Encore loads
 

this weekend i broke down and bought an encore. don' t have much money left over to try a bunch of different bullet and powder combinations.

it would be greatly appreciated if you folks could provide me with some suggestions on what bullet/powder loads you have found to work the best with your encore rifles.

thanks.

RE: Encore loads
 

jroot you didn' t say what cal. you bought 45 or 50. I have the TC Encore 209X50, I shoot the 50 cal., 240 gr XTP mag sabots that TC sells, I also shoot American Pioneer Powder, in 50 gr sticks. I know others will tell you to use other kinds but this works well for me. I did buy some 50 cal. 250 gr PTX (power tip express) that TC also sells, I haven' t had time to shoot them though, you know us hunters we are always experimenting.

Here' s wishing you sucess with your new toy. Keep in contact and let me know how you like it.

RE: Encore loads
 

my fault ...got the 50 cal.

RE: Encore loads
 

Hey jroot,

I bought an Encore earlier this year and with Powerbelts' reputation, I decided to start with them. The one and only time I' ve shot it so far, I shot about 12 rounds of 295 grain Powerbelts with 100 grains of Pyrodex pellets through it, but only had limited success with this combination. Normally, I am a consistent shot, but I had a difficult time patterning my Encore with the Powerbelts.

The first shot I took with the Powerbelts and 100 grains of Pyrodex kicked like a .22 magnum, which I thought was very odd. The only explanation I could make for this was that the barrel was so clean, the back end of the Powerbelt' s seal couldn' t make a strong seal in the barrel, which caused the gun to " throw" the bullet out of the barrel instead of shooting it. The following shots felt more normal, but the first one was strange... Has anyone else experienced this?

Jroot, I still have about a half pack of the Powerbelts, so I plan to shoot the rest of them in hopes of acheiving better accuracy, but after that I plan to resort to the T/C sabots. I would start with the T/C sabots if I were you.

Jim

RE: Encore loads
 

thanks for the info. i ended up buying some 230 (or close to it) gr powderbelts and some T/C break-away sabots. plan on trying both this upcomming weekend.

the local gun shops really gouge you on bullets but was looking through cabelas and found some good deals on a variety of loads i' ll try as i can. hate to spend a bunch of money on bullets after spending so much on the rifle ...i haven' t even put a scope on it yet.

will keep you posted on what i find shoots the best.

RE: Encore loads
 

Please do. I' ll be interested to hear how it goes... When do you plan on doing some shooting?

RE: Encore loads
 

Jroot,
I have a SS encore 209x50 , and have had great luck with cci 209 primers, 3 hodgdon T7 pellets and a powerbelt 295gr slug.

RE: Encore loads
 

You may want to try the new SST by Hornady or the shock wave from t/c they are a lot cheaper than the power belts.I shot a few of the 250 gr @100 yds and theyshot very well in my encore. I like the 200 gr because they shoot close to the same as my 195 barnes in my encore.Around here the power belts run close to $20 a pack and the hornady @ $9.49 for a pack of 20,the shock wave are the same but only have 15 pack

RE: Encore loads
 

believe it or not but i haven' t been able to shoot my encore yet. i ended up buying some powderbelt bullets, t/c breakaway sabots, and regular t/c sabots.

with any luck i' ll be able to get away during this holiday weekend and see how it shoots. thanks for the input ...will try them out if i don' t get good results.

RE: Encore loads
 

I shoot 250 gr. Barns EXPANDER sabots in front of 3 pyrodex pellets(50grs. each)

Makes a big noise and kicks a bit but they shoot well and kill very well. More like a high velocity rifle round than a traditional smoke pole projectile.

Robin

RE: Encore loads
 

Well Jroot, what' s the verdict? Did you get to burn a few shots through that thing this weekend?

RE: Encore loads
 

Jimbohunter1, no verdict yet ...i spent the entire holiday weekend working. it is killing me that i dumped all that cash weeks ago and haven' t had the chance to shoot it.

leaving on an archery elk hunt this friday so spent what free time i had packing equipment and sighting my bow. i' ll tell you what, trying to keep your gear maintained with the different seasons is proving difficult this year.

will definitly give it a couple shots upon my return, will keep you posted on the results. interested to see how mine shoots and if i' ll have similar problems to those your having.

RE: Encore loads
 

This came up on another thread, but since you asked...
This is the load I worked up for my 209x50 Encore:
3-50/50 pyro pellets
1-220gr. " Dead Center" polymer tipped sabot ( made by Precision Rifle Bullet )
1-Winchester 209 shotgun primer (though I am considering the .410 primer)

With this load I am consistently patterning 1.5 m.o.a.@ 100yds. off of a rest.

Good Luck & Good Hunting

RE: Encore loads
 

Look at all these Marylanders helping each other out. I think I' m gonna shed a few tears, fellas... :D

RE: Encore loads
 

When ever you' re ready to work on those loads...we can let the lead fly. I have a decent range area.

RE: Encore loads
 

mlaubner,
I might take you up on that offer. The only place I have to shoot is at my parents' farm which is two hours away.

Jim

RE: Encore loads
 

When you are ready..." PM" me for details.;)

RE: Encore loads
 

well i finally got a chance to shoot my encore. used 100 gr. of pyrodex pellets and 245 gr powderbelt aero tips.

sighted it in leaning on my buddies porch rail at 100 yds. first group was 1.5 inches, adjusted my scope and shot the next 3 shots dead bulls eye. all three bullet holes were touching ...less than 1 inch group. IT WAS UNBELIEVEABLE !!!!!

no problems what so ever. i didn' t clean the barrel inbetween shots, it loaded fairly easily other than the last half inch needed to get the bullet seated properly took some muscle. when i cleaned it last night the only crud buildup was the first three inches from the breech plug ...other than that there was no fouling.

the deer won' t have a chance this ML season.