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#Post#: 192--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: 22-250 Date: April 16, 2012, 10:22 am
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[quote author=Bwana J link=topic=17.msg189#msg189
date=1334218156]
I've been shooting Thompson Center guns for many years and would
not hesitate to highly recommend them to anyone. The TC Encore
Pro Hunter is an excellent choice. One of the best things about
the Encore is the ability to buy different caliber barrels
making it possible to change over to a modern cartridge gun at
will. Barrels are availible in almost any caliber you want for
less than $300 a barrel.
[/quote]
I have had several people suggest the Thompson Center. Any
suggestions on what caliber to start with?
#Post#: 197--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: Bwana J Date: April 17, 2012, 2:56 am
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I'd start with the .50 cal muzzle loader, really fun to hunt
with then a modern caliber like .22-250 and shoot some varmits.
I have barrels for .45 and .50 cal muzzle loaders, .22-250 and
7MM Mag.
#Post#: 198--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: 22-250 Date: April 17, 2012, 8:01 pm
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[quote author=Bwana J link=topic=17.msg197#msg197
date=1334649381]
I'd start with the .50 cal muzzle loader, really fun to hunt
with then a modern caliber like .22-250 and shoot some varmits.
I have barrels for .45 and .50 cal muzzle loaders, .22-250 and
7MM Mag.
[/quote]
Sounds like a good cal to start with. Had no idea you could
front load in .22-250 cal.
#Post#: 200--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: Bwana J Date: April 17, 2012, 10:55 pm
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.22-250, probably not :D but I did have a .22 cal black powder
revolver, neat little gun. Kinda impractical but fun to shoot.
Thats the nice thing about the Encore, you can go from muzzle
loader to modern metalic rifle and then change it to a pistol by
removing the stock, add a pistol grip and a pistol barrel and
forearm. Pistol barrels are availible in cal's from .22 hornet
to .45-70. My Brother has the .45-70 pistol barrel, thats a real
thumper.
#Post#: 201--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: H4895 Date: April 19, 2012, 8:16 pm
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Would it be fair to say that 150 yards would be max for a human
kill with a front loader? Has anyone killed a deer farther?
#Post#: 202--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: Bwana J Date: April 20, 2012, 8:55 pm
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The longest shot I've made on a deer with black powder was 180
paces. That was with a TC Seneca, .45 roundball. I held high on
the shoulder and heard the ball hit but the doe didn't show
signs of it. She ran 30 yds and jumped a fence into a brush
field. I went to where she was standing and found a tuft of hair
but no blood, no blood over to where she jumped the fence and
she was laying about 15 yds past the fence. Ball took her thru
the top of the lungs and passed completely thru her.
The key to long range shooting is getting to know your gun and
lots of practice. The new inlines with 150 grains of powder
behind a 250 gr bullet will take deer cleanly at over 250 yds.
I've harvested 27 deer with muzzle loaders anywhere from point
blank to 180 paces but the average shot is probably 40 to 60
yds. If your willing to spend alot of time on the range and
really learn your gun you'll be amazed at what these guns are
capable of.
#Post#: 203--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: H4895 Date: April 20, 2012, 9:34 pm
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[quote author=Bwana J link=topic=17.msg202#msg202
date=1334973329]
The longest shot I've made on a deer with black powder was 180
paces. That was with a TC Seneca, .45 roundball. I held high on
the shoulder and heard the ball hit but the doe didn't show
signs of it. She ran 30 yds and jumped a fence into a brush
field. I went to where she was standing and found a tuft of hair
but no blood, no blood over to where she jumped the fence and
she was laying about 15 yds past the fence. Ball took her thru
the top of the lungs and passed completely thru her.
The key to long range shooting is getting to know your gun and
lots of practice. The new inlines with 150 grains of powder
behind a 250 gr bullet will take deer cleanly at over 250 yds.
I've harvested 27 deer with muzzle loaders anywhere from point
blank to 180 paces but the average shot is probably 40 to 60
yds. If your willing to spend alot of time on the range and
really learn your gun you'll be amazed at what these guns are
capable of.
[/quote]
I'm impressed with a kill out to 180 with a front
loader.....although I would think just a round ball would tend
to dance around even shot from a rifled barrel....but then again
I don't know much about front loader.
#Post#: 204--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: Bwana J Date: April 21, 2012, 7:23 am
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The first time I took the Seneca to the range I burned up a
whole pound of Pyrodex to find out the correct patch thickness/
powder charge. If the patch isn't heavy enough it'll burn thru,
too heavy and you'll deform the ball trying to force it down the
barrel. Once I found the correct patch, which turned out to be
washed out blue jean material, I started working on the correct
charge. I started out with 50 gr and worked up to 80 gr shooting
5 shot groups. The first groups were around 5 inches at 50 yrds.
When I shot 65 gr the groups were only about 1 inch. From there
on up to 80 gr the groups opened back up to over 5 inches. 65 gr
with a 127 gr ball using blue jean patch was what the gun wanted
to shoot. I spent the rest of the day playing with it out to 150
yds with the sights set for a 100 yd zero. At 150 yds the ball
dropped about 4 to 5 inches but would still shoot a 4 inch
group. I was really pleased with the way that gun shoots, it
accounted for 13 of my 27 kills. I don't hunt with it much
anymore, my eyes aren't as young as they once were and I have a
hard time shooting open sights. I now hunt with my Encore which
is set up with a Leopold 2x7 scope.
#Post#: 205--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: H4895 Date: April 21, 2012, 9:57 am
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The first time I took the Seneca to the range I burned up a
whole pound of Pyrodex to find out the correct patch thickness/
powder charge. If the patch isn't heavy enough it'll burn thru,
too heavy and you'll deform the ball trying to force it down the
barrel. Once I found the correct patch, which turned out to be
washed out blue jean material, I started working on the correct
charge. I started out with 50 gr and worked up to 80 gr shooting
5 shot groups. The first groups were around 5 inches at 50 yrds.
When I shot 65 gr the groups were only about 1 inch. From there
on up to 80 gr the groups opened back up to over 5 inches. 65 gr
with a 127 gr ball using blue jean patch was what the gun wanted
to shoot. I spent the rest of the day playing with it out to 150
yds with the sights set for a 100 yd zero. At 150 yds the ball
dropped about 4 to 5 inches but would still shoot a 4 inch
group. I was really pleased with the way that gun shoots, it
accounted for 13 of my 27 kills. I don't hunt with it much
anymore, my eyes aren't as young as they once were and I have a
hard time shooting open sights. I now hunt with my Encore which
is set up with a Leopold 2x7 scope.
Well...no one can say you haven't done your homework for sure.
It sounds like a fun gun to shoot. I would have never thought of
using blue jean material. Good to know you are not forced into
buying specific components to load with....makes it more
enjoyable. Do you make your own projectiles?
#Post#: 208--------------------------------------------------
Re: Front Loaders
By: Bwana J Date: April 21, 2012, 9:15 pm
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I mold my own round balls
in .440, .490
for my rifles
and .375 for my pistol. I buy conicals for my Encore, 300 gr
Platnum Power Belts for the .45 and 250 gr XTP's for the .50 cal
barrel. My .45 Encore is one of the original production guns,
they have a 1 in 20 twist barrel. It was discovered that that
was too fast to shoot the lighter bullets so they changed it to
1 in 28.
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