BS

"I swab between shots and shoot once every 5 minutes."

A couple of questions about your loading technique, do you dry swab, spit patch, or .......between shots?

2.Load your sabot into a dry barrel?

3. Use a fouling shot to start shooting with?

My 54 likes a lubed barrel to start with and keep all the shots together. I don't like to use a fouling shot because I have to clean my gun daily. When hunting I will leave it loaded all season. Just need to swab the barrel with Wonder Lube every two days to keep her shooting in the same place. Took many a shot to figure this out!

I try to keep an open mind, just cause it works for me, doesn't mean that it will work for you.

Always looking for new ways and ideas!

Thanks,
No-BS

G2 Shooter

BS,

Here is my loading technique:

I do not shoot a fouling or primer shot.

I load the sabot into a dry barrel.

In between shots I use a wet patch on both sides. I run it down once and then flip it over. I usually use an over the counter solvent or one of the Windex concoctions. Then I run two dry patches on both sides. This leaves my barrel dry again.

I usually shoot once every 5 minutes just because it takes a while to look at my shot, swab the barrel, reload and then shoot again. I'm not in a race to see how many shots I can get off although I might shoot faster if the wife calls and wants me home.

I couldn't have said it better.

RedAllison

G2 do us a favor and email or post your results with those 200s if you shoot anything over 150yds with them this fall, please? I am curious about them myself. In my Savage I shoot the 300SSTs simply because they still produce over 1k ft pds of energy at 300yds whereas the 250s dont. BUT I have several buddies that shoot 250s in their Savages and have killed at 300yds. My theory with large caliber, slow moving bullets has about become that sheer energy isn't as important as penetration. If I knew for sure that the 200s would still penetrate completely through a broadside buck at 300yds I would switch too them in an instant.

Thanks, that's good shootin and good luck,
RA

[email protected]

G2 Shooter

Red,

I'll keep you guys posted. I have one tract of public land that would allow me to shoot a deer at 300+ yards if I could. I doubt if that will happen though. It's seems like the deer only go out in the field when I have my bow. All of the other land I hunt, the shots would be much closer than 100 yards. It's just too thick around here. I'm interested to know how they perform past 100 yards myself. Good luck this season.

ahankster

I can't speak for the 200 grainers, but I shot 4 w/ the 250 grainers this year. All were from 120 to 150 yards. Two were broadside and were complete pass throughs.

One was quartering towards me at about 130 yards, normally a shot I wouldn't take but it was a cull buck and we needed to get him out of the herd. Shot in the left front shoulder with a 250 grain SST w/ 120 grains of 777. The bullet went in the front of the shoulder, went through heart and one lung then a mess of innards through the right hip and came to rest just under the skin. He trotted off about 20 yards and fell in a heap. The bullet retained about 90% of it's weight and was a perfect mushroom and measures about 7/8ths inch in diameter. I would consider this about perfect performance.

The second recovered bullet was from the same load. This wasa pretty good sized doe, also a cull, at 120 yards. Another shot I would not normally make, but it was the last 10 mins of the last day of the season and my 7 year old was really on me to take it. Just as the light was fading, she turned towards the shoothouse and was head down eating some clover. She just wouldn't move from that position. So, with just a few mins left in legal shooting time, I put the cross hairs below her neck between the shoulder blades, right on her spine and squeezed the shot off. When the smoke cleared, she was on her back with all four legs straight up in the air. The bullet hit exactly where aimed, then went on between the lungs, the rest of the deer and came to rest just under the skin on one of her buttcheaks. This bullet, while not perfectly mushroomed lost about 15% of it's weight and looked like half the mushroom was broken off. My guess is from the bones in the spine.

Overall, with respect to penetration, ballistics and accuracy, the SST is, right now, the best of the best.
R
Hank

NVMIKE

I can say that my neighbor broke the trigger ass. on his optima( admittedly by his own stupidity)and they replaced it free of charge, also he needed it right away and they sent it airmail. He also shot the berrel out of his old CVA kit rifle (simply shot thousands of rounds over 15+ yrs)and sent it in to have the new barrel put on and they replaced it for free also. So I would say they have good customer service based on that. He also can hit paper plate sized targets all day at from 0-250yds all day every day so I also think that they shoot fine. Not to say that the encore isnt better, but I think that the optima is a good one also to gain the faith of a guy who's been at it for 25yrs. I haven't heardANY bad about the encore, but I have SEEN the results of a optima.

HighDesertWolf

BLAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!!! what the???? thats like trying to compare a KIA to a Cadillac.................. I own CVA's but would much rather own a Encore anyday its faaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!!! better then any CVA.

J Bolt 7mm

Available barrels for the Optima, optima pro, new frontier beartooth Magnum, and a new CVA but forgot its name: .270. 30.06, .243 and one other. Also another member of the site said there is a 12Guage barrel comming out. These barrels will be less than half the price of the TC barrels.

RandyWakeman

The Encorea far better built and tested gun, from the dual locking lugs to the action that can accept a .375 H & H barrel. There really is no comparison is quality of materials, quality of assembly, warranty, an design parameters.

That they hold their value so well is testimony to their longevity and durability.

herman

G2 great groups you have there.I wouldn't worry about any one bashing your loads.If they work for you that is all that matters.
When I use my encore I use the 200 sst or Sw also,and both will shoot in the same hole @100 yds when having a good day.At first I was using the barnes 195 ,shot a 17 in 8 pt at 70 yds ,didn't find the deer untill a few days later,was no hair or blood at the spot,figured the bullet didn't open up.
When the sst's came out switched to them and they shoot the same as the barnes.I use the pyo select powder because it is cheaper and I shoot a lot.Can use 100 to 115 grs and they still group the same.
Shot one with the sst year before last,don't remember the yardage but was less than 100 yds,hit it behind the shoulder it ran a few yards before pilling up, but what impressed me was that there was blood splatered on trees 10 yds behind where the deer was standing.
Have a ruger 77/50 it will shoot about any bullet I put in it but used a 185 gr nosler for a few years in it.Atclose rangeit would just about take a deers head off.shot 7 in a row with it all head shots out to 75 yds.The fartherest I took one with the ruger was 125 yds.Shot it in the white spot on its throat.
Haven't shot it in years,need to get it out and shoot it some.
Did have a knight disc in 45 cal,the fartherest I took one with it was 175 yds using a PB 225 gr and 110 grs of pyro-select.
Last year used a savage to hunt with use a 250 gr sst or sw in it ,couldn't get the lighter bullets to shoot using smokeless.Took one running @65yds,one @50 yds in the head,and one @234 yds behind the shoulder,all dropped.
So the lighter bullets do as good as the big bullets,if your rifles shoots them.