Finally trying out some WHITE HOTS tonight.

[teddy12b]

Tonight I get to make a quick trip to the range and I'm going to try zeroing my encore 209x50 with the new white hot pellets.  I'm not a big fan of muzzleloaders and the only time I shoot it is to prep it before hunting season. 

I'm going to try winchester triple seven primers and two of the white hot pellets with the following bullets:

Hornady 250gr sabots
Powerbelt 295 hollow points
Powerbelt 338 platinum aerotips


My only goals are to get a consistant grouping load, sight the irons in at 50 yards, and the scope for 100 yards.  Then using the BDC reticle get my drop information out to 200 yards as that's my max shot.

[moto357]

if you plan on shooting an aimal out to 200 yards it wouldn't be a bad idea to do some shooting to make sure your load is somewhere near what your BDC predicts throughout different ranges between 100 and 200

[teddy12b]

if you plan on shooting an aimal out to 200 yards it wouldn't be a bad idea to do some shooting to make sure your load is somewhere near what your BDC predicts throughout different ranges between 100 and 200

That's what I'm planning on doing tonight.  Where I hunt the very max shot I could take is right at 200 yards, so it's an unlikely shot at best.  I have a couple scopes with the bdc or ballistic plex type reticles and I've never seen them be perfect, but I have seen them be either pretty close, or at least have enough marking that you can choose your own aiming point at whatever known distance you are shooting at.  We'll see how the white hots shoot at 100 yards, 200 may not even be an option.

[teddy12b]

**Update**

So I got to the range tonight and it was a rushed trip with little time to spare before nightfall.  I got a little less than 20 rounds through the gun.  I sighted the irons in at 50 yards, and the scope at 100.

Good News:
The white hots went bang every time.
They shot pretty accurately and I'm happy with them.
It did seem like I could load more rounds without having to scrub the barrel between shots.

Bad News:
I don't see how they're much cleaner if at all.
I still had a crud ring like a champ in my encore when I got home.
Didn't get a chance to try longer distances because of time and daylight, but that can wait.

Overall:
It worked, but I don't see anything magical about it.  I'll use up what I have left then go back to the other pellets because they were basically the same thing.  It shot straight, but if I still have to clean and scrub for the rest of the night it's not much of an improvement.  I'd consider it a pellet version of blackhorn 209 with regards to ease of loading another round and the equivalent of 777 pellets when it comes to cleaning. 

Hopefully this will help others who are on the fence about it.

[TRM-1]

From everything I have read they are the same as the triple seven pellets they are just white instead of black. I believe they were a marketing ploy to make the customer think by being white they would be cleaner to shoot. If you have shot the blackhorn powder why wouldn't you stay with it? I know in my guns I wouldn't go back to triple seven. It seems like the blackhorn is getting easier to find in my area and a little cheaper.

[teddy12b]

I like the blackhorn, but I'd rather use pellets if I have a choice in it.  I don't shoot my muzzleloader enough to become an expert in it and I'm really just trying to keep it simple.  It's all pretty much the same thing to me.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

White hots shoot good and accurate but like you, crud ring is still there. I hate swabbing so BH209 is the powder for me.

[bubba]

Now that I have shot blackhorn, I am hooked.  I would tade pellets fo reasier cleaning any day. Pre measure loose oads and carry them. You can reload as fast with premeasured powder than you can with pellets. 

[1sourdough]

 Teddy, Loose powder is nothing to fear. All you have to do is set up a few pre-measured charges before the hunt. Blackhorn was down to $24 at Cabelas the other day. I bet your Encore would do great with B209.

[teddy12b]

Blackhorn does shoot well in my encore, I was just hoping there was something even better.  I have some of each and I'll just be using up what I have starting with the white hots since that's what it's sighted in for now.

[1sourdough]

  Like I said somewhere else, I really like the ability to be able to set the gun down for a day or 2 after shooting B209 & not worry about it. Now I wouldn't want to leave it for a long time but there's deer to hang & food to cook. Even if the gun is already sighted in, a handful of shots & you are go to go again.

[Daman]

The white hots are what CVA recommended for my Optima, but for the price I will shoot Pyrodex pellets or loose over White Hots or BH209.  I really don't see where a few extra minutes cleaning a ML is a big deal and I just got my first one.  I clean all my other rifles after shooting them, so 5 extra minutes did not hurt my feelings.

I guess if you do shoot a lot or shoot right before work or something like that it may matter, but it doesn't matter enough to me to justify the price.

Daman

[bubba]

If you look at price, a container of bh 209 is going to get more shots than a box of pellets.  So per shot, the cost is at the least the same, and at 30 dollars a container for bh 209 at cabelas, and 28 for 100 pellets which is 50 shots, where is the savings. At 80 grains with 209 and a 250 grain bullet mv is almost 1700 fps.  Less powder better performance easier cleaning and in the long run cheaper to shoot.

[Daman]

If you look at price, a container of bh 209 is going to get more shots than a box of pellets.  So per shot, the cost is at the least the same, and at 30 dollars a container for bh 209 at cabelas, and 28 for 100 pellets which is 50 shots, where is the savings. At 80 grains with 209 and a 250 grain bullet mv is almost 1700 fps.  Less powder better performance easier cleaning and in the long run cheaper to shoot.

Hadn't looked at it quite like that. I will have to look at BH209 a little closer.

Daman

[TonyS]

Last question:  Do you like putting your gun in the bathtub?  That would just bother me.  BH209 and some Hoppe's when you need it.

[BIG Dog454]

I tried white hots and am not convinced its any better then T7 or P.D.. Tried BH209 and love it; no swabing between shots easy clean up, no crud ring, and the forth or fifth time you reload, the bullet goes down easy, there's no build up of fouling.  It's as cheap as pellets, I figure that it cost about $.42 per shot.