ahankster

I would try 777 loose powder before getting too concerned. Many people tend to load sabots short or try to compact the pellets, causing crushing and inconsistant shots. I would also start around 100 grains and work up in increments of 5 or 10 grains. You will find a sweet spot for sure.

The QLA could be the problem. But, I tend to think not. There were some bad barrels out there a few years ago, but I suspect that the problem has been fixed. I cut mine off and I think it helped a tad, but not all that much.

My gun likes 110 grains of 777 and a 250 grain shock wave. Shoots cloverleafs at 100 yards. As long as it is cold. Tends to string vertically after the second shot on days warmer than about 60 degrees. You will most likely get better accuracy out of loose powder, most people do.

A couple of mistakes I see newcomers to muzzle loading make. First is they shoot shot after shot not letting the barrel cool. A muzzy gets hot fast and on a hot day, gets very hot, very fast. Sabots, being made of plastic tend to act differently in a hot barrel than a cold one. Give the barrel time to cool, then after you "think" you have it sighted in, shoot it a day later with a very cool barrel. Of course, if it is a very cool day when shooting, not as big a problem.

Another is swabbing. Some guns shoot better with a little "dirty" barrel. Maybe your gun does or does not. Mine shoots best with a little soot. If I have really cleaned it, before I load to hunt, I pop a couple of caps and then spit patch/dry patch it. Right back to zero. What ever you swab with, spit, cleaner, glass cleaner, etc, do it the same exact way between each shot. I do two spit patches both sides followed by a dry patch, both sides, then reload. I see some people trying to lube the barrel with bore butter or use some cleaning, lube product between shots. I only clean after extended shooting or every other week or so. Then pop a couple of primers and lightly patch the barrel before reloading.

Primers make a big difference. The biggest waste of money (ON MY GUN) was the 777 primers. Total waste. Regular winchester or Rem primers work fine.

Consistant seating pressure is also key. Jamming it home once and then loading to a set mark the next time is a sure way to introduce innacuracy in your loads. Try to seat the sabot about the same every time.

Check for loose scope mounts. Last year, all of a sudden my gun started shooting all over the place. I chased my tail for a week thinking I had bad powder, sabots or primers. Till I found a stripped screw that was allowing the scope to wiggle a tad. Muzzys, especially with magnum loads, kick pretty hard. They can be hard on scopes and mounts.

The washer trick and trimming the forearm stock is right on. I used leather washers when setting mine up four years ago. Made a difference then for sure. Still working today.

Just some ideas. The encore is a great gun. Some have growing pains I admit, but many other guns do as well.
Hank