JB Bore paste will help you out, those tc's are very tight bored and so even BH209 fouling can affect the amount of pressure required to seat the bullet. But so far it sounds like you are really onto something as far as sabots go, tc's shoot sabots real good, just a hit or miss with conicals.
Your Optima will shoot thors perfectly. I highly recommend the Thor Bullets. I know they are expensive for target practice but you can always switch to a cheaper projectile just for fun practice and then switch over to the thor for muzzleloader season.
