rml127

I went out and shot my omega this morning and was disappointed again. No matter what I try I can't get good accuracy. This morning I was shooting 245 powerbelts and 240 buffalo bullet sabots. I was also using 2 50 grain 777 pellets. My friend swears by these and told me they are super clean. I didn't notice them being any cleaner than loose powder. At 50 yards the best group I could get with the powerbeltswas about 2 inches and that was only 2 shots. The third was always somewhere else. I backed off to 100 yards and shot my best2 shot group ever with the buffalo sabots, it was about 1 inch. I got all excitedand carefully fired a third shot and it was four inches low. I tried cleaning after every shot, not cleaning, letting the barrel cool and shooting it hot andI can't get good consistant groups. On a previous test session I tried various loads of loose powder with the same results.I checked the gun over and everything seems tight. Are muzzleloaders supposed to be this frustrating? Could a 5-10 mph wind blow the bullets around this much?

cayugad

Since you have an Omega.. have you tried shooting Shockwaves? The 200, 250, even the 300 grain should shoot very well from your rifle. Now granted, some Omega shooters claim they are hard to load. All you can do is try them. They should give you excellent accuracy and killing potential. Some Omega shooters even push them to 150 grains with pellets. I personally would not do that, even 120 grains would be plenty.

Normally when someone is having trouble with a rifle, a wise man told me to stick with combination bullet sabot loads like Shockwaves, T/C Mag Express XTP's, T/C PTX, etc. I've done this and always been able to find one projectile or more that gave me excellent results.

Then again, maybe you were just having a bad day. I sure get enough of them... Better luck at the range next time.

rml127

I'm pretty sure I tried shockwaves. There were some sabots that came with the rifle but they didn't seemto group anybetter. I need to try it again when there is no wind at all. The sabots are definatly harder to load than the powerbelts but they are gatting easier. I really want to find a load thats accurate out around 150-200 yards. Thats the only reason I bought a muzzleloader. I live in a shotgun only area and I have a few spots that deer appear at 200 yards in any direction. I haven't found a slug yet that I dare shoot at 200 yards.

westbrooklawn

When I got my Omega I took some great advice from cayugad and started with a load of 85g loose T7 and a 250g spire tip shockwave. I am grouping at about 2" at 100 yds. with that load. I tried other bullets, powders, and charges, but keep coming back to the original load. I have been to the range several times, and the accuracy of that load has been consistent.

TRY IT!!! That accuracy is more than good enough for deer hunting, and I feel that charge is plenty adequate for at least 100 yd. shots.

Tahquamenon

For starters, I would forget about the powerbelts out to 150-200 yards and certainlythe 245 grain. They will not group that well at those ranges and really run out of gas quickly.
You will be very dissapointed if you shoot a deer on up with the 245 PB and even the 295 PB. They just fragment too rapidly and don't deliver the terminal impact.

The key to accuracy with ML's is consistancy and patience.

Everything about your shooting procedures need to be consistant (cleaning in-between shots how and with what, loading pressure and seating force, primers, powder charge, barrel temperature, projectiles, etc). The more consistant, the better your results.

I am getting the impression that perhaps your frustration is getting the best of you a bit. Don't fret, it happens. Just settle down and focus on your shooting procedures.

Also, are you certain you did not pull a shot and throw off your groups? It happens as well. I develop loads with a locking benchrest (HySkoreUltimate Sighting Rest) with a remote triggering device. That way I know exactly what is happening downrange without my causing problems or any sighting variability.

With pellet's, you are going to be limited in tuning your loads, but you should be able to obtain good accuracy with two 50gr T7 pellets. I would opt for loose powder myself as I have always found the best accuracy somewhere inbetween, not to mention loose powder is much cheaper. But to get started and to keep things more simple, perhaps stick with the two pellet approach.

I would play it safe to begin with and stick with Thompson/Center projectiles to begin with. If you end up calling T/C they will not be able to help you with any other projectile type anyhow.

The most reliable and accuracteprojectiles I've foundfor the 50 cal 1:28" Omega/Encore/Black Diamond is:
240gr/44/50 TC Mag Express/Hornady XTP
240gr/45/50 TC Mag Express/Hornady XTP
250gr/.452" TC Shockwave/Hornady SST

The problem you will find with pellet's is dialing in your best accuracy along with the highest velocity. Three 50gr T7 pellets may not group at all, plus you and your rifle will not like the recoil.

If you go the route of loose powder (I would), go with either 777 2FG or 3FG or Black Mag'3.

For your Omega, with the 3FG powders, start about 80gr and top out about 110gr. For 777 2FG, start out at about 90grains.

Last weekend from my Omega, I was putting the 250 Shockwave/ Hornady SST inside of 1.5" on averageat 100 yards with 95gr Black Mag'3 and the Remington Kleenbore primers.

Same thing with the 45 cal Hornady XTP/TC Mag Express and 85gr 777 3FG & the Remington Kleenbore Primer. About 1.5" on average.

I swab in-between each shot with a damp patch(not moist or soaking wet)50/50 mix of 99% alcohol and Windex followed by a couple of dry patches. Bone dry clean bore.

If you find yourself grouping around .5-2" on average at 100 yards, then that should be considered excellent accuracy. Especially if not shooting from a locking bench rest.

For the 200 yard shooting, I would seriously practice alot at that range. You will need to sight anywhere from 3-6" high at 100 yards depending on your projectile and powder charge.

Three shot groups.

Good luck!

Triple Se7en

Did you shoot a box or two of full-fledged conicals to smooth-out the bore riflingb/4 venturing into the undersized Powerbelts & sabot/bullets???

Did you try straight alcohol or Windex spray for swabbing between shots?

Is your bore free of oils & lubes?

What primer are you using? You may need to go stronger or weaker.

Did you know that the 245 Powerbelt is the4th most accurate Powerbelt in the Omega at 100 yards & beyond.... behind the 348, 295 & 405s???

Isn't the 240 Buffalo a yellow, 44-cal plastic sabot? If it is... then you need to switch to either the 45 or 40-cal sabot/bullets for best accuracy without errant flyers. Most 44-cal plastic sabots cannot take the 777 heat consistently.

Also, are you swabbing with a bore brush? Jags have a very hard time removing 777 fouling from rifling. As a result, some bores using hard, crusty 777 will fill the rifling & turn accurate muzzleloaders into lousy shooters fast.

Lastly, why haven't you included the 30-grain pellets so you can tweak your loads.... ie.... 80 - 90 -110 -120 grains?????

============

If youprescribe toeverything I described above, your frustrations will end.

wernerjd

I had a guy tell me once that if you have a bullet that doesn’t fit in the sabot tight that you can have a group with say 3 shots in a one inch group and have the fourth shot say two inches. This is due to the sabot not fitting good with the bullet and one going one way and the other going a different direction. I use Precision Rifle because if you look at the bullet and the sabot they fit real nice together. I use to use the Horady XTP’s with there sabots and found this happening. I have used others but I would recommend the Dead Centers or the QT. Also Precision Rifle has a chart on the back of the plastic that will help you chose the right combination for your gun.

rabbitbuster

Yeah, ML is frustrating at times, isn't it? I pulled a lot of hair out in the last year trying to get the accuracy from my new SS/laminate Omega that I knew it should produce. Here's whatworked for me. I ended up using 300 grain Shockwaves in Harvester sabots over 90-110 grains of Black Mag 3. (The pattern starts to blow at 120 grains, and the recoil gets rather brutal at that level anyway.)I found full power Winchester or Remington primers,but not the Kleenbores,work best with the BM3, although Tahquamenon seems to get good accuracy from Kleenbores and BM3 (I can't). I use 50/50 91% isopropyl alcohol/windshield wiper fluid (hat tip to Tahquamenon from about a year ago on another bulletin board)to clean after every shot, and always shoot from a clean, dry bore. Result is 1.5" to 2.0", 3 shot groups at 100 yards if I do my part.

Try the loose T7. Compared to BM3, it just takes more work to get that bore consistenly clean between shots with T7. I tried to shoot from afouled bore or from a single spit patched bore, but I just couldn't get consistent patterns. A really clean bore, and the 50/50 solution, did the trick.

Are you using the T/C extended jag with the Shockwaves? Nothing blows a pattern faster than mangling the nose of the bullet as you seat the sabot as a buddy of mine found out recently. Be sure you have the right loading jag.

You don't mention a scope -- are you shooting with the original fiber optic sights? If you don't care for or can't afford a good scope, I believe Williams makes a peep sight for the Omega that might help.

Good luck, and keep at it!

Paul (rabbitbuster)

rml127

I spoke to a friend last night who is a competion shooter and really seems to know his stuff. I explained the situation to him and he thinks my problem is not being consistent in how I was holding the gun each shot. I am shooting off a homemade rest that isn't the best. I'm going to try holding the same way each time the next time I shoot.

I was swabbing with alcohol between shots using a jag. I need a new bore brush, the one I bought is very loose in the barrel and doesn't work well. I used a dry patch twice after each alcohol patch. I am using winchester primers. I really don't want to buy any more powder, I have the 777 pellets, a bottle of FF pyrodex and a bottle of FFF pyrodex. I would like to use what I have for now if I can. I also didn't shoot any conicals thru this gun. The buffalo sabots are the yellow ones with .44 bullets. I also have a 3-9 power scope on the gun.

I'm going to Gander Mountain tomorrow to buy some more bullets and a new brush. I'm getting so many different opinions on bullets, what would be the best type to buy with 150-200 yard shooting in mind? I'm willing to get a couple types. Is lighter or heavier better?I'm starting to realize this is going to take some effort to shoot well at this yardage. I have the next ten days off at work so, weather permitting, I plan on shooting alot to get it right. I appreciate all the help.

ahankster

You need to listen to Tahquamenon, cayugadand the other 80% of the folks on this board and go with this set up to start.

Two 50 grain pellets of 777 and a 250 grain Shockwave (It is just a good place to start)

Shoot this until you are confident and capable at 100 yards, then go to 150. Then start working your way to 200. Your gun may or may not do well past 150 with this load. I am not trying to be insulting, but you aren't ready to be making ethical shots at 200 yards at this point with that gun.

There is another little variable that sometimes escapes people. Shooting sabots in a hot gun or during hot weather. Don't know where you are from, but temps in the 80s still are the norm in the south. Sabots in hot barrels and during hot weather can result in erratic results. Pick a cool, calm morning to do your sighting in, give your barrel time to cool, I think your results will improve.


The problem is that you are trying too many things and can't figure out where the problem is. While every gun is different and the load above may not be the absoloute best for your setup, I would be willing to put money on it that it would provide very acceptable accuracy to 150 yards, providing you do your part (consistant shooting technique, consistant cleaning between shots, consistant loading technique, etc). Start from a known position and then work up from there.
R
Hank