ENCORE PRO-HUNTER HELP

[TRM-1]

I guess you are set on using the full bore as opposed to the saboted bullets because of the hunting regulations? And I understand if that is the case as it is useless to have a muzzleloader that won't shoot the bullets that are required for the game you are hunting. I used to own a Encore that was made not long after they came out with a .50 caliber muzzleloading barrel and I shot the 370 grain T/C maxihunter bullets out of it using the bore buttons with 100 grains of pryodex and it shot those bullets great. Killed a bunch of deer with it and used it up until I got the prohunter. When I got it I Tried 777 and the 250 grain shockwave. It shot great but was finicky about swabbing and having a clean bore each shot to be as accurate as possible. If You had everything right it easily out shot me. When I tried Blackhorn it was like the gun and powder were made for each other. I Haven't tried any full bore bullets in my prohunter and don't know what to tell you about using them, But if it shoots the sabot bullets good I doubt if a call to T/C or shipping it back to them is going to do any good. I think you are just going to have to invest your time and money to find one that is accurate and still might come up disappointed. I am hoping you find something it likes. Good luck with it and let us know if you find the combination.

[Qualitymilk]

Good point, Grouse.  Every ML has its favorite bullet/powder combo.  But I'm not sure a 3 shot group touching at 50 or 100 yards is necessary to kill deer or any other big game with a 16" vital kill area.

[efremtags]

Sure they are...

[bubba]

Just my two cents here but hey it is worth every penny.  How many people have had success with the first bullet they tried in a gun?  I really think we are expecting too much in one trial.  No two muzzleloaders shoot exactly the same even if they were made consecutively.  I think you need more trilal with different loads to get what your gun likes. 

[Buckskin]

Well it seems my QLA is just fine... Got to shoot my Thor's today and they seem to fly plenty straight.  I'm right about 1" at 50 yards pushing a 115 grain load just for fun.  I'm sure with a little refining I will have a 150 yard elk gun in no time.  Would be nice if I can add 10 or more grains to get a little more velocity.  They ran about 1950 with the 115 load.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

was that T7 or blackhorn209?

Just finished sighting in my Accura @ 100 with 100gr bh209 and the 250gr thor. sweet group once i figured that it wanted to cool down between shots.

[Buckskin]

Sorry about that. 777 and the 250 ballistic tip. I've haven't played with the Blackhorn yet.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

Ahhhhh you are really going to enjoy the Thor's once you try BH209!

[anweis]

If they loaded pretty easy That is most likely the problem. I may be wrong but that blackhorn powder needs to build pressure to shoot good.

That is my opinion exactly.

You have a good rifle, powder, and primers, but you need to switch bullets. If sabots are not an option, try the Thors. 

[Buckskin]

Ahhhhh you are really going to enjoy the Thor's once you try BH209!

So what is the big advantage of the BH?

[Buckskin]

Ok, I did a little research on BH 209.  And it definitely looks like a superior powder to T7 in most areas.  Worth a try.  One question I have is will it fire correctly with my 25 ACP conversion on my encore and if so would there be any advantage to it with the BH?  I do have my original 209 plug.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

use your original plug and find some nice hot primers like the cci 209m or even the remington sts / federal 209a.

BH209 will work beautifully with the Thors. Just make sure that you snug up firmly on the breech plug. I noticed with BH209 if i dont do that, the plug backs out a little to the point where you could remove it with your fingers.

[anweis]

Ok, I did a little research on BH 209.  And it definitely looks like a superior powder to T7 in most areas.  Worth a try.  One question I have is will it fire correctly with my 25 ACP conversion on my encore and if so would there be any advantage to it with the BH?  I do have my original 209 plug.

Well worth the try. I have 1 pound of loose 777 left, and will give it away. The BH 209 is just too perfect to go back to crud and swabbng. Plus, 209 leaves no corrosive residue and is not hygoscopic. Will burn consistently regardless of weather. 

The 209 is hard to ignite. Pistol primers will not work.

I had great success with shotgun primers such as Nobel Sport (inexpensive and reliable)  and Federal - i think the hottest on the market and probably best for BH 209. For cold weather hunting i would use the Federal.

[efremtags]

Update on the Thors. I received a sample pack of the 250gr bullets. They are the same length as the 350Gr FRBs. A couple of observations between the 2 bullets:

The Thors have a thinner wall on the cup at the bottom and a deeper groove, I guess because of the all Cu construction. They are also more consistent in dia. when measured with a caliper.

The FRBs have two walls joined to form the cup sandwiching the lead core. When measuring a FRB in a caliper and rotating it, it is noticeably out of round by .003-.004".

After mounting a 10x scope on my gun, I shot 2 rounds of the reference sabot load, both shots were touching. I then shot 3 shots of the FRB, they were abut 3.5" group @ 65yards. The bullet did not group with the reference load, it was about 2" off.

I then loaded the .503 and .502" Thors, neither would chamber. I then loaded the .501" THor. It was a little tighter than the FRB, but not much. It shot to the same point as the sabot reference load. I then loaded the .500 Thor, it also grouped with the other 3 shots.

I think I am going to buy a couple of pack of the .501" Thors. They seem to be ok, but there were too few shots to come to a conclusion. The fact it shot to the same point of aim as my sabot and grouped makes me optimistic.

I did note it takes about 5-shots to plug the flash hole where day light can't be seen. I used a drill bit if I could not see light out of it. I was also very careful to apply a lot of seating pressure at the end of the load.

I don't think the issue is QLA or the powder at this point. I think it is a simple case of needing to explore a few different bullets until my gun says it like it. I think I am 90% of the way there.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

Glad they are doing the job well for you! Thats what important, getting a load thats consistent from 1 shot to the next.

I did this yesterday with powerbelts @ 100 yards. 6 shots total on the left


Then i also did this @ 200 yards! That low shot was my fault as i did not allow any cool down time


Just trying new things along with patience, Everything will come together sooner or later. Hopefully will be able to shoot 200 yards again next week off my new Caldwell rest.

[okieshooter]

I know accuracy is important but I shot shockwaves for 2 years as did the other guys in my camp. We killed deer but would have no blood trail, at best a drop or 2 every 10-20 yards. This year I shot Barnes bullets and you could see the blood trail 20 yards before you got to it.  I could tell it was a good lung shot because about half of it was laying where I shot along with chunks of rib. Every one else still had trouble finding their deer except the one guy that borrowed bullets from me. I have not shot groups but they are minute of deer for sure. The blood trail is more important to me than a 1" group when I am shooting an 8" kill zone.

[efremtags]

neither of the loads mentioned are Colorado legal.