In the March issue of a gun magazine 13 popular ML bullets were tested in a T/C Omega with 2 50 gr 777 pellets and a Rem 209 primer. I thought the results were very interesting, thought I'd pass on some of the highlights.

Accuracy: Three shot groups at 100 yards:
Swift A Frame 300 gr - .40". The tester actually fired a 10-shot group with this one, and it measured 2.6".
Swift A Frame 240 gr - 1.10"
T/C Shockwave250 gr= 1.40"
4 Barnes Bullets (2 SpitFire Exp & 2 Exp MZ) = 1.60-2.70"
2 PowerBelts (348 HP & 295 AeroT) =4.10 & 5.40 respectively.
Noticeably missing from the test were any XTP's.

Penetration: Wet newspaper at 25 yards:
All bullets except the PB's penetrated between 14.5 and 17.5".
The PB's penetrated 9" & 10".

Weight Retnetion:
Most bullets retained between 70-90%
All 4 Barnes Bullets retained 100% with perfect expansion.
The 348 HP PB's retained only 54% of their weight.

An interesting thing - the tester cleaned between each shot with #13 bore cleaner, then swabed with a clean patch saturated with Bore Butter ("to make loading the sabots earier"). Most posts I've seen here recommend shooting sabots with a clean, dry bore.

Any thoughts?

IM jaybe

Great post Jay. Anyone who shoots a muzzle loader can surly use this info. Not just a T.C. Omega (although I don't know why they would shoot anything else today) The info about the penitration answered my question about blood trails and bullet performance. Short sweet easy to understand. I give this post a 10. Thanks Mike

Good question!!! I shot ML yesterday and realized that I did not clean out the Bore Butter. It seems okay. What is the risk if I don't clean them? I agreed that it is MUCH easier to load the sabot!!! Any comment???

Thanks...

jaybe

Most every sabot manufacturer and barrel manufacturer recommends a dry clean barrel for accuracy, sabots are self lubricating. But, there are lot of people out there that are still using Natural lube 1000 as a patch lubricant to swab the bore between shots or are applying Bore Butter to the sabots to aid it in its decent down the barrel. As you know, I feel, if you are shooting a 50 cal. with a .451/.452 bullet you can find a sabot that will work in your gund with out lubricating the sabot to get it down. If you buy pachages of bullet/sabot combinations and are unwilling/unable to switch sabots you may be destined to lube the sabot to get it down.

I really do not recommend (which is worth about 2 cents in the real world)the use of the natural lubricants while shooting. I do use BB in my barrel care process, in a strip clean,which Ibelieve may aid loading and certainly reduces fouling for a given amount of time. While hunting I do not hunt with a bare metal barrel either. I usually shoot the gun preseason to check POI wipe clean the barrel, certainly not a strip clean, then I do put a verrry light coatof a quality bore oil in the barrel and then wipe as much out as can get with a clean dry patch. During the season any shots thatI might takeI follow up with the same procedure, but any time I am in the woods hunting there is a light coat of protective oil in the barrel. This has not had a noticibleeffecton my POI while hunting.

In a recent conversation with Del Ramsey, I shared with him my concern (question) about sabots slipping by or across the lands and grooves. I was especially concerned, not because I have a light coat of oil in the barrel but when loading some sabots they slip down almost like a PowerBelt. I was sure this would lead to sabot slippage across the rifllings. He indicated, in his experiance he had not been able to create this problem with a sabot of the correct caliber and the correct bullet size. He indicated when the projectileis fired a lead bullet will "obturate" and create an "interference fit" with the sabot and riflings in the bore. The only time that this slippage might occur is with all copper bullets that do not obturate.

Just my 2 bits....

A most excellent post jaybe: very informative with
some good detail about penetration. It also answers
some questions about why no blood trail for me
that is. I was also very impressed with the over-all
performance of the Barnes bullets. Which is my bullet
of choice for hunting whitetail, "300"gr. expander.
Good shooting........God bless......Danny

Had this writer used Powerbelts with a dry bore, that product "may" have won the accuracy test. He also didn't say what Powerbelts he used - since the company manufacturered two different diameter ones for many years. Thereis still old stock out there .... ie... two different kindsat some stores.

No I am not a Powerbelt purchaser. I just feel I am a better source on what works well in an Omega than this writer. He obviously has been asked/perhaps paid to say some bad words about the #1 selling ML bullet in the world - a bullet that depends on a dry bore to show it's true colors in accuracy.

Also surprised that this writer did not mention the XTP bullet - which incidently - when combined into all the bullet packages.... ie... Hornady, T/C Mag Express, Traditions Bullets... etc....is the #2 selling ML bullet in the world. I'll bet that bullet did real well in this test, but this writer somehow failed to mention it -- choosing to use a similar makeup bullet (Swift) that no one buys due to it's high price.

This magazine is bcoming more political every year.... more info in it from folks that are paid to endorse products - then slam the competition thru devious ways. I hatereading articles like this one. Much rather read about a group of impartial bullets from awriter that does notendorse/get paid by any ML bullet manufacturerto knock the crap out of what sells the best.... ie... Powerbelts & XTPs-- by finding a way so the information sounds reasonable - but really has an undercover motive that twists ML shooters minds thru deception.

I am a subscriber to this magazine. Ever since a few regular posters on forums like this one began showing up in that magazine, I must now ask 2-3 times for my copies.The other day, I finally received my December 2005issue of this magazine after repeated complaints.This absence from my mailbox is rather coincidental withnew names that appearing in that magazine.

Does this happen because the posters I mentionedare now a part of that magazine & do not agree with many of my ML components findings -- perhaps because I do not get paid by anyone on stuff they report - on stuff that they do get paid for?????????..... Hhmmmm!!

Triple Se7en, I agree it is interesting how much a person can deduce from what is left out .Some times they make a serious effort to twist a persons thinking. There is good information there you just have to dig up the rest of the picture to see the real world. Lee

boy, 5 inchs at 100 yards with powerbelt 295. i assume they had scope on in-line too. thats terrible. i get 3 inchs at 100 with open sights on my t/c hawkins flintlock .50cal,but my eyes are not great .powerbelt is real nice bullet for hawkins flintlock .295/348