new to blackpowder and casting questions

[mac1911]

I came across a ThompsonCenter Omega 50cal for short money new in the box, I have shot up all the sabot and powder that came with it. It was fun. BUT when it came time to replace the componants I was a little shocked @ the price of the 245grain sabot I was shooting. Now my thinking, I cast slugs for my shotgun, make birdshot for trap shooting and soon to be a 20gauge mold and .32 S&W
I have a good amount of pure lead.......

I just do not know where to start on the type of projectile. I am looking @ 90% target shooting @ BP shoots at my club. Where to start

Is the lyman BP manual worth buying.

[straight-shooter]

You could start with the Lee .490 round ball mold and get some pillow ticking material at .15 thickness and make up some of your own lube to soak the ticking patches. You could also buy premade ticking patches. Some people even put a lube wad under the ball and patch and claim better accuracy this way but I have yet to try that.

I'm going to guess that your Omega has a 1:28 twist so you would want the heavier 320gr Lee REAL bullet mold and just pan lube those and put a lube wad under the bullet. The reason I suggest pan lubing is I don't size these for the muzzy.

The lighter 250gr Lee REAL bullet is more for the 1:48 or slower twists in my limited experience.

Another alternative which I have yet to try is buying just the plastic sabots and casting up either .44 or .45 cal bullets. You can buy the sabots to fit either caliber for firing out of your .50 cal muzzy. You can even cast this configuration in straight wheel weight since the bullet is encapsulated in the plastic sabot.

[mac1911]

yes...and still so many opptions of projectiles???????

[Nobade]

I have been shooting the Lee C-501-440-F in my inlines with good effect. Cast from pure lead, sized to .500, paper patched with 9# onionskin, sized to .500 again, loaded over 100gr. KIK FFg with a card wad, it is consistantly 1.5 MOA. Oh, load the powder, wad, then one wet wipe patch to keep the fouling down and insure easy loading.

[straight-shooter]

I have been shooting the Lee C-501-440-F in my inlines with good effect. Cast from pure lead, sized to .500, paper patched with 9# onionskin, sized to .500 again, loaded over 100gr. KIK FFg with a card wad, it is consistantly 1.5 MOA. Oh, load the powder, wad, then one wet wipe patch to keep the fouling down and insure easy loading.

http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/bullets/C501440rf.gif

That's one heck of a good looking bullet and your advice sounds tip-top for loading that beast. As I'm still a bit wet behind the ears when it comes to muzzleloading so I certainly appreciate the information you've given here!

[idahoron]

I have made a few posts about this you can read up on. I am not 100% for sure but I do think the buck I shot last year was one of if not the first buck killed with that Lee C-501-440-RF paper patched out of a muzzleloader. My son might have killed the first big game animal with this bullet back in 2008 with a doe he shot. It is a fantastic paper patched bullet for hunting big game.
Here are a couple of the threads. Ron

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=71134

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=71136

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=68133