I've shot up to 17 out of mine without cleaning or spit patching with no loading issues or loss of accuracy. No doubt you do have to push a bit harder with the second load but I wouldn't call it hard loading.
T/C Omega range report
- Thread starter scott_r
- Start date
I've shot up to 17 out of mine without cleaning or spit patching with no loading issues or loss of accuracy. No doubt you do have to push a bit harder with the second load but I wouldn't call it hard loading.
My experience with my S/S fluted .50 cal Omega with the thumb hole stock is consistancy. You clean, swab, load and prime consistantly and it shoots MOA with 260g Extreme Elites. I too have tried loose powder but its a pain in the ass. I've gone back to pellets of Triple 7 and Pyrodex. The Triple 7 is cleaner but is harder to get to light up in crappy weather. The cleaning of the breach plug and the bore is CRITICAL. Get a cleaner that will make quick work of plastic residue left behind by the sabots and clean the dahm thing extremely well after about six to nine shots. In between shoots in a string, I use the gob patch technique followed by a dry patch. You can pack the presoaked patches with you in the bush, but its a pain. Make sure your stock action screws are tight too. I've seen too many guys at the range having a hard time with the inlines because they either don't listen or no one takes the time to show them the right way. Take your time and do things identical to the time before. AND BE SURE TO SWAB THE BARREL TO REMOVE ANY BORE BUTTER OR ANY OTHER CRAP IN THE BARREL BEFORE STARTING TO SHOOT. I've seen a first shot out of a fresh clean barrel be 6" off the mark @ 100 before. So think twice about hunting with a bore thats minty clean and be sure you do what your rifle tells you at the range.
I'd never allow a muzzleloader to sit more than 12 hours after shooting it with BP, Pyrodex or any other such corrosive powder. The best thing is to keep a clean, dry barrel and don't use Bore Butter or oil or anything else in it. Keep it clean and dry and free of residue and there's no need for a fouling shot.
C Broad Arrow
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I just picked up an Omega at BP. It was on sale for $375. Stainless and composite stalk. I am new to black powder. How do you actually clean the barrel?
What should you do after shooting it? Is there something in the field that should be done?
What should you do after shooting it? Is there something in the field that should be done?
Your first few shots are probably right where you want them, but then it goes all to hell, right?
One thing that is overlooked is that sabots don't like heat. I don't mean the heat generated by powder upon ignition, but a hot sunny day. Sabot's (regardless of vendor) become very maliable and inconsistant when they are warm (they even feel to load differently). I just returned from the range with my Knight disc, and I could barely keep my 300 xtp / Harvester sabots combo on the paper @ 100m, but the week previous - I was a consistant 1.5-2" goups with the odd sub MOA.
They only difference was that today is was +26C, and last week was <19C and overcast. I am not suggesting a cooler for your sabots, but be aware of that point, and fight the desire to tweak your scope when you see that your group is opening up. Take a little longer between shots allowing the barrel to cool, keep the sabots off the bench and out of the sun until you need one.
And they said that inline rifles, 209 ignition & sabot bullets were an unfair advantage!! It's moments like this when you want to throw them in the bush and swear a blood oath to never never speak of them again.
All the best,
Hakx
One thing that is overlooked is that sabots don't like heat. I don't mean the heat generated by powder upon ignition, but a hot sunny day. Sabot's (regardless of vendor) become very maliable and inconsistant when they are warm (they even feel to load differently). I just returned from the range with my Knight disc, and I could barely keep my 300 xtp / Harvester sabots combo on the paper @ 100m, but the week previous - I was a consistant 1.5-2" goups with the odd sub MOA.
They only difference was that today is was +26C, and last week was <19C and overcast. I am not suggesting a cooler for your sabots, but be aware of that point, and fight the desire to tweak your scope when you see that your group is opening up. Take a little longer between shots allowing the barrel to cool, keep the sabots off the bench and out of the sun until you need one.
And they said that inline rifles, 209 ignition & sabot bullets were an unfair advantage!! It's moments like this when you want to throw them in the bush and swear a blood oath to never never speak of them again.
All the best,
Hakx
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Grab yourself a beer and start reading my friend. I think you will find that if you ask that question to 10 different people... you will get 11 different answers.
However, you'll have to decide how "traditional" you want to make it. The newer 777 powder pellets are fantastic, I find loose powder to be a PIA. Not saying it's not good, just not my thing. Try it for yourself!
As far as bullets, you can shoot round balls, huge conicals, saboted bullets, and something in between like the Powerbelts. Personally, i've done a lot of testing with saboted copper jacket bullets, designed for big game, such as the Nosler Partition's in .458. I shot the biggest whitetail of my life with a saboted XTP .452 pistol round, and it essentially blew up in the chest cavity. It did the job, but was most certainly not ideal. Im going to try conicals this year... should start the load development soon actually.
Primers... well any quality 209 primer will do the trick. Most poeple I know use Winchesters.
The key is consistency. Make sure you use the same components when you practice and when you hunt. Load each round the SAME way, it'll become a routine. Unlike some of the other guys, I do a very basic cleaning between every round (spit patch, followed by a dry patch) and a more detailed cleaning every 20 rounds or so if i'm working on different loads.
Here is my 2005 buck taken with an Omega. The XTP bullet exploded in the chest cavity (or before) but luckily a few fragments took out the liver. Otherwise, I would have searched long and hard I think...
There should have been a DVD with the muzzleloader....watch it. If you didn't get it....order it. You are looking for a two-page explaination here and the DVD will illustrate it much better.
C Broad Arrow
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Ok.. Thanks I will look for the DVD.. I did not see it intially...but then in all the excitement....
It should be in the same bag as your breech plug wrench and the sample sabots that come with the rifle.
C Broad Arrow
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Go on the T/C website...it should be free.
C Broad Arrow
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
You were right... You can watch it online. Many thanks!
Thanks Steyr that made a lot of sense and helps alot. I just actually picked up my first Omega on Saturday after my trip to Newfoundland. Don't know when I will have a chance to shoot it.
BTW nice buck!
It serves no useful purpose in the barrel of an in-line muzzleloader shooting sabots, is hard to clean out and can greatly affect accuracy.
