ORIGINAL: gopherfan
da new guy-
I haven't shot the285gr variety (only the 245 gr spitfire). The diameter is 0.451 for both projectiles. I asssume that the sabots and bullet profile is the same in both. When I first bought my omega I gave up on loading them. I just couldn't get them down the barrel. I ended up trying different sabots (crushed rib & other MMP sabots) and they loaded fine but things went way south on the accuracy. I couldn't even hit the paper consistently at 50 yards. Spitfires have a boat-tail and the ribs for the enclosed yellow sabots are not cut to the base. Essentially, the boat-tail is protected in the base of the sabot. This may not hold true for you but I'm very skeptical that a sabot not designed for a boat-tailed bullet will group well. Fortunately, with more shooting and some barrel cleaning with JB bore polish they load easier now. I took a deer this year and it put two massive holes in it's chest.
What also groups well in my omega is a crushed rib sabot with a 300 gr speer gold dot or hornady XTP if your father is looking for alternatives. I know many folks have had good results with the speer gold dot bullet. SST's are another good option.
Good luck and please report back if you do try some different sabots and get the barnes bullets to group. Tom
Some guys over on the Savage forum shoot the Spitfire with a Crushed rib and place a #8 washer at the bottom of the bullet to keep the sabottight to the barrelwhen fired, because of the boattail. There are other options, however, buy thier 45/70 bullet in 250 or 300g and get the FB (flat base), that is the exact same bullet as the MZ, but a .458 diameter, the MZ is .451 or .452. Many shoot that in an Orange MMP sabot and have good luck, also several guys over on the Savage forum shoot the Barnes Origonal 300g 45/70 .458 diameter in a Crushed rib (.452 sabot) or an orange MMP (.458 sabot) and have 1" groups at 100 yards. I have all these bullets to test in my Savage, and the sabots. I will do that in Feb, after our season ends (Feb 2nd is last day in Loudoun Co Va). I am planning on going to Barnes in my Savage because of penetration, wt retention, expansion and shoot thru. I will continue to use Noslers in my Omega and my Disc, since they work well in the penetration, expansion, wt retention and shoot thru department. Only reason I am changing is BC of the Barnes Orginal is a lot better for distance shooting. So those are some options for you if you want to get away from "packaged bullets". If you want to stay packaged bullet and the Barnes is "spaying for your at 50 yards", then try a Nosler partition or a Speer Gold Dotsince they are flat based. I like the 300g since they shoot thru big boned deer, the 250s and 240g don't for me.
Chap Gleason