break in
07-30-2004, 03:25 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,236
RE: break in
Clean it...load it...shoot it...clean it...load it...shoot it...clean it...load it...shoot some more...take it home and clean it...repeat often
I'm just being funny, I really don't know. Anyone else?
(I'm new to this too)
Good luck!
I'm just being funny, I really don't know. Anyone else?
(I'm new to this too)
Good luck!
07-30-2004, 03:39 PM
#3
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: break in
The break in of any rifle will vary. First and foremost, read the instruction manual that comes with the rifle. This will tell you the do's and do not's.
First thing is to clean the rifle and know all the parts. Some rifles come out of the box and need no tuning. The only way to determine this is to shoot them. So go shoot it. The Omega is a great rifle. Get some T/C Cheapshots 240 grain and go have some fun. This is a time to see how the recoil of the rifle feels, and the balance, how the sight picture looks to you, and generally you will be forming your impressions of how you like shooting the rifle. Put 100 grains of powder behind the CheapShots and let her rip. I would personally shoot loose Triple Se7en or Pyrodex for the first powder charges. Remember, loose Triple Se7en is 15% stronger then Pyrodex so you might want to start those charges out around 90 grains.
The big thing is to get some rounds through the rifle and see how it acts. See what kind of accuracy your getting. Check your sabots that you recover and look to see if there are stress marks on the. (I am sure there will not be). Be sure and swab between shots.
First thing is to clean the rifle and know all the parts. Some rifles come out of the box and need no tuning. The only way to determine this is to shoot them. So go shoot it. The Omega is a great rifle. Get some T/C Cheapshots 240 grain and go have some fun. This is a time to see how the recoil of the rifle feels, and the balance, how the sight picture looks to you, and generally you will be forming your impressions of how you like shooting the rifle. Put 100 grains of powder behind the CheapShots and let her rip. I would personally shoot loose Triple Se7en or Pyrodex for the first powder charges. Remember, loose Triple Se7en is 15% stronger then Pyrodex so you might want to start those charges out around 90 grains.
The big thing is to get some rounds through the rifle and see how it acts. See what kind of accuracy your getting. Check your sabots that you recover and look to see if there are stress marks on the. (I am sure there will not be). Be sure and swab between shots.
07-30-2004, 05:11 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,922
RE: break in
Use the CVA Breechplug & Nipple Grease & coat the plug threads good... then hand-tighten only & check the plug every several shots.... especially with hotter 777 powder. Buy T/C bullets! You start with a 20-pk of Maxi Hunter or Maxi Balls in 275 or 325 grain to smooth out any burrs in the rifling.
Then try two different sabot/bullet packs by T/C like the Mag Sabots, Shockwaves, Big Shots, Cheapshots... etc. The most friendly sabot grain size is the 240 & 250. I usually swab every 2nd shot using 777 powder with a small spray bottle mixed 50-50 with Windex and rubbing alcohol. It dries the bore fast & cuts residue well. My swabbing is always with a bore brush. I bring two ramrods... the other is for seating the bullet on top of the powder with the proper jag. With muzzleloaders... especially in the warm summer months, you should bring two rifles & alternate shooting them so they keep somewhat cool. Let us know how you make out at the range.
Then try two different sabot/bullet packs by T/C like the Mag Sabots, Shockwaves, Big Shots, Cheapshots... etc. The most friendly sabot grain size is the 240 & 250. I usually swab every 2nd shot using 777 powder with a small spray bottle mixed 50-50 with Windex and rubbing alcohol. It dries the bore fast & cuts residue well. My swabbing is always with a bore brush. I bring two ramrods... the other is for seating the bullet on top of the powder with the proper jag. With muzzleloaders... especially in the warm summer months, you should bring two rifles & alternate shooting them so they keep somewhat cool. Let us know how you make out at the range.
07-30-2004, 05:30 PM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wabash, IN
Posts: 826
RE: break in
Breaking in a muzzleload does indeed help - at least it did with my Knight.
First off, forget using saboted bullets for break-in - plastic ain't gonna get the job done. You need to shoot 20 or more patched round balls or lead conicals to help smooth out any rough spots in the bore ................. which is really all any break-in procedure does.
Just spend a day at the range, shooting the balls or conicals with reduced charges (like 70 to 80gr of powder) at say, 25yds offhand. This will get you familiar with the gun and get you "Broke-in" all at the same time. Just run a couple of spit patches (water-dampened patches) down the bore between shots, reload and shoot. A good final cleaning at the end of the day will have your bore ready for accurate sight-in with the bullets you want to hunt with.
Another option (if for some reason you don't like to shoot alot
) is to work the bore with one of the available bore pastes like J-Bs, Iosso, Flitz, or USP. Work 10 or so patches treated with the paste up & down the bore rapidly, working up as much friction as you can for about 20 to 30 strokes per patch. The tighter the jag is in the bore, the better for this procedure. Between each treated patch, work a clean patch in the bore the same way. If you do this, ALL of the patches will come out horribly black - don't fret, that's normal. When you're finished with these patches, clean the bore with your normal solvent/cleaner until your patches come up clean.
For the record, I initially didn't do the break-in with my Knight .................... it shot acceptably well once I found a bullet it liked. After I had been shooting it for about 8 months, I tried the round ball shoot-out. After putting 25 balls through it one Saturday - the next trip to the range found my group sizes cut in half
and the rifle was MUCH more bullet friendly at that point too.
Your mileage may vary - but this worked wonders for me.
First off, forget using saboted bullets for break-in - plastic ain't gonna get the job done. You need to shoot 20 or more patched round balls or lead conicals to help smooth out any rough spots in the bore ................. which is really all any break-in procedure does.
Just spend a day at the range, shooting the balls or conicals with reduced charges (like 70 to 80gr of powder) at say, 25yds offhand. This will get you familiar with the gun and get you "Broke-in" all at the same time. Just run a couple of spit patches (water-dampened patches) down the bore between shots, reload and shoot. A good final cleaning at the end of the day will have your bore ready for accurate sight-in with the bullets you want to hunt with.
Another option (if for some reason you don't like to shoot alot
) is to work the bore with one of the available bore pastes like J-Bs, Iosso, Flitz, or USP. Work 10 or so patches treated with the paste up & down the bore rapidly, working up as much friction as you can for about 20 to 30 strokes per patch. The tighter the jag is in the bore, the better for this procedure. Between each treated patch, work a clean patch in the bore the same way. If you do this, ALL of the patches will come out horribly black - don't fret, that's normal. When you're finished with these patches, clean the bore with your normal solvent/cleaner until your patches come up clean.For the record, I initially didn't do the break-in with my Knight .................... it shot acceptably well once I found a bullet it liked. After I had been shooting it for about 8 months, I tried the round ball shoot-out. After putting 25 balls through it one Saturday - the next trip to the range found my group sizes cut in half
and the rifle was MUCH more bullet friendly at that point too.Your mileage may vary - but this worked wonders for me.
