Question for the group. I drew bull elk and mule deer tags in Colorado, same unit, same time. Colorado requires loose power and no sabots. A couple of years ago I shot the Federal B.O. R. bullet for a mule deer hunt, but was not happy with on game performance. I am looking real hard at the No Excuses 420 gr .50 cal conical. Can anyone share their experience with No Excuses bullets? or share a recommendation for a .50 cal conical for elk? My TC Omega does not shoot Powerbelts well, No scopes on Colorado, so max range of 100-150 yards with ghost ring. Thanks.

Blue, have you tried the Powerbelts with a fouled bore? I've found in two TCs that groups tightened up considerably if I didn't swab between shots. I use BH209, so it's not a big deal to leave the bore fouled during a hunt.

Smoke, when I shot the PB, they grouped at about 3-4 inches at 50 yards, that was with 3 powders, 3 bullets weights and 2 bullet styles. I know I shot them with some fouling (5-7 shots of fouling) with BH, Black MZ and Triple 7. I had much better luck with the Federals and Hornady's FBP. Might try PB again, but not confident. Federal's group about 2-3 inches at 100 yards using 105 grain of Black MZ, and 3-4 inches with 100 grn BH. Looking to start shooting soon for the Sept hunt, so not much time to mess with loads that don't satisfy. Thanks.

Cut the load down some. 85-90 grains of BH209 and it might do better.
To check loads on my TC Impact , I put a scope on it. At 100 yards it would do about 2" with 348 gr PB's and 90 gr BH209.I have dropped it back to 80 grains now

These work every time!

Untitled by .com/photos/61286670@N08/]Sharps Man, on [bleep]

T/Cs are notorious for poorly cut QLAs and they are very long compared to other brands like CVA. Check and see if yours is cut off center from the bore. This causes tons of issues with full bore projectiles.

NoExcuses are very good conicals. There are a couple things you can try besides cutting off the QLA and recrown.....Use a MMP sub base under the conical. Use a filler between the conical and powder such as cornmeal or polyfil. Even a thick muzzleloading shotshell fiber wad might help. This is a very well known and documented issue with T/Cs or any rifle with a poorly cut QLA.

Oddly this issue seems to effect Powerbelts less than other full bore options. The theory is the skirt helps give the projectile just enough time and sealing in the QLA to minimize the problem. Have you tried several PBs or just had issues with one weight?

And how well do you think those PRBs will work in a 50cal 1-28 twist for a elk load. Not to mention its now illegal to use a 50cal PRB for elk in Colorado. 54cal is now minimum for elk if using PRB.

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/RulesRegs/Brochure/BigGame/biggame.pdf

People in Colorado are screwed anyway! Higher than a kite and don't know s hit from shineola about ML or what'll work! They can snort a line however!!

The main point is the OP is asking for an ELK load in a Omega 50cal 1-28 twist rifle. That pretty much makes a PRB about the worst option on the table regardless of laws. The twist and rifling depth are not well suited for PRB and probably wont shoot them well with anything hotter than a plinker load.

The rifle and twist though have a good potential to shoot full bore bullets if the QLA is not poorly machined. They also have more than adequate energy for hunting elk.

Thanks for all the input. With a little luck, I'll get a full range day to try several loads (powder and bullet). I'll give PB another try and I have the sizing pack for NE. Anyone have any luck with the Federal BOR on elk? These shot well in my Omega, I just question the on-game performance. Open to other projectiles too. Thanks again everyone.

I load 90gr of black mz in my knight mk-85 with a felt wad and 460gr No Excuse. Peep sights. Try them. They work

I live in Utah where No Excuses bullets are made and bought my first 2 boxes close to 15 years ago. They've always shot well in my T/C Renegade and my T/C Black Diamond inline. I tried the 460s at first, but have settled on the 420 grainers for everything. These bullets flatten anything, including my 362" bull elk I killed on the Monroe unit in Central Utah. 90 grains of Goex 2F black powder gives me 4" groups at 100 yds with my Renegade and a Williams FP tang sight and green fiber optic front sight. The Black Diamond is scoped and shoots into less than 2" at 100 yds all day long. Get the 420 grain No Excuses bullets and have a great hunt.

Phoneman, I looked locally and I'm coming up blank on wads. What wads do you recommend, and where are you buying them? Thanks.

REvans, I got my sizing pack last week, and I'll be ordering a box of 420 this weekend. Great info you provided, but can you tell me what the twist is on your Renegade? My Omega is 1:28, so I'm trying to set my expectations. Tru-glo ghost ring and fiber front site, if I can consistently shoot 3-4 inches or smaller at 100 yards, I'll take that everyday for my elk hunt. Might have to buy some quick release rings for quicker load development.

Thanks guys.

Blueranger, Sorry for the delayed response. The twist on the Renegade is 1:48".

Thor bullets!

sorry for late reply I picked up some ox yoke ones from sportsmans warehouse
My knight is 1:28 too. Shoots them great. Start low and work your way up on powder. Mine shot best at 90. I put a peep on my rifle with target knobs. Marked it at 100 and 200. Range the animal and adjust real quick. At 200 the 460's still went 12"-14" in dirt mound backstop

So, lets assume I find an accurate load, with open sights, I feel I can see well enough (for elk) to identify the vitals (about 10-12 inch area) and shoot out to about 150 yards, maybe more with more practice. But shooting a 420 grn chunk of lead, velocity and energy will drop quick. At 100-125 yards, the vitals get small and hard to see with open sights on deer (assuming about an 8 in vital area), but bullet energy is well over 1000 ft lbs at that range (for most deer loads). So in my mind, visibility of the vitals is my limiting factor in maximum range on deer with a muzzle loader. How do others determine maximum range for elk with a muzzle loader? Visibility of vitals, velocity of bullet (all lead slug), energy at impact, bullet design, or something else? First muzzle loader elk hunt and I don't want to do anything stupid like wound an animal. Thanks.