t/c encore 25 06

[namvet]

Hi all, I don't know if this is the right place to ask this question but I'll try. I have a new 25 06 t/c encore 15" barrel that I would like to try out. Trouble is I can't find any load data to make up some ammo. I know alot of people don't like to post load data but where else can anyone get data for the encore. All of the t/c load data books I can find  are only for the contender. I have alot of rifle data but am not sure if I should use it. I'm looking for some help on what weight bullets people found stabilize the best in a 15" barrel and what weight of what powders have the best groups. I have been reloading for over 20 years so my goal is to tune my loads to shoot the best in a particular gun. If someone can give me alittle help with min and max loads and what works best for them I'm sure I can take it from there. I'll thank you in advance. namvet

[Grumulkin]

The place to start is with the rifle data.  Intuition would lead one to believe that the faster powders would work better in a shorter barrel but this isn't necessairly so.  The Hornady and Barnes manuals I use (among others) frequently give the names of the powders they had the best success with; those are the ones I would start with.

If you call T/C, they'll tell you the twist rate of your barrel.  Bullet boxes I've gotten from Hornady show the twist rate the needed to stabilize the bullets.  Since velocity will be lower than in a rifle, I would try lighter bullets at least initially but you may find that heavier bullets will stabilize as well.

The Hornady manual also lists many loads that were worked up in Encore handguns (I don't know if the 25/06 is one of them).  It could at least give you an idea of what powders they thought useful in similarly sized cases.