In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options
Power belts vs. sabots
twogunkelly
Member Posts: 51 ✭✭
Howdy :I just bought a thompson omega .50cal for deer and elk hunting....Power belts claim to be more accurate 100yd.s out and farther....The cd with the gun claims sabots are more accurate than bore size bullets....what would you suggest?????Thanks
Comments
Most guys I know shoot sabots with the Omega.
the power belts were more accurate and easier to load in my Encore 209x50
Don't load them too hot or you might lose an animal (I did [V]), and use the biggest one you can get to shoot well
What do you all think ... are new 209's made for muzzle loaders the way to go? [?]
I've hunted with my T/C Omega 50 for five years and I always use sabots. The work fine for me. I've tried some different weights, but it doesn't seem to change much. I use two Hodgdon Triple Seven pellets and they seem to work fine except for that nasty crud ring! Sounds like the new 209's made for muzzle loaders might help, but I don't want to lose ignition!
What do you all think ... are new 209's made for muzzle loaders the way to go? [?]
I don't think they are worth a damm, I will deal with the crude ring before I use those MZ 209 primers again..elkoholic had also purchased some to use during is bull elk hunt a yr ago and he didn't like them and switched back to the standard ones. I have so many 209's I will never have to buy another 209 primer for muzzle loading the rest of my life
CC
We have 2 CVAs both 50's. It seems to me that the T/C hollow point sabots are more consistent in both of these. Granted the Powerbelts are easier to load in a dirty barrel, but when you get one shot you have to go with what you can get consistency with. Good knockdown too, my son was 2 for 2 on bucks this year.
Maybe different makes prefer different bullets?
I don't see what the big deal is with the power belts other than the high price! The T/C Sabots slide down the barrel just fine.
This year, however, I had some 300 grain Hornady XTP bullets lying around, and thought I'd give them a try ... I sighted in at the 100 yard range and thought I was OK and decided to not mess around checking to see how high I would be at 50 yards. I did this partially because I only had five bullets left. And the Hornady Sabots were a whole lot harder to slide down the pipe!
So on the second day of deer season I have a nice yearling fork horn at 40 yards and down in the ravine straight in front of my stand. Yup, you know what happened ... I shot right over the deer! And THEN I went back to the range and I'm 6 inches high at 50 yards! I discovered one deer too late! I should have realized that with a muzzle loader and a 300 grain bullet, it would be dropping quite a bit.
Most of my shots are in the 50 yard category, but last year I got a buck at 85 yards. So I thought, OK this year I'll sight in for 100 yards and try a heavier bullet. Bad decision. Holding low on a deer at 40 or 50 yards just does not FEEL right!
I'm going back to the T/C's ... I ordered them on line from the T/C Catalogue, and they came 1 1/2 days later. Can't beat that! I'm a slow learner, but I do get the point!
Barrel length,
Barrel rifling,
Barrel quality of manufacture,
Barrel cleaness,
Tempature,
Humidity,
Barometric pressure,
Trigger lock time,
Powder type used,
Powder volume/weight,
Powder storage/quality,
Initial ignition source. Pan, Musket cap, 209 primer used,
Condition of flash hole,
Thickness of sabot,
Sabot material,
Condition of sabot,
Bullet diameter used w/sabot,
Condition of bullet,
Shape of bullet,
Technique of loading powder,
Technique of loading bullet,
Tampimg technique-pressure,
Stock condition,
Stock fit,
How rifle is positioned on the rifle rest,
How the rifle is REpositioned on the rifle,
Quality and positioning of the rifle rest
.
.
.
.
.
Shooters ability, aka the weakest link.
Not withstanding shooters who have spent sometime AND $$$$ to 'experiment, to just say one is so much better for sany and all rifle, powder, bullet, loading, enviroment applications is leaving alot out of the equation.
Trt doing a 'search' on the subject going back 'in the year' and you'll find a heck of alot of interesting reading.
So, I would add to trajectory issues with Black Powder guns his good list.
There are even difference between Inline vs. Flint Lock (my favorite)
Please examine my posts and I hope one will find they don't out right refute with an attitude of getting in one's face, but rathger that of exp[lainations of influencing factors.
Each item has some effect, some more or less that others........ but there's a cumulative effect that more often than not isn't factored into the 'experiment' nevertheless produces a final outcome.
For example: shooting at 100 yds, for every 0.001 (one thousandth)movement...in any and all directions equals about 1". Human hair (from the head) varies from 0.015 (1 1/2 thousandths) to 0.009 (9 thousandths). So it's about 1 1/2" to 9 inches! Little means alot.
tazz1958 post can(not enough info) be explained by lubricant, bore condition, brand of powder or pellet, type of Power Belt, bullet type (lead vs. copper vs. new platinum), actual bore diameter thur the barrel length, and loading technique will all influence results.
Rememeber it wasn't too long ago that a certain manufacture was saying, "...there's no such thing as a crud ring".
By simply changing some things you can easily vary results, and sometimes when trying things we think of ...or read about that we should work and don't becomes frustrating.
I have the opportunity to hunt w/some writers who often sit and scratch their heads, but one has quietly openly admitted that when they get products to test, or take trips they have to be careful how they word, and present things if they want to get paid...and get more work.
This is so interesting, I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in the pile. And it's not really about sabots or power belts, cause I found out 30 years ago that my traditional slow twist T/C rifles won't shoot 'um to satisfy me. If it won't cut holes, I'm not impressed. ;~) But it's related.
My thoughts are on something several of you guys have touched on. We can't load accuracy into our guns on a bench. We have to do it in the field. It's amazing how guys will spend hours loading match grade 7mm boat tailed HP ammunition for an Elk hunt and then grab their black powder out of the case, pour powder down the barrel, stuff a round down the hole, let 'er rip at a pie plate and say the load is great, sucks or whatever.
For us, the field is the bench. Guns and Glass left some things off his list, naturally, because he'd have eaten up a couple pages listing everything. Even the direction the weave in patches is turned effects accuracy. And mechanicals like that are the only thing we can truly control. Consistency of process is the only way you can get accurate testing data. If the experience of shooting...I don't know how may, gotta be at least 10,000 rounds though my 54 Cal Renegade over the last 30 years has taught me, it's that process is accuracy.
If I swab between the first and second shot and not the second, third and fourth...I'm just shooting, not testing! If I only shoot 10 rounds with 100 grains with less than expected results because I want it to be hot and don't try 10 at 75, 80 or even a 110 grains...you guessed it. I'm just shootin'.
Different guns, even from the same maker and caliber can shoot loads radically different. All other things being equal. It's important to keep that in mind when we do our testing. But before I write anything off or commit to a particular load, you can bet I'll be testing it in my way, with my gun, using my absolutely PERFECT technique! ;~)
Just kidding about that last bit. I'm only nearly perfect. ;~0
chiger,
Poor penetration they would only get 6-8" in our ballistic jell.[xx(]