What is the best route to try smokeless with a Encore?

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WPrather

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What is the best route to go to try smokeless 45cal with a TC Encore? I have seen the Brux/MGM barrel and I don’t think that is for me. I don’t want a 10-12lb gun. I just want a reasonably light carry around in the woods treestand gun. I would like to shoot sabots and bullets around 200grs. Also what is the speed advantage between a 45cal Smoker and a 45cal Smokeless with 200gr bullets?
 
Bergara or tc 45/70 Barrel converted.
Smokeless safe load going to be 2500 -2650 fps depending on bullet
 
I got a stupid question but I already have one so I’ll ask. Would a 20in 460 S&W .452 barrel work as a conversion?

Who would you recommend to do a 45/70 conversion and how much do they usually run? How long of a barrel does it need to be with smokeless powder?
 
A 460S&W barrel would not work with sabots. It could work with properly sized sabotless or conicals.

You should understand that a Encore barrel is around .996" OD and will have some limitations. Recoil will also get pretty rough when you start talking about shooting a 275gr-300gr bullet close to 2500fps. Even at 2300fps it gets a bit "punchy" with those bullets.

You dont have to go with a MGM Brux. You could buy a MGM 45/70 1-20 or 1-22 barrel and have it converted if you want a custom barrel. A Encore Bergara "full contour" barrel would be a good cheap route if you can still find one.

MGM has a 24" ready to go for $370. Link says 1-14 but description says 1-20
https://matchgrademachine.com/product/e ... y-contour/
Encore Rifle Barrel, 45-70 US Govt., Chrome Moly Blued, 24″, 1-20 Twist, Heavy Factory Contour
To get your "feet" wet, i would just get a CVA Hunter 45/70 for about $250 and have it converted. You will probably have no issues selling it if you dont care for it and wont be out a ton of money either.
 
I don’t think I could do the CVA Hunter it’s just to dang ugly. Even if I liked it I don’t think I would end up keeping it. The CVA Scout V2 stainless would be better if I go that route.

Aero head has the 25in MGM/Brux for $880 and they do they 45/70 conversions for $185.

I can get a MGM 45/70 SS barrel for $395 and have it converted and have $580 in it.

CVA Scout V2 45/70 for $350 and have $535 in it after converted.

Or I could look around and find a used 45/70 barrel for my encore and take a chance that the barrel isn’t a turd to start with and I would still probably have 400-450 in it anyway. The CVA Scout would be a little cheaper than the MGM 45/70 barrel but more than likely the MGM would be a better barrel.

I got some thinking to do I guess. How long does a 45cal smokeless barrel need to be to get a full burn and not blow it out the end of the barrel?
 
You should no issues hitting 2500fps in the Scouts 22" barrel with a 200gr sabot. 2500fps would probably be pushing it for a 275gr sabotless. Probably doable but slightly more work getting the right load.

The potential game changer are the new 225gr to 250gr 40cal bullets that are now available. Higher BC than the 200gr SST and you should still be able to get close to the same speed as a 200gr SST using 4198 or N120 powders.
 
I guess if I would happen to find one cheap the 450 marlin barrel will work just as good as a 45/70 for the Encore right?
 
WPrather said:
I guess if I would happen to find one cheap the 450 marlin barrel will work just as good as a 45/70 for the Encore right?

Also it can’t have a muzzle brake for shooting sabots right?
 
As far as i know a 450 Marlin will also work but i would check with Bestill to be sure. Twist from 1-20 to 1-24. 1-18 or faster might be an issue with sabots. Muzzle brake is fine as long as you can remove it. Ive seen brakes that do work with sabots such as on the Ultimate Fire Arms BP Express but i would just avoid them with 45cal sabots.
 
I had Jeff Hankins convert my katahdin 45/70 over to direct ignition and that works great for me. Got a coworker that had Jeff convert a V2 scout but only uses sabotless due to the muzzle brake. I did find that a Sako TRG muzzle brake cap will thread on but he hasn't tried the sabot route since he did harvest a nice doe at 150 yards with the Parker 275 BE and 65 grains of 4198 powder, bang flop at that distance. I went with the Katahdin since it's a nice carry gun here in the mtns and I'm using 55 grains of H4198 and it's a shooter with 165 CEB maximus. Going to try it on coyotes since I didn't have any luck in NC this past season but I've got till Sunday in TN. The encore conversion is a great easy way to go without a ton of money. In the spring I'll be trying some sabotless but I think the sabots work great for my use.
 
NCmtnsHunter said:
I had Jeff Hankins convert my katahdin 45/70 over to direct ignition and that works great for me. Got a coworker that had Jeff convert a V2 scout but only uses sabotless due to the muzzle brake. I did find that a Sako TRG muzzle brake cap will thread on but he hasn't tried the sabot route since he did harvest a nice doe at 150 yards with the Parker 275 BE and 65 grains of 4198 powder, bang flop at that distance. I went with the Katahdin since it's a nice carry gun here in the mtns and I'm using 55 grains of H4198 and it's a shooter with 165 CEB maximus. Going to try it on coyotes since I didn't have any luck in NC this past season but I've got till Sunday in TN. The encore conversion is a great easy way to go without a ton of money. In the spring I'll be trying some sabotless but I think the sabots work great for my use.

I wish I would of went with the 45/70 katahdin barrel instead of the 460 S&W. Then the conversion would be cheap because I already had the barrel. They are light and easy to carry around but I think there harder to shoot than the 28in barrels. Just because there is no front end weight and there a lot harder to hold still.

Have you ever shot yours thru a chrono? I also wonder how much speed you would loose on a 20in barrel compared to a 24-25in barrel? With a regular 45/70 you really don’t loose much but with a 45cal smokeless muzzeloader I really don’t have a clue.
 
Get a MGM that tapers to .750-800 at 28" and go kill deer.


Don't settle for a CVA..
 
Is that one of MGMs in house made 45/70 barrels or did they use someone else's blank? That contour sounds fine for the Encore to me too.
 
Its a contour that you should be able to order thru the 2 providers of smokeless MGM barrels. Full bull is way too heavy IMO. Had one, shot great, but heavy and sold it. My old one that I currently use is fluted and tapers to .750. Perfect weight and balance. You can also look up Bullberry and call to see what they offer.

Can't attach photo due to photobucket.
 
I can see your pic with a addon i have. It shows up just like it should.

I just wasnt sure if it was the MGM Brux or of a MGM 45/70 conversion using a MGM barrel.
 
I loaded the add on a while back and still can't see photos from Photobucket. :roll: I just gave up on seeing those pics.

Omega,

Try out Imgur. It works almost like Photobucket but it is heads and tails better than Photobucket, Much faster, no crappy ads to bog it down.
 
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