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Post by olsmokey on Mar 26, 2011 11:23:09 GMT -5
Those of you that have SMI barrels, what have you found shoots the best? For 45 and 50 cal barrels. thanks Dave
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Post by jims on Mar 26, 2011 13:10:02 GMT -5
I have not shot mine for awhile and I do not have my notes nearby but I recall it shot better for me with the recommended SMI loadings, perhaps because of the twist etc.
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Post by sw on Mar 26, 2011 16:39:31 GMT -5
72-75g 2015 300SST/XTP/Barnes(but not the 290 as it is too long to stabilize)
As you know, this is a book load.
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Post by rangeball on Mar 28, 2011 8:54:05 GMT -5
I'm shooting a sabot book load of 42gr of N110 from my 1:22 twist .50 with a carbide plug.
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Post by olsmokey on Mar 28, 2011 16:25:52 GMT -5
Rangeball; According to there website the SMI barrels are a 1:36 twist? Did you special order yours? SMI recommends 50gr. of IMR4198 which seems kinda whimpy compared to what some guys are shooting in the savage. Does the twist prevent it from using savage loads?
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Post by rangeball on Mar 29, 2011 8:56:16 GMT -5
1:36 is there stock twist. I wanted 1:22 so waited until they were going to order more barrels from Douglas. Took a bit longer, but in my mind was well worth it.
Their load data on their site is old, they have developed several more and if you call them they should send it to you. I think many who have had 1:36 barrels found better success with SMI loads versus Savage. I think it's a combination of slower twist rate as well as vent size, some of the older SMI vents were larger than say the savage. My carbide plug is .032.
The douglas barrels are great quality and SMI does top notch work. They can do whatever you want.
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Post by GMB54-120 on Mar 29, 2011 9:28:52 GMT -5
I got the same reply from SMI. I talked to someone in the shop and he told me they can order other twists but don't mention sabotless. They frown on it and wont even talk about it and they might not sell you one if you tell them you are going to use it for that application....this is according to the guy i talked with in the shop.
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mikeb
Button Buck
Posts: 2
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Post by mikeb on Mar 29, 2011 14:05:27 GMT -5
Ok, i am sold on the SMi barrel 50 cal. I hunt in Illinois, therefore projectile must be .44 or larger. It is earlier enough in the year i can wait for 1:22 twist. I am having a bit of a information overload. I would love to shoot the N110 powder, as I have a very cool family member who works for VV, and cost would be well lets just say i am not worried about.
What is this carbide plug you are speaking of? I have read older posts that primers fail with older style breech plugs from SMI. Is this Carbide plug something SMI offers our are you getting them elsewhere?
I have been reading this board for monthes trying to make up my mind, but some things still seem unclear.
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Post by rangeball on Mar 29, 2011 14:54:33 GMT -5
Ok, i am sold on the SMi barrel 50 cal. I hunt in Illinois, therefore projectile must be .44 or larger. It is earlier enough in the year i can wait for 1:22 twist. I am having a bit of a information overload. I would love to shoot the N110 powder, as I have a very cool family member who works for VV, and cost would be well lets just say i am not worried about. Maybe you can get us set up with a DMB discount  My BP is stock SMI. It came from them with a carbide insert. Carbide being much harder than steel it isn't as susceptible to wear like the savage and other vent liners are. Just tell Dan when you order (make sure you call the shop #, not the office #) that you'd like a carbide bushing in the plug. I'm pretty sure mine is .032, same as the savage. Dan's not to big on faster powders like N110 and I don't know that he's messed with N120 much. As long as you don't mention sabotless, he'll build whatever you want. By the way, I shoot the 250gr thor .500 sabotless with 42gr of N110 and a fed 209A from my SMI, and it's a phenomenal deer load. What action do you plan to build on? Keep reading, this place is a wealth of info filled with happy to help people. Great group for sure. |
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mikeb
Button Buck
Posts: 2
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Post by mikeb on Mar 29, 2011 16:18:06 GMT -5
I currently have an encore pro hunter, and as of this moment I plan on using it. I hunt open field white tail, and i can see much further than i can shoot. What kinda range are you getting with the 250 gr thor sabotless?
Ohh an thanks for the help rangeball.
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Post by rangeball on Mar 30, 2011 8:51:59 GMT -5
I'm getting right at 2300 fps with my load and have it zeroed at 200 yards which puts me almost 4" high at 100. Last year before our season to make sure everything was still good to go I took a shot at 100 yds to verify zeroe then a shot at 200 yds. The second shot was just to the left of the bull, almost touching it. I've killed deer at 150yds with it, and wouldn't hesitate to shoot to 250 yds if the right conditions presented themselves. Possibly 300 yds but not until I did some more range testing at extended distance, which I haven't done because my longest possible shot where I hunt is about 230ish. The encore should make a great platform for and SMI. Best of luck |
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