Best Elk and Deer loads for Pro Hunter 209x50

[Hounddog]

Wife just surprized me with a new Pro Hunter in realtree camo!  Never shot in lines before always center and rimfire.  Any suggestions an help is appreciated.  Now I just have to buy the matching SS 7mm Rem Mag barrel and some scopes and mounts......
 

[BNoz01]

The Encore muzzleloader has an extremely fast twist, designed for saboted bullets.  If you're not shooting saboted bullets (they are illegal here in CO), then try Power Belt bullets.  You will be amazed at their accuracy!

B. Noz.

[Grumulkin]

Buy a bunch of sabots and then use 44 caliber handgun bullets in them.  Jim Shockey's powder sticks are a product that lives up to the ad hype; you can shoot a bunch without cleaning the barrel.

[Hounddog]

BNoz01 and Grumulkin,
  Thanks for the responses.  My research had led me to believe that sabots were the way to go but wasn't exactly sure.  I knew that either Knight or CVA used the belted bullets.  I had read some about Pyrodex pellets but didn't know that Jim Shockey's company made anything but loose powder form.  I'll have to start recording his show on the Outdoor channel now to keep up with bpowder.
Hounddog

[james]

If you use the Power Belts for elk, I would use at least the 405 gr.  I have shot deer with the 295 and they came apart when they hit a bone.  The shots were close (20 yds. or less) and it did drop the deer in its tracks. I don't think you would get the penetration necessary for elk.   I have taken several elk using the 385 gr. Hornady great plains bullet in a TC Hawken  but it is not as accurate as the power belt in my Encore.

[Hounddog]

James,
  Thanks, I'm thinking I'll start out testing the new Barnes TMZ sabot setup in both 250 and 290 gr varieties in front of 100 gr of Hodgdon 777 and go from there.

[kudzu]

Hounddog, Does your wife have a sister !!!!

I would stay away from the power belts, exspecially for elk.  The barnes you spoke of is a good place to start along with the TC bonded bullets. I would say that a 250 gr bullet would work fine for elk being as you can get your MV up a little.

Just as a footnote, I have had better luck with the loose powders over the pellets. Also i weight out my loads by weight instead volume. After doing this my groups in my TC thunderhawk went from 11/2 at 100 to under 3/4 at same. If you want to shoot 100gr by vol., measure out several loads , then weight on scales and average out. Also with the loose powders you can twink your load easier.

Good luck ,DM

[Hounddog]

dancoman,
  Thanks for the tip on the powder measuring.  I have done a little more reading and looks like the loose grain powder performs a little better than pellets in every balliistic test article I read so.....looks like loose grain it is....

[alsaqr]

"Buy a bunch of sabots and then use 44 caliber handgun bullets in them.  Jim Shockey's powder sticks are a product that lives up to the ad hype; you can shoot a bunch without cleaning the barrel"

i totally agree on the .429 (.44) bullets.  They have better ballistic co-efficiency and sectional density than the .45 caliber bullets do.      Have killed three deer and a lot of hogs with 90 grains of Jim Shockey Gold granular and the 250 grain SST sabots.  All were bang flops except for one deer. 

[swampthing]

I like the LBT "style" hardcasts from www.prbullet  they are saboted .45cal, 335g or so, with a .340" meplat. They group one ragged hole at 50 using peep sights. I use them with 60g of ffg 777 from my 20" Katahdin .50cal. for 1250fps or so.  I still have another 40 or so grains of powder I can use if I happen to see a cape buffalo or polar bear out back, but I find it unnecessary with these bullets.

[NOLA]

I see you use 60g of  777 ffg what is the lightest load Possible?
 50g of 777  ffg would it work?

[swampthing]

I've used 50g's. If I remember it was around 1150fps or so, accuracy was the same ragged hole @50yds. One could probably use 40g of 777 ffg and still get 1000fps. with that 335g hardcast

[Lloyd Smale]

my advice is a combination of the above posts. I use sabots and 45 cal bullets. I never got that good of accuracy with the 429s and i tried about every one i could find. I think that its a matter of the thicker sabot needed for the 429s. the sabots allways tended to loose pedals and it effected accuracy. I tried different makers sabots with no better results. I would have liked to use them as I cast a couple neat 44 bullets. So i settled on 45 bullets in mine. All I use is cast handgun bullets as they shoot as well as any jacketed in sabots and they perform better. Most of the bullets used in sabots are pistol bullets and just dont hold up to the velocitys a inline will push them at. My go to load now is a 320 lfn with 90 grains of pistol grade (3f) 777. It will shoot into a inch an a half at a 100 out of my cheap cva. Cast out of lynotype it will penetrate dear at any angle and leaves a real nice wound channel. I havent had a deer take more then two steps after gettting hit by one.

[Hounddog]

Finally got some time to test some loads and sight in the new Pro Hunter.  After sighting it in, made two different three shot groups at 100yds that measured just under and inch C to C!!!!  Was really impressed with the guns performance.  That load was 100grs of 777 and the Hornady 250 gr SST/ML bullet/sabot.  Didn't have time to test my elk setup using the TC 350 gr maxi hunter bullets.  Maybe next time.

[Paparock]

Erased by Paparock

[ms]

I shoot a 300 grain sst  behind two 50 grain pellets it shoot moa.