Pittsburghunter

From what I have read CO requires a full bore conical and knowing that the Omega has a fast twist I too will give the nod to a heavy conical. And it is funny I do, I have never needed to shoot them but have for fun. Good luck!

Underclocked

Bullshop has .504 conicals ready to go from the NEI mould #373. Weighs about 480 grains. His prices are great.

You might want to use a Maxi-ball or Lee REAL to check your bore size. That is critical for buying the right conicals. Just run one into your bore, then push it back out from the breech - mic the top band of the bullet to get your readings. Max reading will be groove-to-groove (or possiblly less than groove-to-groove if your bullet doesn't fill them) and minimum reading will be land-to-land measurement. Land-to-land is the dimension you will need.

You would then want to try a bullet that is just at your land-to-land measurement or very slightly over that measure (maybe .001).. Bullshop has a number of sizing dies and can probably fix you up. TC barrels vary enough there is not much predicting which will fit your particular barrel best. IF you happen tohaveone of those barrels where the QLA is a bit off center, lead conicals aren't going to shoot worth a hoot. PowerBelts might still shoot okay though.

http://bullshop.gunloads.com/index.html Thing about ordering from a caster is that you need the true barrel measurement as previously indicated, need to specify material as pure lead, and I would recommend you choose his Speed Green lube if you are shooting subs or his #2 lube if you are shooting true black.

cayugad

Underclocked.. let me know how those conicals shoot... they sound interesting. AlthoughI just ordered a couple more boxes of No Excuse tonight and Dave said they would be on the UPS tomorrow..

Roskoe

fillae - the salesman gave you a potent elk load. I use the same bullet -have tried 120 grains of FFg T7 as well as 130 grains of Pyrodex RS with good results. Both are accurate and will put elk on the ground with authority. It has enough penetration to break shoulders, but still expands fairly well on broadside rib shots. I use the MMP ballistic bridge sub base with this bullet. Could never get the lead bullet to group very wellwithout the base - at the magnum charge levels.

Eitherload, as you might imagine, has significant recoil. I'm sure the bullet will kill well with only 100 grains of powder. And you wouldn't need the sub base. Effective range will be reducedby 25% or so, though. May not be an issue it you hunt in heavier cover.

fillae

Thanks all. Great information. I will start out with the Great Plains and Maxi-Balls and go from there. If I can get decent groups from one of those two I think I will be set. I've heard that the Omega's do not shoot conicals great, so I may have to do what Underclocked suggested to find the right bullet. For now though, that's over my head. Weather permitting I'll hit the range on Saturday and do some testing.

fillae

Roskoe - do you use the sub base without a sabot? I'm assuming so since you are from CO.

Sorry, that was a stupid question. Obviously you don't use a sabot with a full-bore conical.

Roskoe

The bullet itself is a full caliber flat point conical. The sub base it considered a "wad" - it's purpose is to insulate the base of the soft lead bullet from the heat/pressure of the magnum powder charges. This combination is CDOW approved - as is the Powerbelt. Neither are considered a sabot for regulation purposes. These loads, with the sub base, have shot very well in my Black Diamonds as well asmy Omega.

Incidently, this is the only bullet I have used in conjunction with the MMP sub base that has shot considerably better with than without. I tried several other lead conicals that shot the same or worse with the sub base. My theory is that the front of this sub base very closely matches the hollow base of the 410 Great Plains bullet. Other posters have reported using the sub base with hot sabot loads and noting an improvement, however. I think they were originally developed for use with smokeless loads in the Savage MLII.

Roskoe

A couple of other bullets you might want to try as an alternative: the 385 Buffalo bullet has a good reputation in this part of the world for elk hunting. They expand well and are usually found just under the hide mushroomed to about 1". This would be a good bullet to use in conjunction with anon-magnum charge of 100 grains or so.

Also, the 405 Powerbelt seems to have a good balance of penetration and expansion for elk sized critters. This is also a bullet that tends to shoot well at non-magnum charges.

Either of these bullets should have an effective range of 125 yards or so.