I purchased a 50 Cal. Disc Extreme Western with the thumb hole stock late last week. Thanks to everyone that's been helping me out with tips and advice. The first thing I did was give it a good cleaning and then verify that the firing pin was going to strike the cap, as suggested by Sabotloader. Next I fired a few caps to be certain.
I decided to start with triple seven, #11 caps and 300 grain bloodlines, as my first priority of use is elk hunting.
Yesterday I went out to do some shooting with my Dad who has the Bighorn. He's shot a deer with his, but is still relatively new to muzzleloaders. My first shot I was surprised by how well it shot, both accuracy wise and ignition. It felt like shooting a center fire rifle. Dad's been shooting pellets as suggested by someone he knows. The performance of the triple seven was noticeably better, both sound wise and lack of smoke. He's already planning to switch over to the combo I'm using and keep practicing and experimenting. I understand the pellets are better used with 209 ignition.
I need to add a little length in the stock, as I'm 6'4"" with long arms, but I really like the way the thumb hole stock come up when aiming the rifle. I think the sights are pretty decent, but I understand why some people go with peeps, I may do so in the future. I shot a pretty decent group about 2" low with good center location. I decided not to make adjustments until I get a little better range conditions and the stock how I like it. I tried different levels of powder, starting with 100 then 120 and finally 140. 120 seemed to be a good place to be.
I think all in all the best part is how much fun we had shooting them. I'm really looking forward to continuing to learn and I really appreciate all the advice that's been shared with us so far.
