First Muzzeloader

[Myrtle Creek Inc.]

Looking to buy my first muzzleloader. Thought I had decided on the Traditions Buckstalker XT until I read some bad reviews on forums. Seems like the other reviews I read may not have been particularly valuable and the brand isn't quite as good as others.

CVA and T/C seem to be more reputable brands. Looking at CVA, does the Optima perform better than the Wolf to justify the price difference? I've read that the trigger guard breech lever is kind of annoying and can get hung up and inadvertantly open.

The T/C impact seems to be the only model they have under $500. How does it compare to the Wolf and Optima? I've read different opinions on it's breech pull action, that it can be tough to operate with gloves or when it's cold.

Thoughts on which of these three has the best trigger as well?

We have a lot of experience with Traditions, CVA, and Thompson Center. We have had excellent results with the Traditions Buckstalker, Pursuit, and Vortek models. Thus far in our testing, they have proven to be accurate, durable, and user-friendly. The same can be said for the CVA Wolf, Optima, Accura, and Paramount lines. There are pros and cons to both brands, however, in our opinion, one is not objectively better than the other.

As far as the Optima and the Wolf go, I think that the Optima is worth the jump in price for a few reasons. The Optima has a slightly longer barrel that will provide you with increased velocity and allow for longer shots. The Wolf's effective range is roughly 100-150 yards, whereas the Optima can be stretched out to around 200. If you don't plan to shoot further than 100 yards, however, the Wolf will still shoot at least a 2-3" group at 100 yards with tighter groups being very possible depending on bullet and powder combinations.

With regard to Thompson Center, they have always produced high-quality muzzleloaders, however, I would recommend caution when purchasing a T/C because of the current corporate ownership situation. Last year, T/C was divested by the Smith & Wesson brand and all production of T/C products was ceased. So it is unlikely that you will be able to find a T/C in stock, however, if you do, there is no guarantee that there will be any warranty or spare parts available moving forward. Because of this, I would recommend sticking with either Traditions or CVA.

[jbeaumont21]

Well the Knights certainly seem like a good investment from everything I've read, here and elsewhere. They seem a bit hard to find though. Within my budget on gunbroker that I'm interested in there's:

A Big Horn .50 thumbhole with stainless barrel and timney trigger.
A nice looking MK85 .50 with 24" barrel and a wood stock
A Wolverine .50 with a thumbhole stock and blued barrel.
A Knight Revolution .50, stainless barrel and wood stock (this one's kinda pretty)
An LK-II .50 stainless barrel.

I know very little about models, but it appears these all have the same action. Descriptions don't all indicate whether they're #11 or 209. Stainless would be nice. Would any of these be legal in Idaho?

I'm also thinking about going with a Wilson FP peep sight. Not sure what front globe yet.

I put the globe with the cross hair insert on my Knight Disc Extreme and have loved it.  It gives you a much better target than the fat fiber optics that come with the gun. 

https://www.gohunt.com/read/skills/increased-accuracy-from-an-open-sight-muzzleloader#gs.vyno95

[pickardjw]

Well I've decided a Knight Ultra-Lite is probably the best choice. Mostly because I can hunt Idaho with is as well in the future with a few extra parts. I read through another forum post from SabotLoader details the different parts needed to make the conversion. Sounds like it's in my technical skill wheelhouse.

Seeing as a need a new rifle as well I might have to wait for one to pop up used though...two $1000 guns in one year is a bit much for my wallet.

[JakeLand]

Well I've decided a Knight Ultra-Lite is probably the best choice. Mostly because I can hunt Idaho with is as well in the future with a few extra parts. I read through another forum post from SabotLoader details the different parts needed to make the conversion. Sounds like it's in my technical skill wheelhouse.

Seeing as a need a new rifle as well I might have to wait for one to pop up used though...two $1000 guns in one year is a bit much for my wallet.

keep a eye on rockslide as Ive bought a couple knights there

[pickardjw]

Well I've decided a Knight Ultra-Lite is probably the best choice. Mostly because I can hunt Idaho with is as well in the future with a few extra parts. I read through another forum post from SabotLoader details the different parts needed to make the conversion. Sounds like it's in my technical skill wheelhouse.

Seeing as a need a new rifle as well I might have to wait for one to pop up used though...two $1000 guns in one year is a bit much for my wallet.

keep a eye on rockslide as Ive bought a couple knights there

Yeah, the scammers have been pretty effective over there lately so I'm hesitant to post a WTB.  Assuming it's being shipped so cash isn't really an option, how are you getting buyer protection? I assume paypal 3% won't cover it since it's arguably a firearm.

[JakeLand]

I look at how long they been a member and how many posts they’ve done , due diligent research and I haven’t gotten burned yet

[carpsniperg2]

I look at how long they been a member and how many posts they’ve done , due diligent research and I haven’t gotten burned yet

x2 and the staff here watches the classifieds pretty hard myself included. If i see anything fishy it gets gone. If people get much for negative trade count they can go the way of the buffalo we don't need our good members getting hit with scammers.

Like said WTB with messages direct to your inbox is how most scammers get you. If the person is not a long standing member there is a few steps you can do to help. Most people can facetime or some kind of live feed for you to see. Have them show you the gun over that. Not just a picture. Most scammers dont have what they are saying they are selling and just fish pic's off the net. Also you can ask if they sell on any of the common platforms like ebay and gun broker etc and match there location to the user name and see if it adds up and if it does read the feedback.

[pickardjw]

Yeah I usually do reverse image searches, read through their posts, and all the other basics, etc. When you have paypal buyer protection for a jacket or something, that's usually enough. For a gun where no online payment system will give you buyer protection, something like facetime might be the ticket...good thing I broke all my phone cameras on a rock in a snowboarding crash last month! I think the ipad will do the job though.

Rokslide has been hit pretty hard recently though. Seems like people might be buying accounts or playing the longggg con where they post like normal people, sell a few things to get credibility then scam someone for a bigger amount.

Setting it up through Gunbroker seems like it would be ideal for buyer protection but it looks like a real pain for a one time sale as the seller.

So yeah, gotta have a lot of trust in that facetime! Hopefully a used Ultra-Lite goes for under $500 at least though...