Just curious what most people are doing in terms of accuracy enhancing techniques during the loading or cleaning process. Do you patch in between shots? Dry patch, spit patch, cleaning solvent, brush? If so do you pop a primer in the cleaned barrel. Do you pull the breach plug and clean from the rear? Do you clean from the muzzle? If so, do you feel that you push some of the fouling back into the powder's combustion area?

I'm more than anything curious as to what techniques have produced best accuracy. Speed and ease of loading are not that important to me. Right now my Omega .50 is shooting 1' at 100 yards and I'm not pleased.

In case you're wondering, I'm using 2 50 grain pellets of Triple 7, Winchester primers, and TC sabots with Hornady, Speer, and Nosler bullets.

Right now, the accuracy is in my opinion horrible and any suggestions would be appreciated.

Gabe

Wish I could help some, but I am only getting about 4" groups with my new Omega.

The first thing I do when I get a new gun:I take it apart and clean it ,the barrel after I clean it (usually I use T/C #13 with muzzle loader or reg rifle and shotgun)I use JB bore cleaner with 300 or more strokes,changing patches every 50 strokes.Then I clean it out with T/C #13,then I take boiling water and flush out the bore,while the barrel is still hot I coat it lightly with a teflon oil(I use Super Lube)Then run a dry patch through it,you just want a very fine coat of oil,the hot barrel from the water flush helps the teflon go in the pours and when you fire it helps more.I use the teflon oil everytime I clean.My barrels look like they have been chromed.This helps with the fouling and I think it helps with the accuracy.I also run a spit patch between each shot when using subs or smokeless in the savage.
If you check out some of my posts you can see the kind of groups I get with a muzzle loader.Not saying this works for everyone but it sure does for me and I have been shooting for close to 60 yrs.
Just bought another Savage this week,gave it the treatment took 6 shots to set scope at 25 and 50 yds,first 3 shots at 100 were .8 in.
Finding the right bullet that is the most accurate in your rifle is the biggest problem,some will shoot PB some won't,xtp,sst shock wave and etc.The sabot makes a big difference too,I have found that the mmp is the best,it will stand up to more pressure and heat than some of the others will.
Then there are some that won't shoot good no matter what you do.

Well like owensby I cleen the rifle as soon as I get it. I don't lap it though. I buy a package of Powerbelts or other bore sized lead bullet and shoot the whole package out in one session (much more fun than lapping).

When shooting, I take a cooler filled with ice water and dampen a rag to lay on the barrel between shots. I also take the time to align a sabot petal on the land of the rifling (marked with a drop of fingernail polish on the face of the muzzle). I use both sides of a solvent patch (usually T/C #13) and then follow with a dry patch.

What kind of rest are you using? My father in law uses the hood od his truck and wonders why his accuracy isn't the greatest. I usually use a bipod or shooting sticks.

You should try different bullets too. A buddy of mine got around an 1 1/4" with powerbelts and 100 gr of Pyro pellets out of his Omega. I usually get around an inch with some groups better than an inch. My personal best was a 5/8" group. I'm using a Disc Extreme and Barnes 250's with 100 gr of loose Triple Seven.

papaschmud,
Like the others, I "treat" the barrel before I first shoot (althought I like the wolfhounds method) Then the fun starts, lots of different bullets, sabots and powders until you find the combination your gun likes, and patch between rounds, it does not have to be a thorough cleaning (I just use one slightly spit moistened patch) but you do want to remove the major powder fouling. After 5 different bullets, and 3 different powders, I have found my 50 cal omega likes the TC shockwave pushed by 140 grain (pellets) of pyrodex. I get less than 1.25" with the 250 grain and less than 1.5" with the 300 grain . And they are both over 2000fps. Have fun, experiment

[ 09-08-2003, 07:38: Message edited by: Bud H ]

Thanks to all who have replied thus far. Thinking this through just a bit more though, do you think that it is possible to damage the obtruation flange of the sabot when you seat it on top of pellets. It seems possible to me, and that would more than explain the improvement in accuracy many see when going to loose powder.

Gabe

Brent:

I don't think that the guy I'm working on this for would be able to stomach the clean up needs of true black powder. Having ruled that out though, I more than agree about charge weights being a large variable.

As I study this more conceptually, I see that shooting pellets is something similar to shooting factory loaded centerfire ammo in that it offers very little in the way of latitude for the experimenter. I am a prescision handloader when it pertains to contained cartridges, and I've been trying to apply the same principles to this. As such, it's becoming quite clear that pellets aren't the best answer for several reasons. I will be going to a loose powder for this gun, and starting over at that point.

I have been cleaning as you recommend and paying close attention to seating and any other factors that I can believe would affect results. However, thus far it hasn't matterd a lick. This rifle is shooting Improved/Cylinder kind of groups.

The thing that is puzzeling though is why the accuracy is SO bad. That's why I'm theorizing that the base or the obtruation flange of the sabots may have been crushed from time to time. I know that in any other type of barrel the crown and base of the bullet are the two most important factors in accuracy. I'm just wondering if anyone ever tried to seat a sabot over a pellet and then pulled the breach plug to inspect the sabot.

This guy doesn't expect a 1" gun. but he would like to get to the point that he can take advantage of the guns somewhat higher velocity. He can't do so right now because accuracy is the limiting factor.

Thanks for all the suggestions thus far. I'll let you all know how this turns out.

Gabe

Another online shooter of some talent suggested using a drop tube made of arrow shaft or ?? with a funnel, weighs every component of every load and sorts them by weight, and aligns any sabots used to a given point on the barrel such that each one is oriented the same. He also seats every projectile in one long push vs several short ones. Hard to argue with a guy like that who was/is capable of 1/4" groups at 100 yards.

Old Frank O. up there seems to know a thing or two as well, but he only shoots sub-moa and rarely gets down to the .25" stuff.

Hello underclocked,I just bought a savage a couple of weeks ago and been playing with it,finally getting up to those big old 250 grain bullets.Was doing pretty good the other day with the 250 sst's so I decided to try one of the 200 sst's killed my crony dead dead.After I did that I tried a few more and I saw why I got the crony,they were scarreted all over the target board.Been having a lot of fun trying different loads and powder but my shoulder doesn't think much of it.
The first muzzleloading season starts here in 2 weeks in the mtn section I will use the encore and the 195 gr bullet then but want to have the savage ready by the Nov season.I've got a power line to hunt then.