sodaman

Tried out the new stuff yesterday.Encore thumbhole laminate SS,Leupold base ,rings,nikon scope.Started 110gr, app hornady sst45-250,then TC shockwave 250.Another post said they are the same but looking at the sabots they are different.Anyway I didn;t have my best day at the range.Shooting all over with many combinations gr powder,sabots,Went up as hi as 125gr ,No change. I swabed between shots,even pulled the plug to look and all was clean.I'm going to call this shoot barrel break-in and start over. I bought some TC XTP mag ex.240to try also those 200 shockwaves. But I think the heavier stuff might work better as did in my knight.The short pistol bullets didn't work in the knight but I'll try(Tc xtp240).Buy the way the rest was solid and the scope never moved .In conclusion the APP is the cleanest I've tried,the only remaining fouling was near the plug and easily cleaned when plug was out.When I get it dialed in I'll report on the consistancy of App .

cayugad

I would not get too excited by my first outing. Many times just the fact your out with a new rifle learning how to address the rifle and all the other things that come into play, can really make a difference on your accuracy.

I am kind of surprised that the Shockwaves and SST's did not perform better for you. When I shoot them and swab between shots I get excellent accuracy. Well there is always the next trip to the range. Good luck with your rifle.

Roskoe

Sodaman - you might go out and shoot up about 20 lead conicals - like Buffalo bullets or Maxi-balls - without cleaning between shots - just to break in the barrel. I have seen a number of guns not shoot too well initially with the sabot rounds, and shoot them pretty well after little break in. Good luck. Roskoe.

DocHunter

I got an Encore 209x50 several years ago and became very frustrated with its total lack of accuracy beyond 50 yards with almost every load in the T/C manual. Bullets would literally often fail to hit a 4' x 4' target holder at 100 yards after grouping reasonably well at 50 yards. After a lot of frustration, trial and error, and finally some good advice from a forum like this, I was put in contact with Precision Rifle Custom Muzzleloading Bullets ([email protected]). I was advised to try their 300 gr. ballistic tipand 330 gr. hollow-pointbullets. Without changing anything else about my loads, those two bullets would both group within 2-3 inches at 100 yards from my gun. From my experience, conversations with the excellent staff at Precision ..., and others' experience related in on-line forums, it seems that many of the muzzleloaders with faster twists, such as the Encore, prefer longer, heavier bullets. I have found that the Barnes 300 gr. bullets also shoot well from my gun.

Triple Se7en

Did you use a tough solvent to remove all the packing grease in the barrel? Using "blackpowder" cleaners won't cut it.

A box or two of conicals to shoot is a great suggestion also. Alway tighten the stockscrew nearest the trigger guard securely/nice & snug also. Try to snug itwith the same repetition ever time.

Start with 80 grains of powder. Once you established a good 3-shot group under 100 grains -- then try more powder. I'll bet using the sabots you described, your best groups will be between 80-100 grains. Also try a different plastic sabot. Buy a 50-pk of Harvesters with those bullets.

Let us know how you make out.

sodaman

I cleaned the barrel as usual,not much in there from factory.But you got me thinking Triple Se7en. Any one out there ever tried using simple green .Man that stuff sure does a job on the black streaks on my camper.It cleans everything I've used it on.

cayugad

I use Simple Green as a primary cleaner in my muzzleloaders. After all the fowling is removed, a few solvent patches to make sure no plastic or copper is building up, and with a few dry ones, I'm ready to oil almost.

Simple Green works real good for a lot of stuff....