Muzzleloader Recommendations

[trwaters]

I have hunted with my father and used his muzzleloader, but I have never owned a muzzleloader before, and I was wondering what you guys recommend. I want to buy a quality gun, but nothing that is too expensive. Any Suggestions?

[BLUEYZWAITN]

WHATS THE Price range ? My girlfriend bought a New CVA Kodiak 2 years ago with scope and case.. SHe's never shot it or had a chance to get into the woods from a job change...
she's asking $300 for it.. I can send pics if interested.. the entire gun is camo, scope is matte black the case is a rememington deluxe ..

Jay

[crabby and son]

T/C Encore.. Buy it once and you won't need to upgrade after you get into it more...........Gary

[martineta]

I have an encore but man,,,they ain't cheap anymore. I would go with Stainless and shoot Blackhorn 209 powder that will not rust your gun. CVA, Knight, and Thompson all make good muzzleloaders

[speck hunter]

Thompson Omega

[capitol landscaping]

Thompson center omega with a nikon omega scope you will not be dissappointed have owned a couple others cva's prior to this and there is no comparison. Follow the load and bullet specs that are in the info for the scope and you will be ready to reach uot and touch one.

[done workin]

Got a 13 year old Knight Wolverine, one of the original in-lines. Still shooting Musket caps with 100 gr loads. Thing drives tacks!!!!

Knight by experience is top choice for me with Thompson a close second. I think Savage is making them now and their rifles are always at the top of list.

Chris

[fishinblues]

Stainless Steel is a must for me I hunt in some corrosive environments. . I own and CVA and a Savage. The accuracy, and power of the savage is in a different league than all other conventional smoke poles. If you do not mind weighing your powder loads then the savage is the way to go. Out of the box they shoot 1 ½ moa groups. With a little load development they will easily shoot sub MOA. It shoots smokeless powder so there is no cloud of smoke, and guessing where the animals run when you pull the trigger. Get the laminated stock for the savage as the plastic “Tupperware stock” is very no frills basic.

[crabby and son]

Knight makes a great rifle BUT they went out of business. Probably still get parts for 10 years or so. The only parts you should need is if you lose a screw or breech plug. Tony Knight was the first to go in line. I have a MK85 an Encore and an Omega.I like the Encore best.all stainless..........Gary

[done workin]

Gary

You're right I forgot about that. That sucks.

Chris

[Here We Go]

I have an MK 85 and a Wolverine and even though Knight is out of business I wouldn't take anything for these two guns. They both will drive nails at a 100 yards and probably account for more kills than my other guns combined.

If you could find one used and possibly a breach plug for a spare you would be set with a great gun. Shame the economy took another good manufacturer away.

[trwaters]

Thanks for the recommendations guys! I really like the Thompson Center Omega. Also, I saw one on their site called a Triumph. Has anyone had any experience with this gun?

Triumph™ - Thompson/Center (http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/triumph.php)

[crabby and son]

The Triumph is their newest version. Don't know anything about it. I do have an Omega X5 stainless with a rosewood laminated stock. I bought it for my Son and put a 2X7 Leupold shotgun scope on it. Haven't shot anything other than paper yet but it is a tack driver. I shoot the Encore and love it. I have a few different barrels for it. Although these guns are Magnums and rated for 150 grains, I shoot 100 and get the best accuracy. T/C makes good guns and will be here for a good while................I hope............Gary

[VaFisher54]

They all go bang and shoot pretty well so mostly it's a matter of preference on which you like the best. I would recomend going to a store that has several to chose from and feel them out for yourself, if one fit's better then the other then you may find you will shoot it better. I have had several myself from different manufactures and also shot others my freinds have had, all were accurate but only a few felt right for me. As far as some of the new ones go, they are pushing gimmicks but there again if it fits and you like it go for it.

[Tim Keagy]

I just bought a Thompson Encore Pro Hunter. It came with a 209 x 50cal barrel. I also bought a Rem .280 barrel.
I put a Nikon Omega 3 x 9 x 40mm on the Muzzleloader barrel and a Nikon Monarch 2.5 x 10 x 50mm on the .280.
They were bore sighted and were both within 4" of the bulls eye at 100 yards. On my 3rd shot with the .280 it was dead center. The next 5 shots 3 of them hit the same hole!
The muzzle loader was more accurate than I thought. I was hitting the bulls eye at 100 yards with 3" groups.
The plastic casing on the sabott bullets really foul up the barrel. In order to get the shot placement more accurate, it's almost necessary to run a cleaning patch down the barrel every 2 to 3 shots.

[Will S]

I think hands down the bes gun out there is the Encore, but very pricey. 2nd choice would be the OMEGA, there are some very good deals to be had on OMEGAS, I think Thompson is going to discontinue them. I personally just like the feel of the OMEGA better than the Triumph. Triumph is a little bit "Fat". They are all really good rifles though and it is a matter of personal preference. Definately got one that is 209 ignition.