racks- their customer service is one of the biggest reasons that company has done so well in the firearm industry. I have yet to present a problem to them (many of them I caused) they they have not solved.

Couple of things could be giving you some grief.

Omega's and Encores have fairly tight bores and typically load much happier when they are clean.

[ol][*]Loose the No 13 cleaner. First of all it does not effectively clean for the field (does it effectively clean anything?). Second, it can leave moisture in the bore which can cause a sabot to stick like it was welded. Try swabbing the bore after each shot with a damp (not wet) patch or 50/50 Mix of 99% Alcohol & Windex. Short stroke the patch down and up, flip and do again followed by a dry patch. Then the bore will be clean and dry. The two most successful elements to happy sabot loading. If you are a clean bore POI type like me, then you are set. Otherwise then you will need to occassionally clean the bore when loading becomes miserable. Again, I would forget about the No.13 cleaner.[*]Get a decent range rod. Nothing is more frustrating that trying to manhandle a stubborn sabot with the factory rod. I only use range rods in the field as well. Here is a decent one at a low price: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=srchdx&id=0037514216136a&a mp;navCount=1&podId=0037514&parentId=cat20 819&navAction=push&catalogCode=IG&rid= &parentType=index&indexId=cat20819&has JS=true[*]Short starting sometimes helps a bunch to get things on their way to the breech. Equip a quality short starter with a spire point loading jag (along with the range rod). Gently tap the short started Shockwave with the palm of your hand or a small nylon hammer. This is a nice short starter: http://www.knightrifles.com/productDetail.aspx?id=324600[*]There is an outside chance that you ended up with 250gr .451" projectiles but I doubt it. You could MIC the bullet and make sure. That would certainly make life miserable loading the .451" bullet with the Blue Sabot.[*]Lastly, you should be also using a bore guide with a range rod or short starter: 3/8" rods are common. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/categories/tableList.aspx?catID=6&subID=49&styleID=15 9[/ol]
Good Luck!



Tahquamenon

13 was all I had at the time.I have some 50/50 mixed aleady for next shooting session. Hopefully this saturday!!

We will find out soon if it was the wrong bullet packed. he sent them the sabots and a bullet or 2. I will be interested to know if it was that.Casue againhe said he shot a whole pack of 250's when he got the gun and they loaded no problem!!

Man my wife is not gonna understand all this stuff I need to shoot with. Her favorite saying "Is there anything you don't need??"

that would be a dangerous question to ask at my house. Probably get in a lot of trouble when I find out she had no since of humor....

I'm sure the fix is simple and all will be shooting fine. I was out blasting roundball and ball-ets today. Beautiful day here, in the 30's nice and warm no wind, sunny and fresh snow. The best time to shoot.

HAHA yeah luckily my wife has a sense of humor cause I tell her "I don't need the naggingwhenI make purchases for my hobbies."

I unloaded my Encore for the last time of the season last night, cleaned it and put it away. When I pushed the 200 grain shockwave through the barrel, the bullet was solidly seated, all the way to the base of the sabot.
Most of us that loaded them noticed that it did not seem that by finger pressure the base of the bullet went all the way to the bottom of the sabot. It appears, in this gun and loading anyhow, that when you have the added pressure of the ramrod and pushing the sabot down the barrel that the bullet does go all the way to the base of the sabot.
R
Hank

ahankster - - I always suspected that this is what was happening with them.

Okay I understand the swabbing in between shots at the range, learned that over the past few days, but what about hunting, you shoot and hit, but then start to track and I never track with an empty weapon or no weapon, so is it okay to load a second one without swabbing or best to swab and track?

Most (not all) projectiles can be loaded a couple of times before the need to actually swab is NECESSARY. The reason we swab between shots on the range is so each shot is like the one before it, to tune the accuracy of the load. If hunting and the need for a second fast shot is necessary, go ahead and load it. Also it is a good idea to practice that on the range to make sure the second even third if necessary are not too far off from the first...

Thanks! I think it is finally sinking in and they say you cant teach an old dog new tricks! [8D]