What muzzleloader setup…

should I use out of my CVA optima? I have been using for the last couple years two triple 7 50gr. pellets with 295gr. powerbelt hollowpoints. I am looking to tighten my grouping and feel I have to clean it out every two or three shots. Is that normal? I have been thinking about trying the new White Hot pellets as they claim to have less build up inside the barrel! What is everyones thought on these questions? I am fairly new to the muzzy world but find it to be a blast Also, what do you guys use to clean it up after shoots? I have the barrel blaster gel and bore butter grease. Thanks for the help.

Rory

Every time I use my Optima I pull the breech plug ,remove the barrel from the action. Then I get a ice cream bucket of really hot soapy(dawn) water. I them submerse the muzzle in the water while vigorously scrubbing the bore with a good bore brush. The “mud” that comes out is amazing! In the same water I soak my breech plug. When I feel all the residue is gone. I then dump the soapy water an replace with really hot clear water. I then repeat the first process. When I feel its clean I then run several clean patches down the bore until dry. A very fine coating of bore butter now can be applied.Be sure to run several clean patches before you go out to remove any excess bore butter to reduce the chance of hang fires or powder fouling. Now super clean your breech plug with an orifice pic until super clean. As for as bullets i use 107 grains of 777 loose powder with a federal 209 “hot” primer.This load coupled with Precision Rifles 195 grain Dead Center bullet will give me less than 7 inches of drop at 200 yards. One hole groups aren’t uncommon. I highly recomend this load in 50 cal.

Make it easy on yourself. Blackhorn 209. Scrap the pellets, triple 7, messy cleanup, bathwater and soap, and all that hassle. With Blackhorn 209 you can clean it up with Hoppe’s #9 or Break Free, just like your regular guns. Don’t need to clean between shots either, at most a dry patch and that will get rid of what little crud is left. My TC Omega shoots better dirty anyway. I shoot 90 grains with a 200 grain TC shockwave sabot. Less than inch groups at 100 yards, inch groups at 150 yards with only 2 inches of drop. More accurate than my 7mm-08. And I’m not a very good shot!

Big diference from an Omega to an Optima for clean up, no way around it. Anyone with an Omega, who hasn’t owned a different muzzy previously, doesn’t know how good we have it…

I run a spit patch and then a dry with the jag, after 3 shots when sighting in and after each shot in the field

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Big diference from an Omega to an Optima for clean up, no way around it. Anyone with an Omega, who hasn’t owned a different muzzy previously, doesn’t know how good we have it… :whistlin

I run a spit patch and then a dry with the jag, after 3 shots when sighting in and after each shot in the field

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Given the same powder and same load why would an Omega clean easier than an Optima?

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Big diference from an Omega to an Optima for clean up, no way around it. Anyone with an Omega, who hasn’t owned a different muzzy previously, doesn’t know how good we have it… :whistlin

I run a spit patch and then a dry with the jag, after 3 shots when sighting in and after each shot in the field

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Given the same powder and same load why would an Omega clean easier than an Optima?

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I don’t know why, but when I go with a co-worker every year at his cabin, when we are done, with his Optima, he gets the hot soapy water and spends about an hour cleaning his gun. I can clean my Omega, to like new condition in about 5 minutes. I asked him if it really required all that and he said if he didn’t, he would get alot of misfires… We both shoot 777….

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Big diference from an Omega to an Optima for clean up, no way around it. Anyone with an Omega, who hasn’t owned a different muzzy previously, doesn’t know how good we have it… :whistlin

I run a spit patch and then a dry with the jag, after 3 shots when sighting in and after each shot in the field

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Given the same powder and same load why would an Omega clean easier than an Optima?

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I don’t know why, but when I go with a co-worker every year at his cabin, when we are done, with his Optima, he gets the hot soapy water and spends about an hour cleaning his gun. I can clean my Omega, to like new condition in about 5 minutes. I asked him if it really required all that and he said if he didn’t, he would get alot of misfires… We both shoot 777….

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To get a true result I would guess you would have to load, fire, clean and repeat with both guns yourself to keep everything the same!

I have an omega that I bought when they first came out. I first tried powerbelt bullets cause everyone told me they worked so great. I couldn’t keep a 6 inch group at 50 yards with them. I was pretty disapointed in the gun. Then I got some TC shockwave sabots and I could put those in a 1.5″ circle at 150 yards off bags. I also had to clean the gun after every shot with the power belts or I could not get a second load more than half the way down. With the shockwaves I can shoot it 10 times with out cleaning and it still loads decent and acuracy is good. I have a couple of freinds that have newer omegas and they have a problem loading the shockwaves with the black sabots. They have to shoot the yellow slick load sabots. TC must have tightened up the barrels on there newer guns. I tried other sabots that also shot well. I know guys with CVA and Knight muzzys that can’t shoot the powerbelts either so just try something else and see how your gun likes it.

Thanks for all the advice. I will try some of these suggestions and let you guys know what the results are

I have been soley using muzzleloader for about 6 years now, this is what I have found:

Powerbelts=bad groups I believe due mainly to the gasket on the back of the bullet breaking up and acting as a rutter stearing the bullet off course reason why I think this is because I find chunks of the gasket all the way from the point of muzzle exit to the point of impact, just to much to risk on that big deer. Also of the 8 deer I have shot with power belts not 1!!! has retained even a 1/16th of its weight on impact, they shatter and NEVER go all the way through!!

Powder) regardless of what you read you will have much beeter results with a 100 grains of powder not 125 not 150, anything over 100 grains and you get an inconsistant burn of the extra powder, ya you could get a bit more power out of it but consistancy=accuracy!!

Always leave you gun out side and never reuse primers!! they are cheap and the greast weekness of the gun, I use a new one every time out!!

For peak performance check out Barnes line up of bullets, they are unstopable and deadly accurate!

Good luck I cant wait to get back in the woods with the ol’smoke pole!!

As for clean up i have switched to T/c all natural line up of petrolium based lubes and cleaners, takes me about 5 minutes-deailng of the breech plug.

Just an update. I went and sighted the ol smoke pole in and feel extremely confident in my shooting. I switched it up and instead of shooting the 295 grain powerbelts, I went with the 245 grain TC shockwave sabots. I am shooting 2” high at 100yd and have one inch groupings. Thanks for all the help and hopefully I dont even have to take it out after the next couple days of bow hunting.

Rory