mouthcaller

I copied and pasted my response beloy to a similar question in another thread. The Z5 version comes in only one choice (blued with black synthetic stock) to keep production costs down. Also there is a difference in how the action is secured to to the barrel. The barrel and action are the same as any other omega to the best of my knowledge.



I have the OmegaZ5 and really like it. It is reliable, easy to clean, and shoots great.

The Z5 is represents T/C's effort to enter the moderate priced muzzleloader market while maintaining their reputation for high quality. They accomplished this by

1. Only one choice in stock design, color, and finish options. The Z5 is available only in blued steel with a black synthetic stock.

2. The fiber optic sites, I'm told, are of lesser quality than those sold on other Omegas. I couldn't care less, as I took them off and scoped my gun. Take a look at the Talley lightweight two-piece mounts designed for the Omega. The base and bottom half of the rings is machined out of one piece of aluminum alloy. Very strong, stable, and I think it looks great.

3. There is a slight difference in the design of the falling breech. In the Omega the breech apparently pivots on pins that can be removed with an allen wrench. On the Z5 the pins are pressed in place and cannot be removed. I learned this because my Z5 came with an allen wrench, but there isn't an allen screw in the gun. A call to T/C confirmed the difference. Frankly I don't care, as T/C has a great reputation for costomer service.

I highly recommend the Z5 if you want a no-frills rifle that shoots great and is made to high quality standards by a company with a great reputation for standing behind their products.

BobD

I know everyone is talking .50 caliber, so maybe this won't apply. In my .45 Omega I've found the 195gr. Barnes Expander with 100gr. Pyrodex to be fantastic. Harvester sabot.

lemoyne

mouthcaller,Is correct ,Ihave been shooting one for a year, I bought for 160 dollars at Walmart clearence sale last year. I bought it as trading stock could not pass at that price;Now I am stuck with it it shoots like a varmit rifle so I have to keep it. Lee

mr.backstrap

I have an Omega .50 cal and love it! I shoot 150 grains of triple7 powder pushing 245 grain Power Belt bullets and have had great results. I shot and killed a doe during early mzl season at 185 yards.

chaz3815

Have had my 209x50 ss for 5 years and love it , under 1" groups at 100 yards with both 200 and 250 Shockwaves with 110gr. 2f 777. Also my 209x45 Encore shoots 1" groups with 200 gr. shockwaves at 100 yards with 100 gr. 3f 777 .

txhunter58

I have an Omega, and like it, but it has been a real adventure trying to get an accurate conical. Short version: my brother and I both bought identical 50 caliber stainless Omegas. His is not picky and will shoot almost any conical accurately. Mine took 3 years and many powders and bullets to find the right fit. I get decent groups with 777 and 348 and 405 powerbelts if I don't push them too hard (90-95 grains of loose 777). However, had to go back to pyrodex to get better accuracy. APP and Blackmag3 both were terrible out of my gun with conicals.

Most accurate in my gun: 110 grains of pyrodex and 338 grain platinum powerbelts.

xd9x19

This is what concerns me about getting into muzzleloading. With 3 school-age kids, I don't have a lot of time to spend at the range trying endless combinations of loads.

The generally accepted goal is to be able to get at least pie-plate groups (8") at 100 yards. Does a "bad" load shoot worse than this, or are we talking about the difference between 1-2" groups and 3, 4 or 5" groups?

Where I currently hunt, I'm in woods and almost all of my shots would be 50 yards or less. How much time can I expect to spend at the range in the beginning finding a load that will shot accurately enough to put a deer down at 50 or 100 yards?

After all, I doubt there's a practical difference in hunting between a rifle that will shoot 1.5" groups and one that will shoot 3" groups. The rifle with the better group looks good on paper, but there's probably only a 1-in-a-1000 chance that the 1.5" rifle will put something down that the 3" rifle won't in indentical circumstances.

Triple Se7en

Your ML may only need one trip -- butmay also need more than one. No way to tell until you get out there & shoot it. Provided the bore is "factory-smooth", the easiest loads to develop between 50-100 yardsare around 80-90 powder grains with a T/C-packaged bullet weightbetween 240-300 grains. Buy two varieties -- perhaps one hollow-point(Cheapshot) at 240gr - the other an aerotip at 300 grains (Shockwave). Stay away from seasoning your barrel - use Windex or alcohol to swab after every 2nd shot with a bore brush & large patches.

Get out there & have some fun. If the bore needs more time to break-in, return as often asyou can - even if it meansnot using an ML this season. Waiting until the lasthours before hunting seasonto break-in - then sight-in a new ML is not good.

jt_6

Do not hesitate in buying an Omega. After 4 years of shooting 100+ rounds a year in the off season and carrying it as a weapon of choice during NY deer season I willonly give high praises for its quality and accuracy.I have shot every bullet and powder combination and have come down to a simple approach. 2 50 grain pellets of triple seven, 240 xtp mag hornady and remington 209 clean shot primer. I have recently started testing the newer polymer tips and the verdict is still out. Deer
season is almost here so I will test them next year.
Performance is the issue.I was told of a poor man's way to test bullet penetration from a dealer friend so I will pass this on. 3 large telephone books taped together with a 3/4" piece of plywood for the base. Set your target on the plywood and shoot 75 yards. Check the penetration and the condition of the bullet. For you powerbelt lovers. Your bullet has blown up into fine pieces and usually does not make the 3rd
book every time. Every other bullet has performed well but the xtp mags have mushroomed perfectlygood luck shoot straight and often

frontier gander

All 3 of my deer ive shot with powerbelts passes through the deer and dropped them. I never believed in shooting at paper and expect the same results as what the bullet would do on a deer. Ive shot a deer with a 385 grain great plains bullet, weight through one shoulder and wedged into the other. I was shocked that it didnt go through both. And we are talking a 25 yard shot! I personally like the powebelts, they done an excellent job on all the deer we've shot over the years and put them down. The only shot that didnt pass through one of our deer was my dads first ML buck, He hit it in the chest/shoulder area and it bounced around and get up its neck. And dont fault the powerbelts on that, ive had the same thing happen witha .270 on an elk. My brother shot an elk with his 270 and it was a shoulder shot, we found the bullet in the back of its eye when we were skinning it. That i believe was a 165 grain bullet. I dont see any real point in shooting at phone books, other than for fun. But its not going to give you the same results as shooting at flesh and bone.