200 Grain Bullets etc.

[Duhawki]

All of my ML hunting (so far) has been with a T/C Encore 50 cal. Years ago while they were still available, I stocked up on the Knight 200 grain Red Hots (made by Barnes). I have shot these at 2300 fps with BP substitutes including Clean Shot and 777. These 200 grain all copper bullets in the supplied sabots do a perfect job on whitetails at the modest distances where I hunt. I have had full penetration on even on the diagonal (left shoulder entrance - right ham exit) even at 125 yds. Additionally, they are accurate, and the recoil is not too heavy.

Two things have changed: (1) I am finally running low on the 200 grain Red Hots. (2) I now have added a 50 cal SMI barrel to my H&R.

So, I've been thinking of using 200 grain Barnes XPB bullets intended for 460 S&W. These can be combined with MMP sabots. Anybody ever try light bullets with smokeless? Also, the powders under consideration and available on my reloading bench include 5744, 2015, H4198, VV N-110 & N-120, and Lil' Gun. Any suggestions for "best" light bullet powders? I'm thinking that if the 200 grain XPBs don't work out, I'll move up to 250 Barnes.

 

[Doohan]

Forget 5744 and Lil Gun from your SMI plans... only the slowest powders are acceptable. SMI runs with a much larger flame hole in their breech plugs and Lil Gun may get between the flame guide and flash hole inside the plug itself... NOT a good thing!

That said, I believe Indiana hunter got some 200 XPB's to shoot from his SMI... about 38gr of N110 if I do remember..

 

[BillinWV]

Worked up a load for my son with this bullet(posted on this forum about three pages back). Shoots between 1 and 1.5" with 40 grns. VV N110 at 100 yds. Haven't chronographed yet but a nice soft recoiling load. Would not be my choice for a long range load however. Parker 250 or 275 BE or Barnes 300 grn. X my choice for that in my SMI 50 Encore barrel.

 

[Doohan]

Parker 250 or 275 BE

8) :yeah:

 

[Duhawki]

Why not 5744; is it really too fast? It is slower than H4198 and VV N-110, both of which are well respected in SMI barrels. Also, 5744 is a bit faster than 2015, another proven powder for SMI. So, it looks to be in the right speed range according to VV's burn rate chart.

 

[SW]

Why not 5744; is it really too fast? It is slower than H4198 and VV N-110, both of which are well respected in SMI barrels. Also, 5744 is a bit faster than 2015, another proven powder for SMI. So, it looks to be in the right speed range according to VV's burn rate chart.

The speed of burn of a powder in a cartridge which has both neck tension and land engraving of the bullet compared to a smokeless MLer which has neither is much different. Here 5744 burns much more quickly than the others, produces a higher pressure for powder wt but loss total expansion which results in a slower velocity than the others. Take my word for it that 5744 will not do well at all in a std 28" barrel, or likely 26" barrel, especially with the std breechplug. It likely would fare some better with the ventlinered version but still not too well. IH got good groups with the 50/40 200SSTs(or SWs) with 42g VV-110. Only case I know of where these shot well out of a 50 cal barrel w/o significant work on the sabots and even then the results were mixed. Generally, if you want to shoot 200g ish bullets 40 cal are good choices and then with a 45 cal barrel or 40 cal shooting sabotless. My experiences with the SMI 50 cal barrel showed that the barrel really prefered either of the 4198s or 2015 with 275 or 300g bullets.
Powder burn rates as given on the charts are significantly different than what we experience when the powder is not igniting under significant resistance. Duplex loading helps get around this as it is like an artificial land engraving.
Hope this helps some.