Couple of things could be giving you some grief.

Omega's and Encores have fairly tight bores and typically load much happier when they are clean.

[ol][*]Loose the No 13 cleaner. First of all it does not effectively clean for the field (does it effectively clean anything?). Second, it can leave moisture in the bore which can cause a sabot to stick like it was welded. Try swabbing the bore after each shot with a damp (not wet) patch or 50/50 Mix of 99% Alcohol & Windex. Short stroke the patch down and up, flip and do again followed by a dry patch. Then the bore will be clean and dry. The two most successful elements to happy sabot loading. If you are a clean bore POI type like me, then you are set. Otherwise then you will need to occassionally clean the bore when loading becomes miserable. Again, I would forget about the No.13 cleaner.[*]Get a decent range rod. Nothing is more frustrating that trying to manhandle a stubborn sabot with the factory rod. I only use range rods in the field as well. Here is a decent one at a low price: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=srchdx&id=0037514216136a&a mp;navCount=1&podId=0037514&parentId=cat20 819&navAction=push&catalogCode=IG&rid= &parentType=index&indexId=cat20819&has JS=true[*]Short starting sometimes helps a bunch to get things on their way to the breech. Equip a quality short starter with a spire point loading jag (along with the range rod). Gently tap the short started Shockwave with the palm of your hand or a small nylon hammer. This is a nice short starter: http://www.knightrifles.com/productDetail.aspx?id=324600[*]There is an outside chance that you ended up with 250gr .451" projectiles but I doubt it. You could MIC the bullet and make sure. That would certainly make life miserable loading the .451" bullet with the Blue Sabot.[*]Lastly, you should be also using a bore guide with a range rod or short starter: 3/8" rods are common. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categories/tableList.aspx?catID=6&subID=49&styleID=15 9[/ol]
Good Luck!



Tahquamenon