1. The bullets all seem the same to me except for sabot vs. powerbelt types. What is the fundamental difference between the two and which one works better performance wise.

A sabot is a combination of a plastic wad with a pistol or rifle bullet inside the wad. Much like a shotgun shell only of course instead of shot, you have a bullet. As the wad advances up the barrel the rifling causes it to spin which in turn spins and stabalizes the bullet. After the combination exits the barrel ... again, the sabot wings open and the bullet is released as the wad fall to the ground some 15-35 yards in front of the shooter. The powerbelt is a conical full bore sized projectile. On the bottom is a plastic cut which acts to protect the base of the powerbelt. This entire thing spins on its flight out of the barrel and the plastic cup soon falls off the base.

We have Frontier Gander that swears by Powerbelts. He feels as long as they are shot at moderate speeds the bullet performs perfect and is a good hunting projectile. Others have claimed the bullet splatters when it hits. Perhaps too fast? Maybe bone..

Which works better will depend on the amount of powder behind it, the distance to the targets, and how good of a shot you are. Both of them will work fine if used properly.

2. In my 30-06 i shoot a 165 grain bullet that blows the other side out of 200 pound hogs. Why do the muzzleloaders need up to 400 grain bullets? It seems like I am throwing a baseball at them.

When you talk about the 400 grain bullets, you are talking a decrease in velocity. They are not producing the speeds of your 30-06 by any means. So if the projectile is slow, you like more weight. Some people shoot a 200 grain Shockwave and push them 2000 fps and get excellent results, penetration, and expansion. All of this is a trial and error and only your rifle will know what it likes and dislikes. Also you can style your projectile for the animal you hunt. For hogs, some like the large conicals because of the knock down power. They shoot 70 grains of 3f powder and blow through the hogs anyway. Others like the copper jacket Barnes or Nosler and shoot them fast and use the excellent expansion and penetration to bring down their game. Its all a matter of choice. You do not NEED a 400 grain projectile. It is a matter of choice.

3. My 30-06 will change grouping by several inches if I go to a 150 grain bullet. If I use the 115 grain it is off by almost a foot. When you guys pick the weight of your bullet what do you use to determine the most effective weight for you to use? I assume that if I change weights my point of impact will vary dramaticaly.

So will muzzleloaders. Change any part of the load and you can change your group. Swab the barrel and don't swab the barrel, you can change your group. Shoot on a hot VS a cool barrel and you can change your group. All of this you learn along the way. Also, your rifle might like a 250 grain bullet and hate a 300 grain. You learn all of this as you learn your rifle. This is seldom a purchase a rifle, pick a pack of bullets off the shelf, and go hunting experience. That is what makes these so much fun.

4. It seem that 777 is the prefered powdercharge but are there other ones that are better. I have read a bit about 209h?

777 is a great powder. Hot, powerful, dependable and easy to clean. The 209 is getting some excellent reviews but I have not shot any yet. Also the rifle you select needs to have an ignition suited to 209 powder. Some rifles hangfire with the powder. Others act flawless. Which rifles? The powder is too new to make a list of the good VS the no so good.

5. About how many rounds should I be expecting to shoot before my rifle settles into one that it likes.

I have taken new rifles out to my range and by the end of the day had a hunting load for them. I have had others that just did not want to cooperate. For instance, get a Triumph, load 100 grains of 777 2f, a 250 grain Shockwave, and a good primer, and I will bet the rifle will shoot well. If your a good shot and you swab between shots. That load is kind of made for that rifle. Take a Knight rifle, load 100 grains and a 250 grain or 300 grains Barnes Expander or Knight Red Hot (same bullet) and I will guess again, your rifle will be able to shoot just fine. But say you try a 240 grain Cheap shot. You might have to play with powder charges from 70 - 120 grain to find the on to make it shoot good, if it will shoot good. All a matter of trial and error.

Some rifles shoot good right out of the box. Some take time to decided what they want to do. It might depend on a lot of things, but to say 100 rounds.. is impossible. I will say, the better the rifle quality, the faster they tune in.