Hate to tell you this, but if you wanted to shoot roundballs you bought the wrong gun. The Omega' s 1-in-28" twist will severely overstabilize a roundball and accuracy will be marginal at best. The fastest twist rate that will accurately shott roundballs is 1-in-48" which is only found in the more traditionally styled guns like the Hawken, and is actually a compromise twist rate to allow the use of lighter conicals as well as roundball. The optimum twist for roundball accuracy is a very slow 1-in-60 to 66" .

The Omega is designed to shoot sabots and heavy (long) conical bullets. For sabot bullets look for the following bullets; for a .40cal bullet with 185grain min. weight, .44/.45 cal bullet 230grain minimun weight, .50cal conical should be at least 300 but more preferably 360gr+. I' ve had good luck with Precision Rifle QT sabots from my Knight DISC .50cal (which is also 1-in-28" ) in the .40cal, 215gr. version. The 300gr .45cal QT' s also shoot really well too. I' ve also had good luck like the Hornady Great Plains lead conicals in both the 385gr FNHP and the bigger 460gr FN. The Hornady conicals are accurate, fairly easy to load, and hit like a freight train and are good out to 100 yards. The PR sabots are even easier to load and more accurate, but don' t hit quite as hard as the big conicals, but will extend the your range to 150 yards easily because they shoot pretty flat for a ML. The trajectory of the big conicals looks more like a mortar round past 100 yards. You could also try the Powerbelt conicals. I' ve never used them, but there are many who say that they are just the ticket for an accurate, easy loading conical bullet. Some have gotten great results, and I' ve heard others say they wouoldn' t group from their rifle.

Also remember that every ML is its own animal. No two " identical" muzzleloaders will shoot exactly alike or like the same bullet/load combo. Some guns will shoot well with anything you stuff down the barrel, others are very picky eaters. Part of the fun, or frustration, is shooting enough to find that one special load that your gun likes the best. Stick with conicals or sabots and have fun. If you' ve heart set on shooting patched roundballs, take the Omega back and get a T/C Hawken with a 1-in-48" or slower twist barrel. If you don' t mind shooting the more " modern" projectiles, then stick with the Omega, as it' s a very good gun.

Mike