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.25 ACP Breech Plug Conversion
Too much energy:
A
Thompson Center Encore was used to test the ignition energy between the 209
primers and the .22 Hornet rifle primers. A clean damp patch was push down
to the bottom of the barrel with the ramrod. A 209 primer was ignited
forcing the ramrod to jump 6”-8” up the barrel. The same experiment was done
with the .22 Hornet with it's small rifle primer and the ramrod moved less
than 1".
Eliminated unexplained flyers:
Personally, I believe these flyers were the result of the 209 actually
lifting the sabot off the powder charge simultaneous with igniting the
powder. The much milder Small Rifle primer of the Hornet case ignites the
powder just as instantly but lacks the energy to move the sabot and bullet
off the powder charge therefore eliminating the flyers.
Breech Plug Conversion:
To sum up, I love this conversion.
The Encore is now perfectly clean inside and out shot after shot. I have
eliminated the flyers caused by the excessive 209 energy levels. I find the
shortened .22 Hornet cases very easy to install, remove and find in my
pockets. One case has been primed over 40 times with the primer pocket fit
as snug as it was when we first used it. We decap and prime the cases with
the very economical Lee line of reloading equipment. As you lose them, you
simply trim down another handful of .22 Hornet brass and away you go.
.25
ACP Breech Plug:
Originally, our Hornet conversion was
embraced mostly by muzzleloader shooters who were also reloaders. As our
market increased, more and more of our Hornet customers lacked the knowledge
or tools or both to shorten the Hornet brass once they had needed more.
Enter the .25 ACP or the .25 Auto. Rimless.
The .25 ACP breech plug works great. .25 ACP cases accept all small rifle
and small pistol primers so the load development options are endless. The
brass stay clean, extract with your fingers and also seem to possess
unlimited life. The added bonus is they do not require any trimming. Just
pop in a primer and insert them into the breach plug. The best results have
been achieved using CCI 400 Small Rifle primers. If
you have the new T/C Pro Hunter or your muzzleloader is not listed below click
here.
Select Your Breech Plug Type
Warning - Triple 7 pellets may not ignite well
with small rifle primers.
BUT,
CLICK HERE TO READ MY ARTICLE ON PELLETS VS LOOSE POWDER
Extra .25 ACP brass (no additional shipping cost when
ordered with breech plug):
$7.50 per 25, $9.95 per
50 or $17.95 per 100
Someone suggested that I put together a priming kit for the .25 ACP brass. Excellent idea, I wish there
would have been one of these available when I bought my breech plug conversion. The kit contains 1 Lee
Auto-Prime tool with two shelves; 1 .25 ACP case holder; 1 1/16" pin punch. Everything you need to
prime
your .25 ACP casings.
Now available, a .25 ACP brass priming
kit. This kit contains all the tools needed to prime
and re-prime your .25 ACP brass. See picture and details
below:
Finally, a kit with all the tools necessary for priming those .25 ACP cases
for use in the .25 ACP breech plug conversion!
This kit is handy and so compact, you can take it with you to
quickly and easily re-prime your casing whether on a hunting trip or
just a trip to the range. Read story below.
Complete .25 ACP Priming Kit for only $32.95.
I still remember when I received my new breech plug
conversion. I was really exited about getting to the range and
testing some bullets with it. I had already gotten some CCI
400 small rifle primers. Then I realized that in order to use
them I had to get them into the brass cases. This required
tools that I just didn't have. A few phone calls later and I knew
what I needed, but I still had to find a place that sold these
tools. I found a place that had the Lee Auto Prime and the
correct shell holder for the cases I was using, so I ordered them. I couldn't remember the size and type of punch I would
need, so back on the phone and this time I wrote it down (a
1/16" pin punch). Never heard of one, much less where to
get one. I drove to Wal Mart. Surely they would have
them. They didn't. I finally found the punch I needed at
Sutherlands. OK, now I had the punch, all I had to do was wait for
the Lee Auto Prime and shell holder to arrive. The other day I was
talking to one of my customers and he made what I thought was an
excellent suggestion. He suggested that I put together a kit
that contained all of the tools necessary for priming and re-priming
the .25 ACP brass that come with the breech plug conversion. Well, I
try to keep an open mind so that is exactly what I did.
Now, finally a kit that contains the exact tools needed to prime and
re-prime your .25 ACP brass that can be ordered all together in one box from one
place for only $32.95! Occasionally someone needs just a pin
punch or just the .25 ACP shell holder, so... Just
the pin punch: $4.50
Just the shell case holder: $4.50
Most bullets designed to
shoot well in a 1 in 28 inch twist barrel will normally do so
somewhere between 100 and 120 grains (always measure by volume) of
loose Triple 7 powder. Fact; Triple 7 loose powder is hotter than
Pyrodex or regular Triple 7 pellets (this does not include the new
Triple 7 Magnum pellets) by about 15%. That means, shooting 2 of
either of these pellets is equivalent to approximately 85 grains of
loose Triple 7. Shooting 3 pellets is equivalent to about 130
grains of loose powder. This means by using 2 or 3 of the
50-grain pellets you will miss the window for best velocity and
accuracy possible, IF your chosen bullet was designed to shoot well in
a 1 in 28 twist rifle.
What determines how well a Muzzleloading
bullet shoots? By this, I mean, "What enables it to achieve
its best velocity and accuracy?" I believe it achieves this if it
reaches the optimum rate of spin needed to stabilize it in flight (how fast you push the bullet through
the barrel and the barrels rate of twist will determine how much spin
is put on the bullet). How does
one know when this happens? Well, I suggest one way to determine
this is to start by over spinning the muzzleloader bullet (shooting
it with too much powder) and measuring your 3 to 5 shot groups. Be
sure to follow a good in between shot routine or none of this will make
any difference; click here to read the steps. Back off on
the powder 5 increments in volume shoot another 3 to 5 shot
group. Your groups will tell you when your muzzleloader bullet
has reached its optimum rate of spin. Normally the higher the
ballistic coefficient of your bullet the more spin it will need to
stabilize it. I submit that if your Muzzleloading bullet is
designed to shoot its best in a 1 in 28 twist barrel, this will occur
somewhere between 100 and 120 grains of loose Triple 7 powder.
If I am correct, and I believe I am, using 2 or 3 of the 50 grain
pellets misses the window for your best accuracy completely.
Now some are going to suggest using 2 50-grain and 1 30-grain pellet to
fall within the window above. That might work, but unlike loose powder,
it does
not allow for a 5 grain more or less powder test for best flight and
accuracy. Here is what Hodgdon's says about
loose powder on their website.
- Triple Seven produces the highest velocities of all granular
muzzleloading propellants when compared by volume (see Comparison Chart
below). An added bonus is that this enhanced velocity results in a flatter
trajectory and greater down range energy.
- Triple Seven works with all styles and brands of projectiles which makes
it easy to find a load and maintain accuracy.
Enhanced velocity results in a flatter trajectory and greater down range
energy... Wait, couldn't you achieve that with 3 50-grain pellets?
Velocity yes, but if you can't hit what you are shooting at...
Easy to find a load and maintain accuracy... Well, now isn't that what we
are all striving for. Why don't they say that about their pellets?
Because they know you can't do it with pellets. Instead, ease of
use is their selling pitch.
I submit that it would be nice if you could have both, but most of the time
it just doesn't work out that way. My assumption is that you are
considering a .25 ACP Breech Plug conversion for two reasons; cleanliness and
the best velocity and accuracy possible. Why
would you only go half of the way with a cleaner ignition system designed to
allow your gun to achieve its best possible accuracy and velocity, by using
pellets? Take the leap to loose powder. You won't be sorry you
did.
Customer Testimonial:
Cecil,
Great
to find a product that really works! I took my T/C Omega .45 with its new
.25 ACP breech plug out to the range and had a group tighten from 5 inches
to less than an inch, shooting 175 g Dead Centers with 105 grains of T7 FFg.
Thanks for your help.
Don Matheson
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