Thank you all for the (very) fast and informative replies! I can't believe I have not thought of tapping into this great knowledge sooner (probably because I have not discovered HunterNet yet...)
The 3fg is fine. Stay with loose and forget the pellets.
So first, I'm glad to hear that my $25 worth of FFFG are not going to waste -- definitely going to use it, and I'm planning on starting at 85 gr (should be about equivalent to the 100 gr of pellets load). Pellets will stay as a distant (unhappy) memory...
Second, I'm going to follow
sabotloader's great suggestion for making a batch of pre-saturated Windex patches (I appreciate the detailed photo-guided instructions!) Although I'm sure that
Semisane's idea of Isopropyl alcohol is as good, I want to prepare a small container of pre-soaked patches to keep in the shooting box, and I think the alcohol may evaporate too soon.
Question did you clean the bore of this gun before you started this adventure.
Yes, quite extensively to remove all visible and invisible long-term storage and protection coating.
All that's left now before heading out, is ammo.
Originally Posted by
MountainDevil54
go to sabots, TC arent engineered for full bore conicals.
Should I really stay away from what I currently have (PowerBelt) ?
Yes, I still have about $40 worth of bullets, but if the consensus here is that sabots (or other ammo) are the way to go -- I'd rather throw these bullets now and start practicing with the proper ones.
On one hand, I keep reading about T/C tight bore that makes sabots hard to use. On the other hand, most of the T/C-made ammo are sabots.
Within driving distance I usually get my hunting supplies at
Cabela's or
Dick's Sports
Either way, sabots or PowerBelt -- it's about $1.00 per bullet.
Maybe with the new cleaning method and loose powder, I can try and see if there's any breakthrough with the PowerBelt. However, if sabots are the preferred ammo -- which would you recommend?
Thanks again,
Zevi