Loads for a 45 cal Encore
 

What do you have the best luck with? I shot Powerbelts with 777 exclusively. Not anymore, I'm sick of all the work in between shots. I want something a bit more consistent. I'm not set on anything yet, powder or bullets. What do you recommend? thanx in advance--->Roger

I'd suggest starting with either 777 FFFG or BH209 as a powder. As for projectile, I would try the 200 grain XTP and 200 grain SST or Shockwave. These bullets tend to be pretty accurate in many different .45 rifles. As for your Encore, it's hard to say what it will prefer, but I would start with 80 grains of your choice of powder and work your way up in 5 grain increments. I've noticed with my .45, 5 grains of powder can make a big difference in accuracy. It took me a long time to find the right load for mine, but once I did it shot very accurately and consistently when I did my part.

Best of luck!

thanx for your input! I was leaning towards Shockwaves as they are made by T/C. In my 50 all i have ever shot were Hornadays

What do you think about Clean shot, or Pioneer powders?

IMHO the very best Ascorbic Acid based powder for the money is still Goex Pinnacle 3Fg Loose powder (Made by Pioneer Powder).

For 22-24 bucks you can get a whole pound of powder. You should put a 2x2 inch Silica Gel(dessicant) pack in the can to keep it bone dry (this goes for all BP subs).

Pinnacle(All Pioneer Powder) is very forgiving, so use as much as you need, to get the speed you desire, without going over your owners manual limit.:biggrin:

APP likes to be very FIRMLY compressed, to give the best results:s1:

Don't waste your time with APP "EZ Loads" Or "Sticks", cause they give very erratic down-range results:s6:

The only crappy thing is around here its tough to anything besides 777 or pyrodex. I've thought alot about Pinnacle. I hope to find it! thanx for the info Lane

There's nothing wrong with sticking with 777 - it's my favorite powder. I know a lot of guys swear by BH209 but I just can't justify the price, considering I can get 777 for around $15 a pound on clearance. I don't have any personal experience with Pioneer Poweders, but I'm sure Lane is giving good advice here.

If you stick with 777 I would recommend trying FFFG if you can find it- it's always been more accurate for me, produces less crud ring, and gives higher velocities with the powder charges most people use. Personally I don't like Pyrodex- it's very dirty and produces lower velocities.

Not a thing wrong with Pyrodex. Very consistent and a very reliable powder. I'd try some Pyrodex P and see how it does. Get an assortment of primers and take 3 shots with each brand of primers.

what is your between shot routine? How well are you cleaning the bore?

I use 777 with Hornady 240 gr hollow points w/ no problem whatsoever in my past 50 cals. I swabbed the barrel every third shot... It certainly makes a difference...

The only thing with 777 and sabots I've found, is that you usually do need to swab the bore between shots. When I shot Powerbelts, I could get away with shooting 3 - 5 times without swabbing. What I normally do is take my ramrod with jag, and run a wet patch (either spit patch, or soaked with Windex) through the barrel, then I run a dry patch. Then reload and shoot. This makes sure that no crud ring builds up, and keeps the accuracy.

However, when I'm out hunting, if I shoot- I reload right away without swabbing. This has worked fine- accuracy is still good for the 2nd shot.

Pyrodex is a good powder, and accurate - I just don't like it because of the clean up issues you have with it, plus it has a little less ooompf than 777.

with powerbelts did you ever problems with copper fouling? My accuracy went to heck, I used to shoot 150 grains 777 and 195 powerbelts. Fantastic accuracy(3-4" at 200 yards, really). I havent shot much the last couple of years as my acc went way downhill. So I started over from scratch with 777 grain wise. It never dawned on me until a c few months ago maybe it was copper fouling. So I picked up a copper fouling cleaner. And scrubbed, and scrubbed,aned scrubbed. I kept getting the blue foam, so I kept scrubbing. I was a very long couple nights before I got clean foam out of it. I have yet to shoot it to check accuracy.

Does this make sense? Or am I just pipedreaming?

jesshodgie, I guess it could be copper fouling. Powerbelts are lead with a thin copper plating on the outside. If you were shooting 150 grains 777 with a light powerbelt, I could see how some of the copper plating might be stripped off and stay in the barrel. It's never happened to me, but I guess if you shoot enough and don't clean out the fouling it could mess up your accuracy. The only way to be sure is to make sure the barrel is completely cleaned out, then go to the range and try it out.

If you want to stick with powerbelts though, I'd recommend using a heavier one (275 grains) and using less powder- you shouldn't have problems with fouling and they should perform better on game.

But if you really want high performance, I'd try out the 200 grain Shockwave/SST - if you can get them to shoot accurately (which they do in most rifles) you can push those really fast and they'll still perform great and shoot flat. Plus you don't have to worry about copper fouling- though you do need to clean it to get the plastic sabot remnants out.

I was rally convinced I need the fastest bullet I could get for a while. I stepped back to 105 grains of 777, and had fair accur at best. But was the most consistent of the charges I messed with. I started at 90 and went to 130 grains.
All I want accurate! Not concerned with chrono anymore. That is why I was asking here. It was so accur when I first got it, that is what I'm looking for. I had the utmost confidense out to 220-240 yards. I shot it ALOT! And it shot incrediblely. Like I said I just want accuracy, no concern for speed. Trying to learn from my headstrong ways.

jesshodgie

I hope someone has indicated to you that SW/SST's are the same bullet made by Hornady...

Well, I might just get a new breech plug, if I were you. If you have shot ALOT, maybe it needs replacing.... and can't hurt anything!

Also, if ya want a real accurate deer stopper in PowerBelts, try Oldsmelhounds advice for the 275g, or the 300g Platinum with just 70g of powder...Man, this just wipes out deer from 20-120yards, and is Very accurate. No need to over drive powerbelts, they are just too soft for high speeds. Just think of them as bullet shaped round balls, and you'll get the picture:s2: