I sold my Encore multi-barrel, and intend to replace it with a dedicated muzzleloader, probably an Omega.


Tell me about them.....

Powerbelts, T-C sabots, or something else?

Does the Nikon BDC reticle really work?

Anyone use "Shockey's Gold", or regular Pioneer? How much to make the BDC work correctly?

What type of accuracy can I expect?

Hornady SST .45cal in a sabot
two triple 7 pellets

About 1.3" at 100 yds

I have killed a doe at 176 with mine, 9pt at about 80yds

Third shot is hard to load due to crud ring. The new 'clean' primers help.

Nice rifle, I like mine.

Thanks, Duckear.

That's exactly the same load I used in my Encore. Same experience with the crud, too. That's why I wanted to try the Pioneer powders in my next gun.

I know that every gun has it's own favorites, as to powder types, amounts, bullets, etc.

I generally wanted to get the benefit of others' experience in working up loads for an Omega, using Pioneer and/or Shockey's Gold, and what type bullets they found to be most accurate, to have a reasonable starting point, to save money and time in my own load development.

Any suggestions along these lines are greatly appreciated.

I have an omega. 300 grn TC shockwaves. 1340 grn 777 pellets.

just over an inch at 100

In my Knight disc extreme, with a green mountain barrel, I use 120 gr RS or P Pyrodex under a 250 shockwave, and the Omega scope is RIGHT ON!! 100 yds crosshair, 200 yds second circle down.. would be a good place to start with your new TC Omega.. HTH.. Les

oops, made a mistake.

This is the internet. I forgot.

Not 1.3', but 0.3" at 100 yds.....yeah, that's it, 0.3"...in the rain.....15mph shifting winds.....

I have asked my questions on several forums, and of course have received widely varying replies.

The one thing that is pretty consistent is that American Pioneer Powder and Shockey's Gold give very inconsistent pressures, and velocities, resulting in less than great accuracy.

I have received several positive reports in a new blackpowder substitute called Blackhorn 209.

Anyone here have any experience with it?

I have no experience with blackhorn, i use 777. i tried shockey's gold in my omega and got 1 foot groups at 100 yards. i threw it out.

i shoot 120gr of loose 777 under a 250gr shockwave or sst (same thing). i also swab between every shot, that eliminates the crud ring. i do want to try the new clean primers though. please, no powerbelts. ever.

i get about 1.5" groups at 150 yards with my setup. i think i have it 2" or so high at 100, dead on at 150. never tried the bdc scope.

i use shockey's gold pellets in my triumph with 295 hp powerbelts. getting 1 -1 1/2in grps at 100yds. i use winchester primers,the 777primers gave my more crudring. i put ultra bore coat in my barrel,it has helped with crudrings and real easy to clean.

Just an opinion, but I'm shocked that Jim Shockey even put his name on that stuff. It's terrible in all the guns I've shot with it. American Pioneer wasn't much better. I was a Triple 7 fan and still am with the pellets (I'm lazy). The new Blackhorn 209 almost sounds too good to be true. You have to use a regular 209 primer as the 209ML/ or 209 for .410 isn't hot enough. They say there's no crud ring and no cleaning after shots like the other propellants. This one is supposed to be non-corrosive as well. It's a tad pricey (OK, a lot pricey) but if it works as advertised, it will take off.

I have 2 Encore Pro-Hunters and one Omega. I shoot the 250 grain, 50 cal ShockWaves over 3 Triple Seven pellets. I have Nikon Omegas on all three and they're as good as advertised. If you're dead on at 100 yards, you're good out to 250 using the index lines. Just for silliness, I and a friend took it to the range and shot at clay pigeons against the 200 yard backstop. We broke a few but came very close on all the shots we took. We used a good rest of course, so there was no elaborate skill involved.

I haven't been burned by Shockey sticks.
In my Omega I have found that 2 Shockey sticks under a 348gr PB and Winchester primer give me 1 inch groups @75yds. Lighter PBs opened up too much.
That said, I haven't been happy with the performance on deer I have shot. I would try another bullet if I wasn't playing with a new rifle for this coming season.

.50 TC Omega 2 777 pellets/250gr Hornady .452 HPXTP Mag/Hornady black Sabot .25" 3 shot groups @ 100 yds every day of the week!

Just make sure you have a properl fitting drill bit and some good solvent (like Hoppe's #9) if you use BH209. The breech plug will get plugged up with carbon deposits that require a bit more attention than with other powders.

Black Mag'3 worked really well in my Omega when I could find it. If it ever gets back on the market I might try it again. Have not tried Shockeys or American Pioneer. Tripple Seven make a SEVERE crud ring in my Omega limiting it to one shot only. Cleaning requires a brass brush!!! Have some 209 but have not had time to try it yet. Don't shoot the Omega much as it does not like heavy conicals as well as my Whites or Knights or CVA rifles. My latest is the CVA Optima Elite which I am starting to like a lot.

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
I haven't been burned by Shockey sticks.
In my Omega I have found that 2 Shockey sticks under a 348gr PB and Winchester primer give me 1 inch groups @75yds. Lighter PBs opened up too much.
That said, I haven't been happy with the performance on deer I have shot. I would try another bullet if I wasn't playing with a new rifle for this coming season.

I use three 50gr Pyrodex pellets in my 45 cal Omega. Also Powerbelts.

Good accuracy, can't recall the specifics.

Two shots and I need to swab. Three if I absolutely need to, but loading gets to be a real pita.

As soon as I'm out of Powerbelts I'll switch bullets and maybe drop to two pellets. The Powerbelts are too explosive. I've killed a big ~200lb (field dressed) eight point at 35yds and an 80lb (field dressed) doe at 25yds with the Powerbelts. Found only fragments in both deer and no exits.

JPK

I shoot the 777 powder in both my Encore and Omega with the Barnes 250 grainexpander bullet. 120 grains of loose. I have chronographed the Encore and the load is extremely consistent with a 2216fps average and only 3fps deviation - low of 2215-hi2217. It works- shoots moa or less so no need to change. I tried everything out there originally a few years back and nothing came close to the 777 for velocity or consistency. I have not tried any of the Shockey gold or the new 209 as I find no reason to do so

I've tried Shockey's Gold and all I can say is that the company must be paying him plenty! Without question, I've never used a more inconsistent powder in a ML. It does burn clean and didn't produce the notorious T7 crud ring, but I also didn't have the extra 300fps T7 gives me with the same charge...or the accuracy. T7 has worked great for me, either loose or pellets. But the heavy fouling and crud ring make spit patching between shots a necessary evil. I use sabots and a variety of bullets and getting about any of them down the bore without patching is a real chore.
BH209 beats them all, if your breachplug is compatible with it. No crud ring, great velocity and accuracy, and no need to spit patch between shots. Ramming a bullet/sabot down on the 10th shot is as easy as with the first. Cleanup is easy and can be done whenever you feel like it. Treat it like any smokeless shooting rifle. It does ignite harder than T7 or others commonly used so some rifles will suffer hangfires with it.

quote:

Originally posted by JPK:

quote:

Originally posted by Westernmassman:
I haven't been burned by Shockey sticks.
In my Omega I have found that 2 Shockey sticks under a 348gr PB and Winchester primer give me 1 inch groups @75yds. Lighter PBs opened up too much.
That said, I haven't been happy with the performance on deer I have shot. I would try another bullet if I wasn't playing with a new rifle for this coming season.

I use three 50gr Pyrodex pellets in my 45 cal Omega. Also Powerbelts.

Good accuracy, can't recall the specifics.

Two shots and I need to swab. Three if I absolutely need to, but loading gets to be a real pita.

As soon as I'm out of Powerbelts I'll switch bullets and maybe drop to two pellets. The Powerbelts are too explosive. I've killed a big ~200lb (field dressed) eight point at 35yds and an 80lb (field dressed) doe at 25yds with the Powerbelts. Found only fragments in both deer and no exits.

JPK

I have now killed another eight point buck at ~75yds. This one wieghed 145lbs field dressed. Taken with a perfect broadside shot. I normally prefer hitting the shoulder, but because I'm still shooting up the last of the Powerbelts I have I chose to shoot behind the shoulder. No exit, but a dead dear after a forty or fifty yard sprint.

My Omega continues to amaze me. It is accurate and ALWAYS fires, even with a load that has been in the rifle for a year.

My eight year old son's Knight junior size 50cal somehow became unreliable, I think user error - mine - adjusting the firing mechanism after disassembly for cleaning so that it actually hits the cap. After he pulled the trigger twice on very nice bucks (he tried first on the eight pinter I took, mentioned above) but the rifle failed to fire, I bought him an Omega as an early Christmas gift.

His Omega is a stainless laminate, like mine, but in 50 cal and with the stock shortened. He is shooting 80grs of Pyrodex pellets under T/C 50cal for .429" bullet sabots and Sierra 180gr 44mag bullets. Extremely accurate. No deer kills with this rifle yet. One coming soon I believe.

BTW, his rifle is FAR, FAR easier to load than mine, and five shots before swabbing is possible without undue effort seating the sabot and bullet.

I would recommend a 50 cal Omega to anyone everone.

JPK