I’ve owned 4 muzzleloaders over the last 15 years and have progressed to the “modern” inline version like most people, but I have come to miss shooting the traditional round ball over 60 to 90 grains of powder. I’m shooting a TC Encore with a 1:28 twist and not to surprisingly it shoots round balls either bad, horrible, or worse depending on the powder charge.

I’m considering purchasing another Encore barrel from Fox Ridge with a 1:48 twist. Do you think it’s worth it? How well do you think this barrel will shoot a round ball? I know it’s best to use even a slower 1:66 twist, that’s why I’m asking.

Are you folks aware of any other Encore barrel manufacturers that offer a round ball shooting barrel? From a dollars and cents standpoint, should I just buy another gun? Thanks for your input.

Round balls seem to shoot best out of fast twist barrels with very low powder charges - like 50 grains. If you are going to build a special barrel just for roundball hunting, I think I would go with the 66". The only thing a 48" twist will give you is the additional option of using heavy conicals, and the 28" you have now will do that pretty well. Roscoe

Then save your money on another Encore barrel. You have one of the finest muzzleloading rifles on the market. Get yourself something traditional to shoot. Check out http://www.dnrsports.net/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DSC&Cat egory_Code=muzzleloaders D&R Sports. Look at some of the Lyman Trade Rifles or Great Plains Rifles. I would also recommend the .54 caliber which is one of my favorite calibers. You might also want to look into the flintlock aspect of the rifle and really get some enjoyment out of shooting the rifle. It is a whole new challenge. Another nice rifle if money is not a factor is a Thompson Center Hawkins Flintlock Big Bore in .58 caliber from FoxRidge Outfitters. Then you have a rifle that you can do it all with.

Your Encore 1:28" rifling will shoot PRB's, but you will not be able to push them too fast without"stripping the rifling". However,plenty fast enough for small game and targeting fun though with surprising accuracy.

Here's how: .490 roundball, .018" Lubed Ticking patch (tight fitting, if too tight for you, then switch to a .015" lubed cotton patch), and a wonderwad. Not knowing what powder you are using you will want to stay around 35-60gr 3FG and 40-70gr 2FG.

Or for large game hunting loads, the Fox Ridge with a 1:48 twist barrel will shoot PRB's very well. It's the exact same spec bore as the T/C Hawken. In fact, you will use the same PRB as noted above, except you will be able to load heavier hunting loads with the slower 1:48" rifling.

You could go the route of another ML but that would be up to you.

.002

Thanks for all the suggestions folks. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Wish I could afford the Encore barrel with the 1:48 twist and the traditional rifle with the 1:66 twist.

When I first started out shooting muzzleloaders 18 years ago, I was always told that the minimum powder grain charge was the equivalent to the caliber you were shooting; shooting a 50 cal would mean that you couldn't shoot anything less than 50 grains of powder. Surprised that some of you more experienced guys are suggesting shooting 35 and 40 grains out of a 50 cal!! Learn something new every day I guess. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Glad I discovered this site. I can see myself lurking around here more than I probably should, but hey, better than watching the boob tube eating chips I guess.

actually those light loads and a roundball make an excellent small game load. When you hunt small game with a muzzleloader it is head shooting you're doing anyway, so a lot of power is not needed. When you work up a short load as we call them around here, we pick out a squirrel or bunny and let fly. It is a great way to hunt. Even if you do not get as many as you might with a shotgun or scoped .22 caliber rifle....

Man, chasing squirrels with a tamed down 50 cal short load? That can only improve a guy's hunting / shooting abilities. Count me in; we have plenty of red squirrels in eastern NYS constantly trying to run the greys into the next county. During archery season, I been busted countless times by the reds yippin' and buzzin' once they spotted me sitting in their living room.

Cayugad, what do you think the effective range would be for a 50 cal PRB pushed by 35 or 40 gr? By effective, I mean how far before the PRB starts falling into the basement?

-Hunter John

Hunter John

Please disregard the "New Gun" and the "low powder charge" replies for a second and see my post here:

http://forum.hunting.net/asppg/tm.asp?m=968023&mpage=1&key=&#968418

Today, I took my oldest daughter out for her first go at Muzzleloading and she loved it!

I also tried my round ball formula with a whopping 120 grains of FFFg APP!![][]

Still accurate out to 75 yards, 1.5 inch groups And I dare say that .440 round ball was SMOKING!!!!

My loading procedure is like this:

1. Powder

2. Empty Sabot, and compress powder load. Using just the blunt end of the ramrod.

3. Drop RB down the barrel.

4. Press RB into sabo, with the blunt end of ramrod.

5. Cap and fire!


Don't knock it till you try it.

Buying a new 1-60ish twist roundball rifle that's not Spanish-made will cost you more thanmost inlines. A new T/C Renegade is around $380. The Hawkens is around $469. The Lyman Great Plains is around $400. Even the Spanish Traditions Kentuckyor shorterTennessee are around $300.

"Most" 1-48" twists will shoot higher grain roundball charges well out to around 50-75 yards. A 1-60ish twist will go to 100 yards & beyond.

That Encore barrel may not be dependable past 75 yards. They are not cheap either. Another option would be to buy a used T/C Renegade or Hawkens at an auction site like Gunbroker.com or AuctionArms.com -- then buy an new aftermarket roundball drop-in barrel for it for around $159 at trackofthewolf.com.

we've shot snowshoe rabbits out to 40 yards with the short loads. Whether it was luck or not hard to say. I popped some red squirrels in the top of a black cherry tree on afternoon just to see if I could do it with my Knight.