Tell me about 777 magnum please. Better than "regular" 777? More accurate, cleaner, etc.? What are its advantages, if any, over 777? I'm low on powder now and thought I might give it whirl in the next few weeks.

DR,
I shot 777mag out of my mzldr this weekend. Using 2 pellets (62gr ea), I got full penetration through 24" of balistic gelatin and 3-one gallon water bottles at 50 yds. At 100yd, it seems to shoot pretty good. My2 cents.
wapiti7

It is the same T7, just more of it.

Pellets are much more susceptible to moisture absorption and more difficult to ignite - even with a hot 209. That's not to say they are not reliable, for the most part they are. But...

I have seen three instances of T7 failing to fire, all were with pellets.

They're just not worth it. Measure out 120 gr of loose T7 and leave the "magnum pellets" at home.

If you must have T7 pellets, I have an unopened box of 50 grainers that I will let go cheap.

NimrodRx, wapiti and I both live in a fairly dry climate, so I've never had to be overly concerned about moisture. I've never experienced a failure like you have. For my purposes, the pellets have worked out well. I've tried loose T7 in my Encore and have not been able to get it to shoot very well. Even at 50 yards, groups are 3-5X as large as those with pellets. I know that goes against "conventional wisdom", but those were my results.

I'd love to take you up on your offer, but I suspect shipping and haz mat fees would offset any savings. Thanks for the input!

We used T7mag pellets last winter in our Encore. Two pellets with a 250gr SST gave 1930fps with very good accuracy. In comparison, 100grs by volume of loose T7 gave virtually the same velocity, but less accuracy. The pellets ignite very easily for us, in fact we switched over to the low power 209 primers like the WW T7 or Rem. Klean Bore to reduce the crud ring that plagues any formulation of T7.
If I were interested in a new powder, I'd give a serious look to the new one out by Western Powders as it sounds fantastic. Read this for a full write up:
http://www.randywakeman.com/bh209.htm

Very interesting.

This is the first instance that I have heard of the pellets out performing loose powder. I guess that just goes to show ya, any one rifle...

You're fortunate to not have to deal with the moisture issues. Fall/Winter here in Michigan can be brutal. In all fairness, the worst pellet failure I saw was purely my brother's fault. He kept the box of pellets on the dash of his pickup. Truck sits outside over night. Temps get down to -10. Truck warms up in the morning... Repeat cycle. Any black powder sub probably would have failed in such extreme conditions.

I was still hunting through a 20 acre woodlot with him posted on a fence row on the opposite end of the wood lot. Just before getting to the end, I see white flags. A dozen doe bound out into the field followed by a cranker. Biggest buck I've seen in the field. He stops up 200 yards out from me and looks back to the woods. My brother is on the fence row and is less than 40 yards from the buck.

I hear nothing. Can't figure it out. I'm almost to the point of taking the shot myself. Finally the buck snaps his head over to the fence row and takes off in the opposite direction.

He had fired three 209s and never got an ignition. The wind was in his face and the buck was looking at me. Must not have heard the 209s until the last one. We were sick.

As for Blackhorn 209. Yah, it sounds great. I ordered 8 ten oz bottles of it today. First that it has been available.

If this stuff works out, I'm going to have about 2.5 lbs of T7, an unopened box of T7 pellets and nearly a full pound of Black Mag 3 for sale. Too bad the haz mat fee won't allow me to ship to you guys.

Good shooting!

We are here in southern Illinois, large temperature swings and high humidity are a fact of life around here too. We never use left over pellets, always start the season with a fresh box which is stored in a ziplok bag. The few carried in speed loaders are always brought inside with the rest of the gear for the night.
I'm not alone in finding the pellets to actually shoot better than loose powder. I have two friends that experienced the same thing, and we've shot a lot of the stuff at various charge weights. These T7mag pellets are the best so far, but that new Blackhorn 209 is going to be tested once we can get some of it around here. I'll still pick my Savage 10ML-II with smokeless powder, but for the guns not able to use it, this new BH209 seems a better way to go.

I tried them and I did not notice any difference in performance over the other triple 7 pellets.

But I like loose triple 7 better then the pellets, I can adjust my loads a lot better and I get better accuracy with the loose powder.

if guys like the pellets, i hava an unopened container of .50/50 that I will let go for $15 Face to face in the Lansing MI area.

I use 777mag pellets because that's all my local guy carries. Same price as regular 777 in catalogues. Accuracy is great with them but I haven't had a chance to shoot anything with them yet.

Thought about it, but they're quite a bit more expensive here locally than regular T7 pellets. I get very good results with 130 grains (2x50 and 1x30) of T7 pellets behind a 260 grain Dead Center right now. I was researching options in case the T7 pellets don't combine well with the Barnes bullets I'm trying next. I love the DCs, but rarely get an exit wound, which very nearly cost me an elk last year. Again, thanks for the input fellas.

DR,
Just wondering if you had a chance to look at my web site yet? It's not complete, bit getting there.

Yep, checked it out. I like the looks of those bullets, but I'm headed for something a little lighter right now - 250 Barnes. I've been shooting 260 DCs and really like them, but want an exit wound. I think I have about the right weight for my Encore. I only use it on elk once per year (if I'm lucky), but shoot several hogs and will try for deer and antelope with it. Those critters don't really need a big bullet. Even cow elk, which I prefer to hunt, fall down easily with a properly placed 260 grain bullet. I like your loading jag too.

I should have a 250gr available by this summer.

quote:

Originally posted by wapiti7:
I should have a 250gr available by this summer.

I don't suppose you have some prototypes in your trunk do you? I have a hog hunt next weekend that I'd be happy to test them on. I'll even pay postage to get them here in time.

All kidding aside, just let me know and I'll give them a whirl.

BTW, how did the ibex muzzleloader hunt work out for your hunting buddy?

Those Maximum Muzzleloader cleaning patches must work REALLY WELL!

DR,
Sorry, but I don't have any in hiding. But I will let you know as soon as I get them. I'm not sure how his hunt went as he has never bothered to call me. Oh well.
Underclocked,
I'll have pics of them on the site by monday evening!