T.C. Muzzleloader Bullets

horn master

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I bought a few boxes last year very cheap. Some have the yellow tips and some have blue tips. They both are 250 grains. What is the difference other than the plastic part between the powder and bullet?

Does anybody shoot these out of a T.C. Omega? Thanks for any info.
 

horn master

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The blue tips are the "super glide" but both say .50 cal 250 grain spire point. I'm thinking the bullets are the same. What do you think about the bullet?
 

horn master

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I found it on the back of the box in little letters. The yellow says polycarbonate tip, tapered jacket & interlock for controlled expansion.

The "super glide" blue tip says polycarbonate tip, bonded core and thicker jacket for controlled expansion.

Now that I know the difference has anybody shot a deer with either one of these? I have always shot the red tipped SST's hornady bullet and they are awesome. But I got these for $5 a box after last season.
 

bigtex

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horn master said:
Now that I know the difference has anybody shot a deer with either one of these? I have always shot the red tipped SST's hornady bullet and they are awesome. But I got these for $5 a box after last season.

They are basically the same bullet, I wouldn't doubt that Hornady didnt make the Bullets for T/C.
I have been using the 250 gr Hornady SST's [red tip] and or the T/C Shockwave [yellow tip] for many years and they shoot great in my rifle, super acurate and their terminal performance is great. BTW they both shoot to the same point of impact out of my rifles.
 

Atchman2

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I ahot four deer last year with the Hornady bullets. Three of the four just fell over stone dead, the other one ran about 70 yards. I don't know how that last one ran that far since I hit it in the chest and it came out the backleg! The insides were "goo".

Most of my hunting is in heavy cover so honestly probably any bullet would work. My advice on muzzleloader bullets is to buy them NOW! Once the season gets close they get cleaned out of everywhere!
 

Hill Country Hunter

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Whether and which one works well depends entirely on what speed you are shooting them. That, in turn, depends primarily on your barrel length, powder type, and charge weight.

First, to ID the bullets: yellow tip is TC Shockwave, blue tip is TC Bonded Shockwave, and red tip is Hornady SST. Hornady makes the Shockwave for TC. Supposedly, the SST and shockwave are identical except for the tip color, but after shooting hundreds of each through my 10ML in all kinds of conditions, I feel they shoot slightly differently once you get accuracy sub-MOA.

Second, there are several different sabots that may be supplied with the bullets. Hornady used to supply MMP HPH12s, but several years ago they switched to their own proprietary sabot. It is sightly thicker than HPH12s are and is a harder plastic. I discard them and buy replacements from MMP, but Hornady's sabots will probably work okay if you are shooting BP/BP subs or using 10ML book loads. In that case, the main question is how well they fit your barrel, especially in cold weather.

The yellow sabots are "Easyglide" sabots. If you are shooting the 10ML, toss them out. You will not get sufficient back pressure for reliable, consistent powder burn, particularly in cold weather or with non-book loads. If you are shooting BP/BP subs, then check barrel fit. Load one up, mark the ramrod, then shake, bounce, and tap the gun with the muzzle pointed down, then put the ramrod back in and see if the load moved. If not, give them a shot. The ease of loading is nice if they are safe and accurate in your particular rifle.

TC Shockwaves (yellow tip) usually come with MMP HPH24s. They will have a stepped base and cleanly typed numbers inside the cup. (HPH12s are identical except the numbers look like they were carved in the mold with a rotary tool.) HPH24s are thinner than HPH12s to account for differences in barrel dimensions and interior polish. On my 10ML, the HPH12s are too tight and shred, while the 24s give a good, tight "two hands required" fit. Other 10MLs are too loose with HPH24s and require 12s. If you are shooting BP/BP subs, you don't need to worry about the HPH24s being too loose; if they are accurate, shoot them.

TC Bonded Shockwaves usually come with HPH24s, but I got one batch the year they were introduced that was packaged with HPH12s, I seem to recall.

If you just want a pie-plate group at 50 or 100 yards, you probably don't need to worry about the differences between sabots; just shoot what you have. If you are trying to get MOA-equivalent accuracy, you need to assume that your groups will change if you change any one of the load components: bullet, sabot, powder, or primer.

Fifty caliber (.452") 250 grain Shockwaves and SSTs will work best when shot at medium speeds (for a muzzleloader)--in other words, shots within 150 yards using 85 to 100 grains of loose BP/subs or 100-150 grains in pellet form in a 24 inch or longer barrel. At low speeds (using less than 80 grains and/or a barrel less than 20 inches and/or long distances), they may not expand a lot. That is still a .45" projectile going through the vitals, so dead is dead if you do your job. At high speeds (really hot 10ML book loads at close range, non-book loads, and/or rifles designed to shoot above 150 grains of pellet), the 250 grain SWs and SSTs may over-expand, fragment, or explode, in which case you may not get an exit wound.

You will break your shoulder before you push 300 grain SWs or SSTs to that speed, though. They may not expand a lot, though, unless you push them hard.

Bonded Shockwaves will probably punch through without much expansion unless you are shooting 150 grains of pellet or hotter 10ML loads. Also, if you are seeking MOA, few (if any) guys I have talked to can get the bonded SWs to group as tight as standard SWs/SSTs. That may have to do with variations in the jacket or core related to the bonding process.

Hope that helps.
 

Super8

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I use powerbelts with green aerotips and noticed they have started packing less bullets in the package but asking the same price as last year.
Use to get 20 in a pack now it is 15
Then Wal-Mart has them cheaper but it is only a 12 pack.
Luckily I found a 50 pack at GM and paid a lot less.
 

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