Well, I finally got to the range Friday to do some experimentation with some new bullets & 3fg Triple 7 powder in my Knight USAK inline rifle. Overall, I can say I was delighted in what I saw and learned, so I' m passing my observations on to ya' ll in the hopes it can help you too. I' ll start off by saying that I' ve been using 2fg Triple 7 for a year now & have been quite pleased with the results...................until today that is (not that this is a bad thing). Let me list some general observations about today' s session of about 50 rds fired at a distance of 50 meters:
1) Precision Rifle makes the best dang muzzleloading bullets in the world - bar none!!
2) If you' re going to use any of the PowerBelt/ Black Belt bullets with 3fg Triple 7, make sure you loosen the powercheck cup on the bullet - even to the point of trimming a little plastic out of the center hole and adding a drop of oil to the connection..............otherwise don' t expect the cup to fall off of the bullet when fired. I shot 9 Black Belts today with 3fg and only 2 cups came off of the 9 rds, drastically affecting accuracy. Accuracy was still good enough for hunting large animals (about 3" groups) - but far short of what you' re about to see.
3) 3fg Triple 7 gives OUTSTANDING accuracy with bullets weighing over 300gr - whether they be HPs, ballistic tips, or flat nose. When shot in comparison to 2fg (same powder charge & bullet) - the 3fg groups were 1/2 the size of the 2fg groups.
4) 2fg Triple 7 gives better accuracy on 300gr bullets (and I' m assuming the same for bullets of under 300gr weight). When using either a PR QT or Hornady XTP in 300gr, the 2fg group was 1/2 the size of the 3fg group.
Go to this link and left click on each photo to see my best targets for the day, complete with the load setting in the captions:
http://community.webshots.com/album/66414501RJKYAr
These loads may or may not work as well for you, depending on your gun - but my 22" , 1:28" twisted barrelled, #11CCI Mag-capped Knight is a happy camper tonight (and the owner feels pretty good too)!
