grain choice
01-21-2010, 08:25 AM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
100 grains is a very good load. Granted people shoot magnum loads, but if you are getting good accuracy with 100 grains, keep that in your mind as a good load, and then have fun experimenting with other loads.
01-21-2010, 08:26 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,445
100 grains of powder is "enough". Your gun may prefer less or more with a given bullet for best accuracy.
I shoot 100 gr of loose pyrodex and 350 gr Hornady FPBs in my in-line. This is a 125-150 yd load for deer. I keep saying I'll try BH209, but I have to burn through my pyrodex first. At my current rate of less than 10 shots per year, it will take a while.
I shoot 100 gr of loose pyrodex and 350 gr Hornady FPBs in my in-line. This is a 125-150 yd load for deer. I keep saying I'll try BH209, but I have to burn through my pyrodex first. At my current rate of less than 10 shots per year, it will take a while.
01-21-2010, 08:30 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Northern Chautauqua Co. N.Y.
Posts: 2,976
100gr's is plenty enough in any ML. What kind of powder are you using? Grain amount should be determined by accuracy over distance IMO. If your Encore is shooting fine with that load than leave it alone. If your not happy with your groups go a little less and see what happens. I found that anything over 105-110gr's of powder you start to loose accuracy.
(BP)
(BP)
01-21-2010, 08:39 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Crescent Valley, NV
Posts: 2,271
You are not going to believe this, but 100 grains of powder is more than enough powder, especially for deer. I shot my 600 lb cow elk in 2009 with 90 grains of Goex 2f and a 385 grain Hornday Great Plains. That was about a 100 yard shot, and I found the bullet on the off side right under the hide. It weighed 375 grains recovered. In 2005 I shot one with 80 grains and a 370 grain T/C. That was a 450 lb cow. I did not recover that bullet, it hit the spine and broke up.
Take that for what it's worth.
Marcial
Take that for what it's worth.
Marcial
01-21-2010, 08:50 AM
#8
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
My Knight with 250 Shockwaves doesn't like 100grs, it likes 90...That does the job nicely...Remember the 45/70??? It used 70gr of black powder and killed many a buffalo...The original bullet was 405 grains...
In my .54 flintlock, I use 80grs of FFF Goex...
In my .54 flintlock, I use 80grs of FFF Goex...
01-21-2010, 11:10 AM
#9
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,585
Accuracy is king and each gun is an individual. There is one way to find what is best in your particular gun.
Take several bullets in each grain weight you like and try them with several sabots
start with 90 gr and go up the the max your gun will handle pick out the best target then try 5 gr each side of that make sure you mark the load bullet and sabot on each target. You may already know this but the sabots come in different lengths and thickness of petal, finding the right one for you bullet is important it needs to be tight enough so the bullet can not slip when the rifling spins it yet loose enough so you can load it with out pounding on it. Lee
Take several bullets in each grain weight you like and try them with several sabots
start with 90 gr and go up the the max your gun will handle pick out the best target then try 5 gr each side of that make sure you mark the load bullet and sabot on each target. You may already know this but the sabots come in different lengths and thickness of petal, finding the right one for you bullet is important it needs to be tight enough so the bullet can not slip when the rifling spins it yet loose enough so you can load it with out pounding on it. Lee
Last edited by lemoyne; 01-22-2010 at 12:14 PM.