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TC White Mountain Carbine: Hunting loads?
Lucky007
Member Posts: 308 ✭✭✭
Any suggestions on the best hunting loads for whitetails in the 50 cal White Mountain? Looking for the best energy transfer and bullet expansion at 100 yards.
Comments
I would stick with Pyrodex RS, but that is my personal preference. If you want to use 777 then 85 grains will give you about the same velocity. 777 produces a little more velocity in my gun, so I usually start 5 grains below what I used for Pyrodex RS. You mileage may vary.
Anyone else out there have any other ideas on 50 cal White Mtn carbine accuracy/preformance?
Handgunhunter....When you mentioned the 240 gr Hornady bullet/sabot, were you refering that it was a good load combo in general, or had you specifically used that configuration in a 21" barrel 50 cal White Mountain?
not to butt in
As I'm sure you know every barrel is different, white moutain or not
It may or may not like to shoot the same load as another whitemountain.
All we can do is offer you what works best in our rifles.
Most of us have invested enough money into bullets and powder to buy another rifle altogether. [B)]
Load development takes time and unfortunatly money.[V]
I have found it to be relaxing to take the smokepole out for a day of shooting, sometimes I shoot 2-3 differnt bullets and powder combos. it is truly addicting.
This works best for me as far as accuracy.
100gr 777
295gr bullet power belt
win 209 primer
I don't recomend this as a hunting load it has failed to take down 2 deer at close yardage. Other's have had success with the bigger PB's
I am now playing with 85-100gr 777 and the T/C maxi balls and maxi hunter bullets.
No sabots which IMO is a plus, easy to load and so far have been suprisingly accurate.
Good luck
happy hunting or shooting or whatever[8D]
Thanks for the thoughts. The reason that I brought the topic up is that the TC White Mountain is a traditional gun where the TC recommended load (that the gun was specifically developed around) is for a load of 90 grains of loose powder and a 370 gr Maxi Bal lubed bullet. This load over penetrates and doesn't expand at all on deer, and although I have tried other load combinations, I have yet to find one that expands reliably with good accuracy.
I don't own or use an in-line, just the two White Mtn 50 cal's. Anyway, I don't mind the expense and I have the time to shoot, I just need to land on the right formula...
Here are two tried and proven loads for the White Mountain and Penn. Hunter Carbines. This load has also worked well with the Medium length barrels on T/C Fire Storm, Tree Hawk,Grey Hawk and Scout 21" Carbine.
The best my brother and I have come up with is the 320 grain maxi ball and 80 to 85 grains of either Goex black powder or Goex Pinnacle black powder substitute. The 80-85 grain powder needs to be tuned to your climate, colder = more powder, warmer you may need less than 80. The key is you don't want to throw powder out the end of the barrel.** This is a load we have used for 8+ years and has not failed us yet.
The second load is newer to us, but has taken down deer and caribou quite well. (Some hunt clubs and game preserves don't allow sabot loads so check if you are hunting that venue) The bullet is the T/C 250 grain Shock Wave Spire point sabots and the same powder load 80gr. Although we have only used the Pinnacle powder with this load. It has GREAT take down power and it will shoot better than I can.
** A way I use to see if I am throwing unburned powder is to hang a damp piece of white cloth about 4 feet from the end of the barrel and take a couple shots. If you have too much and are not burning it all in the barrel you will see a shotgun pattern of black flecks. If you are just right you will only see a few black flecks and maybe some brownish spray.
Good luck, Hope my verbal diarrhea helps [:D]
Another thing that I would add is what is the twist rate of your barrel? I am assuming if the recommended load from TC is using a Maxi-ball, it is 1-48". If that is the case, then any of the conicals should shoot fine in it, but sabots will vary greatly in the accuracy department.
You may want to try the Maxi-Hunter or Hornady's Great Plains as well. The Maxi-Hunters have a cavity in the nose to aid expansion. It is a little to shallow to be called a true hollow point. The Hornady's have a hollow-point cavity. I use the 385 grain Great Plains bullets in my caplock with very good results. Every deer I have shot with it has been DRT and they look as if they have been shot with a baseball on the exit side.
This bullet is actually made by Hornady, and is the same as the Hornady SST. SST has a yellow tip, Shockwave has a red tip.
This means you should also get good results with the Hornady XTP. The Hornady XTP is just about the same bullet as the Hornady SST, except the XTP is a hollow point. Since energy transfer and bullet expansion are what you want then the XTP is the bullet for you.
The XTP and the SST are the two bullets I shoot and they have the same point of impact. I get 1 1/2 inch groups with the SST, and the XTP is a little more accurate.
I have killed deer with both bullets, but of course got better expansion with the hollow point.
Thanks very much for the advice and recommendations....I'll give them a try and see what happens. The xtp seems to have the most promise, but I've also heard good things about the Hornady Great Plains too...again, thanks for your help.