Thor Sizing Question

[ToolMann]

I'll preface this with I'm brand new to the muzzleloader thing, so my understanding of pressure needed to seat the bullet is minimal at best. I ordered the sizing kit for my new Optima V2 in 50 cal. The smallest one went in pretty east. Started it with my thumb (didn't need the bullet starter) and pushed it down the barrel pretty easily. It did have very some light (again, not a bunch of experience here) striations from the rifling. The second one was a no-go. I got it in maybe a half inch and it stopped. I pushed pretty hard on it and it wasn't moving anywhere. When I tapped it out with the rod from the other end it also had marks from the rifling. Figured I'd try the third size to see if maybe there was a mis-sizing, and it wouldn't start at all, so I'm confident they were marked correctly.

Any thoughts? I'm guessing the smallest, .500, is what I need to stay with. It just felt almost too easy to slide in to me and I don't want it moving when hiking. Reached out to Thor but haven't heard a response back yet (only been since Sunday afternoon) so figured I'd pick the brains of those of you with experience.

Only thing left to acquire is the 209 breech plug and I should be able to hit the range soon!

Thanks in advance,

TM

 

[alfagan88]

Just went through the Thor sizing pack myself. .500 and .501 went through my TC Encore barrel very easily. .502 went down with slight resistance, and the .503 went down fairly rough.

Ordered a pack of .503, shot them, and found they actually slid down the barrel easier on the barrel after i had fired and swabbed the barrel clean.

Just my opinion, but if i were you, i'd get a 15 pack of the .501's and shoot them. Good luck!

 

[ToolMann]

Just went through the Thor sizing pack myself. .500 and .501 went through my TC Encore barrel very easily. .502 went down with slight resistance, and the .503 went down fairly rough.

Ordered a pack of .503, shot them, and found they actually slid down the barrel easier on the barrel after i had fired and swabbed the barrel clean.

Just my opinion, but if i were you, i'd get a 15 pack of the .501's and shoot them. Good luck!

Can you elaborate on "fairly rough" a bit. I just tried again and got the .501 to go through, but I literally had to lean in to my ramrod.

 

[alfagan88]

I had to lean into the .503's pretty good, much like I'm assuming you're describing on your .501's. I'm a short guy too, so that didn't help. But like i said, when shooting, they seemed to go down the barrel much smoother than they did on a dry and clean barrel with the sizing pack.

 

[ToolMann]

I had to lean into the .503's pretty good, much like I'm assuming you're describing on your .501's. I'm a short guy too, so that didn't help. But like i said, when shooting, they seemed to go down the barrel much smoother than they did on a dry and clean barrel with the sizing pack.

I called Thor. They said the sizing packs aren't worked to the same tight tolerances as the production bullets and to order both the .500 and .501 and send back the one I choose not to use.

 

[abcarpenter]

I'll preface this with I'm brand new to the muzzleloader thing, so my understanding of pressure needed to seat the bullet is minimal at best. I ordered the sizing kit for my new Optima V2 in 50 cal. The smallest one went in pretty east. Started it with my thumb (didn't need the bullet starter) and pushed it down the barrel pretty easily. It did have very some light (again, not a bunch of experience here) striations from the rifling. The second one was a no-go. I got it in maybe a half inch and it stopped. I pushed pretty hard on it and it wasn't moving anywhere. When I tapped it out with the rod from the other end it also had marks from the rifling. Figured I'd try the third size to see if maybe there was a mis-sizing, and it wouldn't start at all, so I'm confident they were marked correctly.

Any thoughts? I'm guessing the smallest, .500, is what I need to stay with. It just felt almost too easy to slide in to me and I don't want it moving when hiking. Reached out to Thor but haven't heard a response back yet (only been since Sunday afternoon) so figured I'd pick the brains of those of you with experience.

Only thing left to acquire is the 209 breech plug and I should be able to hit the range soon!

Thanks in advance,

TM

Doesn't a new Optima come with a CVA Quick Change Breech Plug QCBP for 209 primers? Or are you referring to a Blackhorn 209 breech plug?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[ToolMann]

Doesn't a new Optima come with a CVA Quick Change Breech Plug QCBP for 209 primers? Or are you referring to a Blackhorn 209 breech plug?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Blackhorn 209 breech plug.

 

[FrontierGander]

20 to 30lbs seating pressure. When i used shot a lot, i liked them to load easy. Its not lead, so if its over sized, you'll never get one down.

 

[ToolMann]

A little update as the production bullets came the other day and I just got done trying to load each. The .500 still load really easy. Start them with my fingers and the weight of my range rod alone can get them down a bit. About 2/3 of the way down the barrel they start to give a little resistance and I can seat them with what I'm guessing is about 15# of force. Tried a .501 and again I literally have to lean on the short bullet starter and ramrod to get it down. Way too much resistance.

So I took another .500, loaded it down until it seated at the breech plug (no powder), put tape on my ramrod to mark the depth, put a folded t-shirt on some plywood and tapped the muzzle on the plywood about thirty times. The bullet didn't move which I was worried it would. So, I guess I'll have to stick with the .500 unless I decide to go a different bullet route. In Colorado so not a ton of good options since we can't use Sabots.

Still open to thoughts if you have any. Thanks for all of the previous replies and info.

 

[FrontierGander]

send it down range

 

[ToolMann]

send it down range

That is the plan. As soon as my Blackhorn Breech Plug gets here in a few days. Hopefully can get out in a few weeks to sling some lead (copper).

 

[Loonman19]

I didn't want to start a new thread to ask this because it is a related question. I picked up the sizing kit and I felt the 503 was still a shade small, less force than a barnes blue sabat. I reached out to thor with no response. I have a 50 cal traditions vortek ultralight that's about 10 years old. I'm on the fence if I should order the 503's or the one size fits all. What do you guys think

 

[cgasner1]

The guy at Thor told me a couple years ago to use a penny on the cup and it’ll widen it up a bit and make it like a half size


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[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I haven't gone through all my sized Thor's yet (I think I might be .501 and they are tight, shoot great, reloading fast would be harder though). But when I need to restock I'd be inclined to get the newer one size ones I think. I haven't followed the issue much lately as I haven't needed any, is there a reason to avoid those?