Why are the MZ's so hard to load in my barrel?
1) Possibly your bore is dirty. Run a solvent soaked patch followed by a dry patch through the bore between
shots to improve accuracy and ease loading.
2) Historically, 50 caliber bore diameters have ranged from .495"-.504". Firearm manufacturers are working on
standardizing these dimensions. However, guns do exist that are not suitable for our bullet. For example, our
.50 calibers MZ will be too tight for a .495" bore, and too loose in a .504" bore. Our MZ's are designed for
standard bore dimensions. We have found bore butter or a bit of spit to ease loading in these types of bores.
Will the MZ work in my smokeless muzzleloader?
Barnes tested the Savage 10 ML-II smokeless muzzleloader using Barnes 250gr MZ bullets with excellent
results. Savage recommends fast burning powders such as XMP 5744, IMR 4227, &VV N110, all of which
develop considerably higher pressures than black powder or Pyrodex. Although the Savage rifle can safely
handle the higher pressures, most all the sabots we tested cannot. Excessive pressures cause the sabot to
fail which results in inconsistent velocities, poor accuracy, and even bullet tumbling. Barnes tested several
slower burning powders such as H4198, and RL-7. These two powders gave pressures similar to black
powder and Pyrodex, accuracy was sub MOA, and velocity was excellent. Barnes has not yet conducted
sufficient testing to publish starting and maximum loads for these powders, however about 65 grs of either
powder appears equivalent to 150 grs of Pyrodex pellets.
