Wow.. what a combination! I just purchased this gun in anticipation of a hunt in Montana this coming fall for Muleys and Pronghorn. I drew a special Long Island, NY firearms deer state land hunt and decided to try the gun out. I ended up getting a doe, and the combination of the T/C thumbhole Omega, 150 grains of 777 pellets and 295 grain Powerbelt Aerotips is devastating! I hit the doe quartering towards me at approx. 30 yds, the exit hole took out the entire shoulder blade on the far side... unbelievable! This load may have neen a little much for whitetails at this range, and I may go to a lighter bullet for my Montana trip... but this combination is so easy to use and clean!

If you are going out West after mulies and antelope I'm sure you will sight your rifle in at a considerably longerrange. After you shoot that load at 150-200 yards let us know how it performs. I anticipate that you will not be as happy, but I'm eager to here.

I have to agree.. if you were going to shoot distances with that rifle and that kind of powder charge you might want to look into a 250 grain Shockwave for the mule deer and a 200 grain Shockwave for the antelope. You will get the maximum range abilities out of that rifle with those projectiles. Of course this is just my opinion, you might shoot the powerbelts and find they do just fine at the long range also and want to stick with that...

I shoot a relative of the Omega.. a Thompson Center Black Diamond XR.

Yes, like I said... I may go to a lighter bullet for muleys and pronghorn. After seeing what it did to a deer, I may even go a lighter bullet for whitetails... I am thinking 295gr is more of a moose load!

Did the powerbelt splatter when it hit, breaking apart and going everywhere or did it hold together pretty good? Seeing it was an Aero Tip they might be good long range medicine. I shoot the 245 grain Aero Tip out of my CVA Staghorn and the accuracy with them in that rifle (for a very low cost rifle I might add) is exceptional!!

I've yet to shoot a deer with a powerbelt. I have hunted with them but the deer were not cooperating at all this year. They were playing hide and seek, and I lost big time...

I assume when you say that you may go lighter on bullets you mean sabots? I certainly would not go lighter on powerbelts for mulies. I too, have not been able to get powerbelts to be accurate with heavy loads of 777.

buy a box of 100 230gr.45cal. .451 dia xtp's hollow pointsand some mmp black sabots the bullets are about $13.oo and the sabots are about $10 or $12.oo,use themwith that 150gr charge of 777. I sighted my z5 to hit 2 inches high at 50 yards. At 250 yards my bullet drop is only 15 inches. The last two deer i shot at that range had complete pass through shots and the lung area was gone. This season was very good to me i got two big does with my bow,3 more does and two bucks with my omega and i still have a bucktag left and the rest of this month to get another buck. I am going to hold out and try and get the big monster buck that i found the shed antler from last season. The lady that lives across the road from me works the late shift at our nursing home andhas seen him 2 times, the last time she saw him was friday moring about 4 am crossing the road just down the road from our house.

little-d, I use that bullet and sabot with 150 APP it show an average of 2230 fps. Iwould like to know what 150 of 777 does. I also am using a z5 at this time the two bucks I shot with that same load this year: the first was about 70 yard and hit forward of the heart moving he went about 30 yds and the blood trail was like 5 feet wide ,the second humped his back for a split second then dropped like a wet rag. Please let us know how yours reacted and if you know the vol. what it is. Lee

NYSportsman, Because, some of us are having problems getting penatration, I would say ifits not broke don't fix it. The load is giving you accuracy and penatration along with hitting power or shock then look at weather it is giving you the range you want,the 200gr shock wave is great for range and shoots excellant groups in some guns. Lee

Little-d,
The XTPs are outstanding inside 100 yards, we use 300 grainers in my kids gun, but you should have a look at the shockwave ballistics. Same performance on the game, but instead of a drop in the teens at 200 yards, you would have about a 7 inch drop. Both are outstanding sabot rounds and deliver a great punch.
Can't go wrong with either, just get a bit better ballistics w/ the shockwaves.
I won't even address the PB's. If they work good for you in your gun, by all means use them.
R
Hank