Encore rifle (20") barrel in 500 S&W.

[twoworms]

I plan to pick up my Thompson Center 20" Encore barrel in 500 S&W on Monday. This should make for some fun this fall in the deer woods... :)

Should I shoot my 440gr Lee cast (WW) boolit with a gas check, or a harder boolit for deer hunting? The shots could be up to 100 yards.

Thanks for your help.

Tim

[Johnch]

IMO it will not matter .
You hit one properly and that big slug will work weather it is pure lead , Lino or anything inbetween.

I would use WW just to make it easy .

Have fun

Johnch

[versifier]

If the barrel has a preferrance for one alloy, as many do, then shoot that. Basically, if you put a 1/2" hole through a deer's kill zone, alloy or profile is irrelevant, it's in the freezer. With smaller calibers, some expansion is either helpful, or with the smallest, vital, but with a .50 it's a moot point. It's kind of like shooting a .50 cal maxiball out of your m/l and worrying if it will expand - couldn't hurt anything if it expands a bit, but if the boolit is correctly placed, it will make no difference whatsoever. The most accurate combination always gives me greater confidence, though, no matter what I'm shooting. If your gun tells you a particular alloy gives better accuracy, then listen to it. :)

[475/480]

Sraight WW is plenty hard enough for deer or pigs.

Sean

[Lugnutz]

Hi Gang!! Been reading alot and tryin to learn a lil. This is the first thread I've ran across that mentions hardness.

So if your not running a 50 cal, say something smaller like a 35, are WW hard enuff or to hard?

Thanks

[versifier]

WW are fine in .35 & 8mm. HP's or FN's help, too, of course. IMO it's .30 and smaller where the expansion becomes critical for deer sized game and a softer nose will hopefully aid a good sized meplat with some expansion. We have put deer in the freezer with soupcans cast from lino, though precise shot placement helped a lot. Knowing now what I what I have learned here, I would opt for a softer alloy in the future (and a heavier boolit) but I used what was available to do the job, and there were no wounded deer lost, nor follow up shots required.