ORIGINAL: rml127
I finally had time to shoot about 10 rounds through my omega. I was shootingfrom 60 yards anddidn't have a bench so I was leaning against something in my yard. Anyway, I was just trying to get used to loading and I wanted to adjust the scope so it was close. I noticed the buffalo bullet Co.sabots were pretty hard to load. I was also only using 85 grains of pyrodex ff. After I shot and I swabbed the barrel I couldn't believe how much powder was left in the barrel. It also seemed damp. Is this normal?
Other than that I was able to get the scope close and my last two shots were right where I wanted them. I can't wait to try it off a bench at longer distances. I'm used to a 12 gauge slug gun and was pleasantly surprised with how little recoil a muzzleloader has.
I find just the opposite with Buffalo Bullet Sabots. They're usually one of the easier of sabots to load. Perhaps because your rifle is new. You might want to get a box of maxiball and shoot lubed maxiball through the rifle just for fun mind you, and knock any ruff spots off it (if there even are any). You want some cheap maxiball try
http://www.blackjackhill.com/ although I will warn you, Bill is really backed up right now...
If you took a damp patch and swabbed the barrel and a thick black kind of shiney damp lookingcrud was all over the patch, that's normal. It means you did a good job of swabbing actually. I will often times run a second damp patch down the barrel if I have any doubts. Just to make sure all of it is out. You do not have to mind you. Be sure and then work a couple of dry patches through the barrel to make sure all the dampness had been removed.
Remember ... of all the powders, Pyrodex and Goex have to be the ones that leave THE most fowling of any. For instance if you were shooting AAP, you would have had a little gray looking stuff on the patch after swabbing, if you even bother to swab at all. Triple Se7en leaves a moderate but nothing excessive, amount of fowling. But Pyrodex I personally feel is the worse of the fowlers. Even more so then Goex.
Other then that, how did your rifle do? Did it lay them in there? What Buffalo Bullet sabot were you shooting? I like the 375 grain SSB but was told they changed the sabot on them now.. Good thing I still have 12 boxes of them left.
