Best affordable bullet/sabot combinations for T/C Encore

[pacobillie]

I recently switched from a T/C Omega, to a T/C Encore 209X50 muzzleloader. The Omega had a very tight bore, and regular Hornady SST or XTP bullet/black sabots combos were almost painful to load, but shot great. I easily achieved 1.5 inch groups at 100 yds, with 100 grains of Blackhorn 209. It shot decent with the red "EZ load sabots" although not as tight as with the regular black sabots.

The Encore is a different story. Its bore is notaceably looser than the Omega's. The EZ Load red sabots are just too loose for the Encore bore. The regular black Hornady sabots are easy enough to load, but I get 2.5 inch groups with SSTs and 4 inch groups with XTPs. The only bullets that I have found that shoot really well out of the Encore are the Barnes TMZ and MZ Expanders, with the Barnes sabots, which I understand are made by MMP. The TMZ yield 1.2 inch groups, and the MZ Expanders 1.5 inch groups. The downside is that the Barnes are about three times the price of the XTPs and SSTs. While that is not a problem for hunting, it is an issue when going for an afternoon of shooting at the range.

BTW, I have bought some MMP black sabots that I am going to try with the SSTs and XTPs. Has anyone tried those in an Encore? Does anyone have another recommendation for a cheaper bullet/sabot combination that would shoot well out of an Encore?

Thanks in advance.

 

[camerl2009]

why not get a lee R.E.A.L bullet mold thay work good in my 1 in 48 thay should work better in a faster twist

 

[beefman]

prbullet.com

 

[black powder]

use the hornady sst or shockwave on paper ..get the barnes for hunting ..i also have an ENCORE and have tried the xtp with no success ..they are too short and seem to tumble ..

 

[old owl]

I agree with Black Powder, Barnes are great for hunting,
I use the cheap SST with the black sabot for paper punching.

 

[pacobillie]

I did some further tests at the range today, all with Hornady 300 grain XTP bullets.
With Hornady black sabots: OK but not great groups. Occasional flier. Some sabots from the same batch are easier to load than others.
With MMP high pressure black sabots: Excellent groups, under 1.5 inches @ 100 meters. Consistent loading pressure.
With T/C Mag Express sabots: Excellent groups, under 1.5 inches @ 100 meters, but shoots lower than with the MMP sabots. Consistent loading pressure.

It looks like the sabots are the issue, not the bullets.

 

[black powder]

shooting a muzzeloader in blazing summer heat and later when temperature drops you would be surprized the change of impact ..also i swab and clean my barrel after each shot to get the most consistency and accuracy ..for the best accuracy the barrel has to be bone dry and clean .don't use bore butter to lube the sabot ..ps centerfire rifles are more accurate with a fouled barrel ..[but that is anouther topic]