Clean and Powder?

@Doyle--funny you mention this--I was just thinking about whether it would make sense to buy a couple extra breech plugs and swap them out between shots--the other day a piece of junk got in the flash-hole and the day at the range was over. Took a long time to get that obstruction out--I think it must have been a small piece of metal that wedged itself in there somehow--might have been in there all along.
 
I don't know I would go so far as to buy an extra breech plug. What you should have though is a couple of small wire paper clips in your black-powder range box. Bend one side of the clip straight and it makes an ideal sized breech plug hole cleaner.

Also, one more tip. If your breech plug is the kind with a hex nut on the top, find out what size it is and pick up a cheap nut driver of that size. T/C's are 7/16". Using a nut driver at the range is way easier than the breech plug tool they give you in the box.
 
70gr BH209 is fairly light. With powerbelt platinums, they can be pushed a bit harder than the copper series. I'd up it to 90gr BH209 and take it all the way up to 110 grains. Give the barrel a few minutes to cool down between shots.

Also remember that carbon builds up VERY quickly with BH209 in the breech plug. Use an 1/8" drill bit and with your fingers, turn and drill out all that hard nasty carbon.
 
On the powerbelts. I now use shockwaves but when I first bought powerbelts I was using 100 plus grains of Pyrodex loose powder and accuracy was poor. I was told to use no more than 90 grains. The bullet with a 90 grain charge will mushroom as designed and pushing it faster has no or very little additional effect on a game animal. In any event I dropped down the charge (CVA rifle BTW) and accuracy improved. I went to Shock Waves because accuracy was really good, 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. IAE- on the power belts some guys swear by them.
 
I tried a wide range of charge weights for the powerbelts--pretty much convinced that it didn't make that much difference (results were generally mediocre to poor)--plus I was almost out of an entire keg of blackhorn 209 chewed up in testing. I heard so much about how they shoot better than sabots--out of my Impact that is definitely not the case--plus I like the flexibility to experiment with bullets to fit into sabots. But since I'm new to BP I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that I just haven't figured out the right "touch" and may revisit them one day--I blew a couple hundred bucks on them and still have some lying around.
 
TC's are famous for not shooting conical bullets worth a poop. Their QLA system is a mess at the end of the barrel and some shooters actually cut them off when they have to follow state rules and shoot conicals. My best advice, if you HAVE to shoot conicals, buy something that is not a TC!
 
TC's are famous for not shooting conical bullets worth a poop
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I'm going to disagree on that one. I've had two T/C muzzleloaders and both loved Hornady SSTs (which are the same thing as the Shockwaves but with a red tip and a cheaper price). The Omega would almost do 3 holes touching and the Encore not quite that good. This was without any kind of up or down experiment on the load - just 100 gr of loose 777.
 
You shoot sabots, not conicals
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I thought you were referring to the bullet shape, not specifically to non-sabot conical bullets. I guess we're not thinking of the same thing when using that term.
 
The powerbelts are closer to a "full bore width" bullet--but I think they are like a sabot in that the belt itself is providing some compression at the base of the bullet. The accuracy in my Impact seems to go up with full-power powder charges--but so does the crud/residue and I'm seeing signs of exhaust leaking in the breech plug and primer cup when firing full-power charges.
 
A powerbelt is a conical. They are a slip fit conical and the plastic skirt simply holds them in the bore tighter.
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A sabot is a pistol caliber projectile with the sabot gripping the bullet all the way around.
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Now this one IMO is a sabot/conical hybrid. Federal BOR Loc MZ.
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Yeah, the plastic skirt is sort of a modern day equivalent to the Civil War "Minnie"
BY THE WAY.....there are some legal issues in SOME States. Some States may say a 50 caliber bore is the minimum for deer while others say a 50 caliber projectile. If you load a 50 caliber SABOT using a 45 caliber bullet- you are not using a 50 caliber projectile and there are stories that some hunters have gotten into trouble. In other words, in some situations the power belt being full bore is the best answer.
I had a CVA side lock that really liked the power belts, I later got an in-line that had the shove waves touching a lot of times at 100 yards. The thing is, you will spend a lot on camping fees, gas, etc. etc. while hunting. Use the best bullet possible for your particular rifle.
 
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