209 x 50 power belts, what weight?

[gunracer]

Hi, I've been reading this group for a few months but this is my first post.

I just got a Encore 209 x 50 and hope to use it for deer season. I would like to use power belts and 777 pellets if they will group. My shots will be less than 100 yards where I'm hunting. My question is what weight power belts shoot the best with the Encore's twist rate? 245's and 295's are the choices that are in the stores around here. I've been hunting with patched roundballs for quite a few years but this will be my first  time with an inline.

[longwinters]

I would go with the 295's.  I am sure that either would do the trick, but people do tend to go with the heavier ones around here.

long

[stonewall]

I don't have any experience w/ the powerbelts, but thought you might like to know I have the same gun and have been getting excellent results at 100 yards  with T/C's SHOCKWAVE 250grn. I use 3, 777 pelets. If you like the powerbelts, please post your results. anyway just thought i put in my 2 cents! KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY!!!

[whitetailhunter]

stonewall what kind of groups you getting?  And what breech plug you using?

Thankds Whiteltail

[onesonek]

Mine did quite well with the 295's.  My bro-inlaw used the 245's, with similar results in his Encore. But I felt better about 1/4ing away shots with 295's, if needed.

[slatecaller]

I shoot the 295 gr  in my Encore with 100 gr of 777 and they group great.

[stonewall]

whitetailhunter, Using a bench rest sight vice, 1 1/2 inch common===sometimes  better. I have what most people call the type 3 breech plug w/ the shelf, but i also have the older style plug and have not found much difference with either as far as accuracy goes. KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY!!!

[Ranger413]

I have an Encore 209X50 and haven't had a chance to shoot the powerbelts thought it yet.  I settled on the Hornady XTP 300 grainers over 100 grains of loose Triple 7.  I was getting 2" groups at 100 yards which was plenty good for me.  

To top it all off I just killed an 8-point buck yesterday, Arkansas' opening day of early muzzleloader season.  The bullet entered the front of the left shoulder and exited the left side.  Deer was quartering toward me.  When the deer was gutted, both lungs and the heart were mush.  At the taxidermist's I was able to get a little more info on the bullet performance.  After the deer was skinned I saw that the entrance hole was a perfectly round hole and the exit wound was about the size of a golf ball on the opposite site.  There was a piece of the jacket (one petal) and a cunk of lead lodged in the hide at the exit site.  

The deer dropped on the spot, which is what I was after.  I intended on going with shoulder shots this year instead of the traditional lung shots.  I'm red-green colorblind so tracking a deer is not my favorite pastime, especially with no snow to help.  That's why I went with a heavier bullet.  I'd go with something around the 300 grain range if you can.  Little better penetration if you end up having to pass through bone or more of the animal, such as my quartering shot.

Ranger413

[Mace]

My boy and I each shot a buck here in Iowa within the past 2 weeks. We used 100 grains of 777 powder and a 295 grain hollow point Powerbelt bullets. This setup was deadly at the range and both deer died within 50 yards where shot. The negative part is on both deer we recovered the bullet from the opposite of the deer. I would guess 1/3 of the bullet had fragmitted. This and the fact that there was no exit wound left me a little disappointed.

[billy]

I use 245 grain power belt and 100 gr. of proydex.My encore will group 1.5 at 100 yards, very happy with it.