[300ultramag]

Can someone tell me which is better. Last year I used three white hots and then noticed the instructions on the box said to only use two. So I did not use them. Are two white hots better then three triple seven pellets. I have both types and would like to know which one is the best.

 

[Patty]

Personally, I never shoot 150gr of powder... Leaves too much to chance, Your putting your barrel to the ultimate test maxing out your powder like that!!! Be careful if you happen to shoot a spanish made traditions or remington!!! There is lots of info online about how poorly their barrels are pressure tested!!!

I haven't shot the IMR white hots, but I have been shooting 100gr of 777 this season and so far so good!!!

 

[300ultramag]

Thanks for the information. I Have a T/C Pro Hunter and have been using 150g of Hodgdon since I got it. Last year I was using 3 50g White Hot pellets and then noticed on the box to only use two, I talked to a sale person at a major sporting goods store in Winnipeg that sold me the White Hots and he said two pellets are the same as three Hodgdon and that the White Hots have less smoke and the gun would be easier to clean. I Have only had the gun for two years, and it has a Leupold Ultimate Slam Scope.

If I Use two White Hots this year instead of the three triple seven would I have to resight the gun in?

 

[jason7mm]

do yourself a favor and stop using 3 pellets... 2 pellets take the whole length of the barrel to fully burn, adding a third doesn't give you much more but can through off you accuracy. from what i understand, even on a box of 777 it states not to use more than 2 pellets also! if your after the best accuracy and ease of cleaning after shooting go with Blackhorn 209! its a loose powder but you can use less of it and no swabbing between shots! i took 20 shots in a row with it in my Pursuit LT and the bullet/sabots were still going down the barrel with ease. just use Hoppe's #9 to clean up afterwards. i used 90 grains of BH209 pushing a Hornady 300gr. SST and took a buck two weeks ago @ 85 yards and there was no lack of performance. one of those shots where he was dead but just didn't know it... ran 60yds but completly bled out!

 

[hunter Al]

So how much of this blackthorn do you guys use compared to 777,what's the max you would use?
Al

 

[snomad]

Be careful with some of these powders. 777 is 15% hotter than pyrodex. If your gun is a "magnum" rated for 150 grains of black powder or pyrodex three pellets of 777 is too hot a load. A 209 primer is way hotter than a #11 percussion cap as well.
If your goal is to make a high power rifle out of your muzzleloader going with hotter loadings can be counterproductive as Jason states. What velocity increase you gain you will likely lose in accuracy. The result is that you can't shoot any further due to potential loss of accuracy. You might try lighter slugs or the same slugs in a smaller caliber. As an example, Precision Rifle makes bullets from 180 to 350 grains in 40, 44, and 45 caliber. With 110 grains of 777 and a 175yard zero they quote:
180 grain 40 cal. bullet -- 200 yards -- 1613fps, 1040ft-lbs, -2.4". (+2.9" @ 100 yards)
250 grain 40 cal. bullet -- 200 yards -- 1540fps, 1316ft-lbs, -2.9". (+3.6" @ 100 yards)
Switch to a 250 grain bullet in 44 cal -- 1432fps, 1139ft-lbs, -3.2". (+3.9" @ 100 yards)
As you can see, the better BC bullet in the weight range you want wins out. The 250 grain examples above have the same muzzle velocity. They say you need 800 ft-lbs of energy for deer. Even if you used 1000 as a minimum even the 180 grain 40 cal bullet does the job. By searching for a better BC bullet you can increase performance without boosting the charge and likely preserve accuracy too. Or just go simple and limit your shots to 150 yards with whatever you are using.
Jason, congrats on the buck. Anything to write home about?

 

[jason7mm]

Thanks Jan, it wasn't as big as anything i've got in the past, a little 4 x 3 (missing one brow tine) but it's the first one i've shot with the m/l that was a sure shot/kill without issues, so for that i'm happy

 

[Coldmaker]

you can also use 110 gr. loose triple seven and get the same velocity as 3 pellets.
didn't chronoed it myself but found a number of test result on the net that tells this.
for what it's worth...