Ideal Deer Loads

[Dan H]

Shooting a .50 cal TC Encore bought new for Bull elk a few years ago and never took any shots at the bulls we were after.

 

So now I am thinking on using it for my Nov WT tag.

 

I know someone on here can provide me some good recommendations on what gr bullet and powder load to use in order achieve some good distance and stopping power.

 

Thanks in advance for your help,

 

Dan

[bowhnt]

Hello Dan,

I shoot T/C Pro Hunter Encore 50 cal using this load;

Barnes 250 grn spit-fire t-ez bullet

110 grns of Blackhorn 209 powder

Winchester 209 shot shell primers

 

Last yr I took a real nice bull, hear in AZ, with 1 well placed shot at 206 yrds with this load. Shoots less than 1" groups at 100 yrsd everytime out!

Good luck!

[123456]

I use T/C shockwave bullets in 250gr followed by 2 50 gr pellets of triple 7. Groups right at an inch at a hundred and has plenty of knockdown. I Tried the powder, and found that it is more of a pain than what it was worth. The pellets are plenty sufficient for 209 propelled muzzleloaders. I use 209magnum primers, and have never had a problem. I got into muzzleloading last year, and tried several different combinations of bullets and powders. The T/C shockwave is a hornady SST bullet, and performs well. All animals have been shot in the lungs, so I couldn't tell you much about expansion and having to blood trail. Hit them where you are suppose to, and your bullet doesn't really matter. Good Luck

[Dan H]

Bowhnt,& 123456, thanks for responses, that's what I was looking for real time data.

 

What can I expect to see if I were to increase the powder to 130gr or 150gr in pellets with a 250gr bullet?

 

Dan

[bowhnt]

Dan I never tried any load greater than 120 grns of powder. I would contact T/C before I went over recommended max load. If you havnt heard of this Blackhorn 209 powder...you might want to check it out. I tried all kinds of combos & the load I sent you worked best for me. They claimed that you didnt have to clean your rifle between shots, witch is best with other powders, for accuracy. I didnt believe this claim untill I tried it for myself. Thier claim was true! I didnt need to clean between shots & this powder made it fun to shoot a muzzleloader again! Good luck.

 

http://www.blackhorn209.com/

[Dan H]

I will get the 250 gr bullets and the 209 powder and try them out

 

Thanks again

[Redman]

I use Blackhorn 209 and T/C 250 shockwave with shot primers....with Blackhorn you need to use shot primers (not muzzleloader primers). Get a good group, trying to match my load so the BDC reticle on scope matches perfect.

 

Real happy with Blackhorn shoot 6 shots without swabbing. I have tried 300 grain T/C and Hornady sabots...and others with larger groups, wanted to try Barnes but SW was out of 250 grain..... So I am sticking with T/C.

 

good luck

[azmetalman]

I tried a number of bullets and loads in my T/C while searching for a single bullet and load for anything that I may hunt. I settled on Harvester Muzzleloading's 300 grain Scorpion PT Gold bullet with their crush rib sabot over a 120 grain equivalent load of Blackhorn 209 and a Federal shotshell primer. This produced a15 shot average of 2050 fps. It is a real sledgehammer. I admit it was overkill on this year's javelina. However it put a 3 1/2" exit wound on a large 4x4 Rocky Mountain muledeer at 102 yards. The deer ran about 20 yards with no lungs or heart. Be careful with B209. The loads are grain equivalent which is not the same as smokeless powder grains. Do not use more than a 120 grain equivalent load per my discussion with T/C customer service. You can find conversion charts on line or send me a PM.

[corkin it]

IMHO 150 grains of powder is overkill. Used to do it for elk set up but now shooting 110 grains with a 295 grain sabot. Great groups at 100. My goal is always to get in bow distance anyway. With muzzloader hunt dates here in nm it's a great hunt to call a bull in due to rut still rocking. Bulls I have shot are All under fifty yards.

[elkaholic]

want long distance accuracy / etc

 

heres my choice for this yr- in my newly acquired knight .54

 

http://www.prbullet.com/pts.htm