OK All, I will have to start off by stating that I have only ever fired a BP rifle 3-4 times in my life.While I am a good shot it was when someone else loaded it and chose the load.

OK Here's why, Ifailed to get a dear during the early bow season and also duringregular gun season here in Ohio so I will be borrowing my Father inlaws TC Omega 50 Caliber for the late BP season. Herecieved it brand new last year for Christmas and has not even had it out of the box.

Where do I start??? [&:]

I need toselect a reliable projectile that is accurate to around 100-125 yards for dear hunting. And also what load do you all recommend for that? Size of projectile and amount of powder / propellant.


Thanks in advance
Keith
An Infant in the BP world.

I'm going to assume that you are going to have limited time and opportunity to get to the range.

Read and understand the Omega Manual.

One of the typically easiest loads to get started with in an Omegais:
[ol][*]Two Hodgdon 777 50 grain pellets. Buy a box of pellets. If you get into ML I would suggest going with loose powder.[*]Thompson/Center Mag Sabot, 240grain .451 Hornady XTP projectile. Might need two boxes.[*]Winchester 209 Shotgun Primer. One package should be fine for now. [/ol]
Other things you will need:
[ol][*]Breech Plug Anti-Seize Grease. Birchwood/Casey Choke Tube Lube works excellent.[*]Lube for field bore protection. Natural Lube 1000 is fine for now and for the field as synthetic lubes will "coke & tar" within the bore under firing conditions. I prefer synthetics for long term protection. Up to you.[*]2" round or 3" square patches. In ziplock sandwich bags, place some20-30 or so clean in two bags and4-5 patchesof NL-1000 lubed into one bag. In one of the two bags, saturate (not dripping) the patches with a 50/50 mix of 99% isopropyl alcohol and Windex.[*]Cleaning loading jag for the ramrod.[*]Palm Saver implement for loading. Worth the investment.[*]T/C Dog Bone Primer holder.[*]99% Isopropyl Alcohol.[*]Windex or windshield washer fluid.[*]Primer removal tool. (Traditions or CVA have a nice steel one). [/ol]
To get started:
[ol][*]Remove the breech plug, remove the barrel from the stock and detail clean the bore as described in the manual with boiling hot soapy (Laundry Detergent)water. About a tablespoon of soap for a couple of quarts ofhot water. What you want to do is get all of the packing lube from the bore. Using a glove or a towel to hold the barrel. You will be "pump flushing" the bore by placing the muzzle end in the hot soapy water and running a soapy patch on a cleaning/loading jag from the breech to the muzzle. When you run the patch to the muzzle and then remove it, it will draw hot soapy water into the bore. Pump scrub the bore about 20-30 strokes and replace the patch if it wears out. Then rinse the bore with clean water following the same procedure.[*]The barrel will be very hot at this point. Run an alcohol patch through the bore. This will help evaporate the moisture. Let the barrel cool for a couple ofminutes. Dry the breech plug threads in the bore with dry patches. Run a dry patch in the bore.[*]Grease the breech plug and barrel threadswith anti-seize lube.[*]Install the breech plug into the bore finger tight using the T/C wrench. Don't torque it in. Just snug it in until it seats.[*]Lightly lube a patch with natural lube 1000. Run one patch from the muzzle to the breech. Then follow up with a dry patch. What you are doing is controlling any flash rust. You want to shoot sabot's from a dry bore. There will still be enough NL-1000 in the bore for the field, but not enough to cause issues with the sabot. [/ol]
Now you are all set for shooting. I would suggest starting at 50 yards range and them move out to the 100 yards you plan on hunting would be better. Follow the loading guidelines in the manual. At 50 yards bench:
[ol][*]Load two 777 50-grain pellets.[*]Load a 240gr Mag Sabot until it "seats".[*]Load a primer in the breech, take aim and shoot. Record your POI on the 50 yard target. Don't rush to tinker with the sights just yet. Fire 3-5 shots to determine your POI and grouping.[*]Remove the primer.[*]Clean the bore. Use a dry patch and lick it(not slobbering). Using a cleaning/loading jag, work that damp patch down the boreto the breech using short strokes. Then flip it and do again.[*]Then take an 50/50 mix alcohol patch and squeeze any excess out and work that down to the breech in short strokes. Flip and do again.[*]Then run a dry patch in the bore. Flip and do again.[*]Load two 777 pellets, a 240gr Mag Sabot, Prime, Aim and shoot.[*]Do the above procedure another 3-4 times. Record your POI.[*]Every 7-10 shots or so, slightly "loosen and then "re-snug" the breech plug so to ensure it's not seizing up.[*]Adjust your windage and elevation as needed and re-verify with another couple of shots. At 50 yards, you will want to be about 1" high or so to be on at 100 yards with this load. If you can, repeat this procedure at 100 yards.[*]Don't rush or be in a hurry. That's not what muzzleloading is all about. Take your time to clean the bore between each shot. When done shooting for the day or in the field, clean the bore as described above and then run a NL-1000 lubed patch in the bore. This will protect the bore until you get home for detail cleaning.[*]Detail clean at the end of the shooting/hunting day even if you only fired once.[*]For a field lube, NL-1000 is fine. For long term protection, up to you. I use only high quality synthetic lubes for the bore: Otis 085 UltraBore I Clenzoil everywhere else. Wide opinions when it comes to long term protection. The point is however that you must detail clean at the first opportunity after shooting. Otherwise rust will ruin the ML.[/ol]
Good luck!

Tahquamenon

Wow Thanks Alot Tahquamenon,

If I follow those steps I should be able to get things rolling quite easily with 1 or 2outings . Yeah I have a farm that I am able to sight things in at but it's 30 mins away and with it getting dark at 5 here I only have weekends to work with during the day.And there are only 3between now and BP season and I haven'tpicked up the gun yet.And you know how theweekends are this time of year, wife-kids-christmas-a wedding-etc.-etc.

Thanks again.
Keith

No trouble at all and good luck.

This should get you on the paper good enough for hunting purposes.

There are a plethora of projectile and powder choices available and there are actually others that I personally prefer, but require more load development, equipment and working with loose powder. Which is not a big deal at all as loose powder is where it's at as far as load development with a much wider variety of projectiles.

But this should get you in the field quickly with a highly effective hunting load. I've taken dozens of deer with the 240 XTP and about 80-90 grains of loose powder. The two 777 pellets are about the equivelant to 85 grains of FFG loose 777.

Let us know how you make out.

Regards,

Tahquamenon

I will be sure to update you all on how I do with theML during the late deer season. If I had something with me with that range during the regular gun season I would of taken ahuge doe. But my 870 12ga. w/ slugs don't like to find a target accurately after 65-75 yards.

I had to go online to Cabelas and do some searching just so I would know what some of the things in your list were. Found them all they all make sense and I will be sure to post some results.

Added archery to my hunting resume last year and BP to it this year. MMMM... What next year?

Thanks Again
Keith

You may not want to- but everyone should shoot 20-40 conicals first. That smooths out the bore - helps break it in & gets you familiar with the rifle. Sometimes it gets you close on target paper too. Just last week at 50 yards, my Deerhunter was shooting 245 gr. PA conicals, 132 grain .451roundballs inside a 45/50 Harvester sabot & 180 grain.451Hornady XTPs/Harvester sabotall within three inches of each other using the same volume powder (60gr 777 FFF)

My grandson's future rifle is still a work in progress... but it's already hunting-ready for him.

Hi Triple Se7en, I also agree 100%with shooting some conicals through a new bore (like 40-60 or so) to help break it in.

I was just under the impression that kkeiser would not have time to do so prior to hunting.

kkeiser, T-7 is right on. If you can, shoot a box or two of say T/C Maxi-balls or Hornady Great Plains conicals through the Omega with one or two pellets not really worrying so much about accuracy. Then be sure to use a bore solvent that removes lead afterwardsand super clean the bore.

Best,

Tahquamenon

I'd go with the 250gr T/C Shockwaves. I've shot probably 75 rounds with it the last 45days and consistantly get 1/2 to 1 inch groups at 100yds. I use 100gr pyrodex pellets but will probably switch to powder this spring to test different powder loads.

Why sand down 99% of a nice bore with grinding compoundbecause a couple of tiny burrs that are unsightful to the naked eyeare sticking out of 1% of it's rifling?

Soft lead at those speeds can remove those burrs. Soft plastic cannot! Even after doing all this, most rifle bores still need alot more shots to be considered broken-in.

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Tahquamenon

That was a nice outline you posted there. I see Cayugad has one also he posts once in a while. One of these days when I get smart, I'm going to write one up & store it in a folder for copying & pasting to posters with questions like this one.

Awesome advise Tahquamenon. You just saved this guy about 3 years worth of trial and error. Thanks for the effort it took to type all that as I learned something too!

My son and I are going in the morning here in NW Tennessee. Temp should be about 18-20 degrees, so how one stores and cares for their muzzleloader is paramount to success in cold weather.

If I could add something to your advise - a reminder not to take the gun inside if it's cold outside to prevent moisture condensation on a warm gun. That's a sure way to get rust and no ignition.