traditional muzzleloader

[shorthair15]

im thinking about purchasing a traditional muzzleloader. what is the best bang for the buck. i was looking for a gun that will shoot conicals and round balls. ive seen the lyman great plains rifle and a tc hawken. which powder works the best in a traditional. i thought i would try the tc maxi hunters in conicals for deer and elk. dont know much about traditional muzzleloaders. so any advice would be greatly appreciated. ive seen the kits  from cabelas and lyman. is the cabelas rifles any good or should i steer clear of them. would i better to shoot round balls most of the deer and elk i see are not more than a 110 yards. is this too far round balls. i see the cabelas gun is 1in 48 twist it has good reviews.

[salmon]

I have owned and shot the T/C Hawken 54 cal for awhile but did not like the stock fit or double triggers, Went to a T/C New Englander and have had great luck with it in 54 cal. Shoot 415gr lead bullets I pour. Killed many elk/deer with them.

[carpsniperg2]

traditions makes a good gun, also t/c has a new gun out that is made to shoot round balls and cons its called the northwest exploer and it has a 1:48 twist for the balls and cons. allot of people really like triple seven and its a good clean powder i like pyrodex myself. lymn also makes a great gun.

[shorthair15]

is it better to go with the 54 caliber over the 50 i see a few guys who have shot deer on here with the 54?

[carpsniperg2]

i started with a 54 at first but the 50 is just as good if not better. because there is more bullet weights for the 50 cal the maxi hunter is a good con to shoot it has a hollow oint on it and opens nice was the first bullet that i ever used allot of elk and deer get shot with that bullet every year i still have family that use them.

[shorthair15]

thanks carp for the good info i think i will go with a 50 since there are more bullet options. i thought it would be a lot of fun to hunt with a traditional gun as i have never shot one. i was going to try round balls first. i have pyrodex rs,select and triple seven to try. i looked at a lyman great plains rifle i think i will look at a thompson center as well. thanks

[MagKarl]

Unfortunately most stores don't have much for traditional rifles to see and handle in person.  I have a Lyman Great Plains Rifle, 1:60 twist, 54 cal.  Mine was a kit.  I shoot patched round balls and use real black powder.  The best Lyman pricing I've seen is from Midsouth Shooters Supply, you can order online.  I think they look more traditional than TC, and less expensive.  Lyman and Cabelas guns are made by the same company, so expect similar quality, just different looks.  They will all shoot better than most humans can hold them.  1:48 twist is a good compromise if you want to experiment with balls and conicals.  Round balls are plenty lethal at 100 yards assuming lung shots.   

[Wacenturion]

Get either a T/C Renegade in 54 caliber of T/C Hawken in 50 caliber and don't look back.  Both great guns that fire when you need them to, unlike other traditional makes and models.  True you may have more bullet choices with the 50, but the 54 is a better all around gun if you want to hunt elk as well.  Something to consider.

Look on gun broker......should be able to pick one up in decent shape for $200-$300.  Also check Ebay.........however on Ebay the owner has to break up the sale into pieces....i.e. stock separately, then the barrel with breech separately to get around Ebay rules. Probably get a really good deal there if patient.

[Hangfire]

I shot traditional muzzle loaders since the mid 70's until a few years ago when my eye went bad.  I never used anything but patched round ball.

All but my first and last gun were kits or scratch built.  The last gun I hunted with and the most was the TC New Englander.  I wanted a lighter gun than my Green River with a 36 inch barrel and 1 inch across the flats.  We were going in 12 miles on bicycles and the New Englander fit the bill.
I think the New Englander is accurate enough with .530 round ball and 110 gr of ff. I sighted it in for 80 yards and could easily get 2 inch groups. I put a peep sight on .

I bought from the factory a 12 gauge barrel for it last year for turkeys, which I haven't tried yet.

I have killed about 8 elk, all with patched round ball, I never lost a animal. I found the patched round ball more accurate. With my 50 cal. I could shout less than 1 inch groups off cross sticks at 100 yards. I wanted accuracy over bullet size.

The furthest elk was 80 yards hit high in the shoulder, went right down. This was a 2 point bull. Most elk were shot through the lungs, went maybe 100 yards.

That should be at 100 yards I got less than 2 inch groups off cross sticks.

During the late  70's until about 84 I was shooting at least 100 rounds a month in competition, but not with the New Englander.  I never had any trouble with it at all.

The TC renegade is a god reliable  gun also.

[Hangfire]

If you get a traditional gun and plan on hunting elk get a 54 cal.  I used only black powder.

I cleaned the gun well when I got home from hunting and put away.  When ready to out I would wipe down bore, and snap caps on the gun with the barrel pointing down at a light small speck of paper maybe 4 inches from the barrel end.  I wanted to see the paper get blown away by the cap discharge.  If oil had been used in the bore I would then put a half charge of loose powder down the barrel and tap the stalk.  I would cap the gun and discharge the it into the air to burn out the oils, wipe it down with a dry patch and snap some more caps to be sure the channel was clear. A lot of extra  time but it aways went off.  In wet weather after capped, wipe the side of the cap with a little toilet bowl wax, helps seal it.  I aways had tight fitting caps. After the caps were seated well a pliers or knife was needed to remove them.

[carpsniperg2]

a 50 or 54 is fine but there is no way that anyone can say a 50 cal will not kill a elk the same as a 54 with a well placed shot when i had my 54 i shot it allot with my 50 cals and tested penitration and i don't think there is any advantage to a 54