I have a T/C Black Diamond XR that has been shooting 2" -3" patterns with T/C mag sabots at 100yds for the past two seasons. This year I couldn' t hit a 2' x3' piece of cardboard. I moved up to 50 then 25 yds. finally hitting the target, but most of the time the bullet hole was oblong not round, suggesting the bullet is tumbling. I am using the same bullet and same charge(100 grains pyrodex pellets) as previous years. The barrel was thoroughly cleaned before putting away last winter,and I looked at it before shooting a few days ago and it looked perfect. Since I was having no success, I tried some 295gr. powerbelt, and was able to get a 6" pattern at 100yd. Any thoughts?

i use the same gun and have never had this problem. i ask a few others around me and they have never had this problem.the only thing we could come up with is that your pellets may have been old and not at full strength. just a guess.

your bulletts may not be sealing in the barrel.a friend uses prelubed maxie balls,and he had the same problem this year.we were talking about it over the weekend.
He relubed the bullets and solved the problem.if you shoots sabots,check the barrel and see if you have a burr in it.just one though.

good luck in solveing the problem.

When did you purchase those pellets & where do you store them?

What is the name of the bore cleaner you use?

Did the Powerbelts keyhole or did they enter the target straight?

The original pellets were purchased three years ago and I keep them in a cabinet in the bedroom. I purchased new pellets this year but results were the same. I use T/C #13 bore cleaner and bore butter. The Powerbelts all made a round hole in the target.

T/C 13 Bore Cleaner works fine with leaded conicals but you need something stronger for sabots. Your keyholing problem is due to sabot plastic filling your rifling.

Go to Wally World & either buy that spray can of Outers Nitro Solvent they have or that tube? of Remington Bore Cleaner. Wet your first patch & run it up & down the bore a few times. Let it work for about one hour with your bore to the ground with a rag under the muzzle. Repeated treatments with a bore brush (not a jag) will remove that plastic.

Always run two nitro patches & bore brush after range work while using sabots, copper... etc. I' ll bet the next you go to the range, your bullets won' t keyhole & your 6" Powerbelt groups will shrink to 2-3" .

Thanks triple se7en, I' ll give it a try.