far left that's why the 4-shot group.



I've done all my shooting with the red FPJs and standard plug but I have a non-FPJ plug on order from Mid-South.

I have no plans to give up the enjoyment I get from hefting my Lyman GPR during the December muzzy season here in MI. I truly love shooting traditional muzzleloaders and have resisted inlines for a long time. I finally realized that if I was going to shoot sabots I might as well use a platform that didn't tie me to a manufacturers offering but rather gave me the option to tinker a little and not go completely broke in the process.

Wed Sep 10, 2008

Got my N-FPJ plug today that I ordered Sunday night from Midsouth. That's quick turn-a-round!

I had a heck of a time getting the spent primers out. I had Rem STS 209s and they blew back into the firing pin hole enough to hang them up. I was able to dry fire once to cave them back in and the they would fall out. It was either that or take the bolt out. Anyone else have this problem? I still had crud in the chamber area from the FPJ plug so a little cleaning might help. Seems like more guys use CCI and W-W 209s. Would they hold up a little better or are they just more readily available? I also have CCI 209Ms on hand but they really blew out when I shot them with the FPJs so I figured they would be worse and accuracy dropped off noticably.

The real nice thing was that the plug was pretty clean compared to the FPJ and there were zero ignition issues.

Also shot some 200gr T/C shockwaves. About 1.5" @ 100. 100gr BH 209.

Fri Sep 19, 2008

That's good to hear revpilot. I've also aquired a non-FPJ plug and several brands of 209s including the W-W, CCI 209M, Fed 209A. I've had exactly zero problems with ignition with the combination of the non-FPJ and firm seating pressure while loading with BH 209. I'll likely do some more testing with the hotter primers and go with them if the accuracy is still there.

I had some issues with Remington STS 209s hanging in the non-FPJ but no problem at all with W-W 209.

I don't see any reason to doubt the SST. I'm hunting with either 200 or 250gr. I've killed deer for years with round balls and Maxi-balls. Had some shooter failure but no bullet failures.

Fri Sep 19, 2008

Last weekend's rainy day project was building this bench to try and improve my groups a little. I think I'll name it Ike!


Date Sep 20, 2008

Did some more shooting this afternoon. Looks like I'm sticking with the 200gr SWs.


Sat Sep 27, 2008 9:16 pm

Buttoning up my testing for the year. Bow season starts next weekend. I'm pretty well set with the 200gr SW, 100gr BH209, and W209.

I wanted to get 100 and 200 yard groups on the same target and chronograph my load. Pretty breezy day with 5-10 mph variable winds quartering from behind. The effects of the wind are pretty obvious at 200 and even 1/2" or so to the right at 100.

I'm getting 1850fps for a 3 shot average with the chrony 10' from the muzzle. Lower than what I've seen in other posts so I checked my 20 year-old brass measure. 100g by volume = 68.8gr by weight. Sounds about right.


Sun Oct 12, 2008

Went to shoot a little more today for a final tune-up and some testing. I was really just planning on testing some .452 cast bullets in sabots(shows promise!). I figured I should shoot my hunting load at least once while I was at it.

I've been pretty well set with a 200gr SW, 100gr BH209, and a W209. Turned in a 2" group @100 which is about right as this load has been a consistent 1-2" performer. I've only been able to get 2-3" with 250 and 300gr SW/SSTs.

I decided to try 110 vs. 100gr of BH209 with the 200gr Shockwave. Also went with some Federal 209As as well just because I hadn't tried them yet. I normally wouldn't change two variables at once but I'm glad I did because I cut my average group size in half! I shot 3 groups with this combo. .75", .79", and .80". Needless to say that is more than sufficient for me(for now) and while shooting those groups I adjusted the scope so that I'm sighted in with this load.



Clocked in at 1964 fps before a stray sabot destroyed my make-shift, plastic chrono shield and put a hole in the Chrony.