Favorite WA legal Muzzleloader?

[theoutdoorlife]

I am looking into muzzleloading, what are some of your favorite blackpowder rifles? I saw the Traditions vortek Northwest and I liked the way it handled and the price, do you guys have anyother suggestions?

P.S. Any advise to a Blackpowder Beginner is welcomed!

[Skyvalhunter]

I believe if you did a search you would find a thread on this.

[Dan-o]

I for one LOVE my TC Black diamond XL, but you'll find lots of folks with lots of favorites on this sight.    Just make sure you get a legal one (or one that can easily be converted to legal, and you'll probably have your new favorite!  As was mentioned, search this page and you'll find lots of opinions on who like what.

As for newbie advice, the best thing you could do would be to find some one to take you to the range the first time.   I learned it the hard way, and there are so many stupid things I did that could have been avoided if I'd only gone with someone who knew the basics.   It will save you a bunch of time if someone shows you the ropes.

My other piece of advice:   It seems that individual muzzleloader rifles like individual loads.   I wouldn't scrimp on trying several different bullet types/weights.   If you know someone who shoots, ask them if you can purchase 4 each of what they have so you don't have to buy all the different types yourself.    For that matter, I live in Auburn, if you're down here, I'd give you 4 each of the 10 different kind I have (since I only hunt with 2 of them, the rest are just taking up space.).   PM me if you want some.

Range sessions also seem to take longer for me, so you better budget the time.

Best of luck,

Dan

 

[Whitelightning]

I believe that the best Muzzle loader was made by White, they are simple easy to clean shoot lead conicals like nothing you have ever seen. This being said White is out of business, however parts and rifles can be found relatively easy. I personally own well over a dozen Whites in all calibers to include shotguns.

There is a Super 91 in the classifieds here.

I agree every Muzzle loader likes a little differant load whether that is a bullet type or weight or a specific powder, that is what makes Muzzle loading fun IMO.

[CAMPMEAT]

I've got an old T/C .54 Grey Hawk. Love that old thing. I bet they don't make 'em anymore. I think it's 20 years old. Stainless/Synthetic
short barrel like a brush gun.

[carpsniperg2]

There is a ton of info to look threw on here. Lots of info on all types of smoke poles. And lots of general muzzleloader hunting info as well. There is only 4 brands that i would buy. t/c,knight,cva,white. I have owned/shot all 4 of them. I still shoot a t/c black diamond "discontinued" from time to time. But my go to gun is a cva elkhorn. Had very good luck with that gun, i changed the sites on mine, and have been super happy. I don't think you can go wrong with any of those 4 makers. There is a lot to read on here about the traditions, I liked the gun a ton! Until i got it to the range. The gun malfunctioned and went of without me even touching it, several other members have had the same thing happen to them or there hunting partners. I took mine back and got my money back. That is the only brand that i will never own again.

If you have any questions feel free to pm me i would be happy to help you out. Lots of great muzzleloader hunters and shooters here with a ton of experience. Welcome to the site.

[bobcat]

If you'd consider a traditional muzzleloader (sidelock), the Lyman Deerstalker or Lyman Great Plains rifles are worth looking at. I have the Deerstalker and it's been good to me.

[gotshot]

T/C Black Diamond XR for me.

[Hangfire]

For a traditional muzzle loader a TC New Englander with a peep sight is very good in 54 cal. A 12 gauge shotgun barrel has been available. This makes a very good combination. Gun has a 1-48 twist, shoots patched round balls very well and will shoot TC bullets. I have taken deer, elk and turkey with the combination. I shoot .530 patched round ball with 110 gr of 2 ff black powder. Shot gun- 90 gr of 2f and equivalent volume of shot.

[BlackRidge]

T/C Hawken or Northwest Explorer get my vote

T/C has a sale going on the NW Explorer ($329). You can usually find Hawken kits online for about the same price too

I wish the Encore had an adapter that made it WA compliant

[rock]

I like my buckhorn alot. simple durable easy to get parts for and you can take it part pretty qucikly. And with the right loads its deadly acccurate

[rasbo]

like my t/c blackdiamond,if I was on the dry side I would go with a flintlock made by my uncle,hope to own one someday

[KLRKeith]

My Lyman Great plains rifle has been great!  Easy to clean and with a .54 cal it can take anything in the state.  1" groups at 50 yards all day long.  100 yards groups are around 3-4" for me but my son can keep it to 2"...I have a T/C New Englander in .54 cal thats very nice too. I also have a Lyman .50 cal flintlock that I've been trying to wack a coyote with.  It's very accurate as well but alot to think about.   I dont have any modern inlines so no idea.

[luv2hunt]

I have owned a T.C Thunderhawk 54 Cal, Lyman Deerstalker 54 Cal and a Knight Bighorn 50 Cal. I would say by far the Knight is my favorite of them all!!! Fyi if you do lean toward the Lyman Deerstalker buglin4bulls has one for sale in the classifieds.

[kerrdog]

I like my TC Northwest Explorer.  But I wish it had fiber optic sights, took musket caps, and had a 1/28 twist instead of 1/48.  Actually...never mind.  Piece of crap.

[deerslyr]

I have owned a few muzzleloaders but my personal favorite was the knight mk-85 stainless with the shadow stock, but they dont make them anymore.

[Armadillo]

T/C Grey Hawk 50 Cal I loveee shooting this thing!!

[Lowedog]

Nice looking muzzy!!!

[Hank]

my go to gun is a cva elkhorn.

If you don't mind another ML newbie question. What bullet powder combo are you shooting from your Elkhorn? I picked up two of these guns from the Taxidermy/Muzzle loader shop in Puyallup. The shop keeper set me up with 777 pellets and 348 grain power belts. This combination got me about 5 inch groups at 100 yards using a bench and rest. In your expierance with the Elkhorn is that the limitation of the gun or is there a better combination?

[teanawayslayer]

Hank-  That guy at the muzzle loader shop does know his stuff.  But I don't know why he pushes that 348 bullet so much.  I guess it depends on what your hunting.  I started with the 348 and quickly changed after one season.  That is a huge chunk of lead.  0 velocity after a 100 yards.  I then changed to the powerbelt 290's.  I liked this round alot more velocity and plenty of killing power for deer or elk.  I don't use this round any more.  I use the powerbelt 245's and like them with the 777 pellets.  I know guys that use the barnes tmz with the loose powder and love it.  I am going to try the change this summer and see what happens.  In my opinion you don't need that huge chunk of lead.  play with it and see what works for you.  Every one has a different opinion of what works for them and what doesn't.  With muzzle loading it's all about feeling comfortable with what you have and having confidence in what you use.  That's my  .  Hope this helps

[bobcat]

Those powerbelts are really soft and expand much too easily. If you insist on using those crap bullets you need all the weight you can get. There's no way I'd use anything less than the 348 grain in a powerbelt. If it's just for deer, well, then it's not so critical. Pretty much anything will work. But 348 grains is NOT a heavy bullet for a 50 caliber muzzleloader. That weight is actually towards the light end of what used to be available. Now with sabots and smaller caliber bullets they have gotten lighter. But still, even in a 45 caliber bullet I'd be leery of anything under 300 grains. The only exception would be the Barnes because it's 100% copper.

[Hank]

Thank you, and that is good to know. I suspected the 348's were a little heavy and losing velocity at about 100 yds. I'm going to try the 245's and see what happens.

[teanawayslayer]

bobcat, I agree with some of what you said but it also all depends on the shots you take. those 290's I have shot 2 elk with and they do not move after you hit them.  Same with deer.  They are soft but do a great job in my opinion.  Not saying they are the best but are really effective.

[Skillet]

I have a T/C Hawken with a Green Mountain LRH barrel.  Great gun for shooting heavy maxi-balls.  Best groups with the 370 grain T/C Maxi's, but I got my hands on some bullets made by No Excuses in Utah that go 460 grains that I will play with this year.  That's a big chunk of lead, right there.  I've shot a few for fun and with a heavy powder charge recoil starts to become "noticeable"...  You're welcome to pick up a few to try if you go with a fast-twist .50 cal and you're in my neighborhood at some point.

[bobcat]

bobcat, I agree with some of what you said but it also all depends on the shots you take. those 290's I have shot 2 elk with and they do not move after you hit them.  Same with deer.  They are soft but do a great job in my opinion.  Not saying they are the best but are really effective.

Yes it does depend on where you hit them, but I don't want to have to worry about that. With a powerbelt on elk I suppose you'd just have to pick your shots just as if you were shooting a bow and arrow- broadside shot behindi the shoulder through both lungs. But why not use a bullet like the Barnes where you could shoot through a shoulder if you had to?

Hank- if a bullet is "losing velocity at 100 yards" it shouldn't matter, as that should be almost your maximum range with a muzzleloader anyway.  

[kerrdog]

I was set on using Maxi hunters, but after some web research, I've decided to try the Barnes .45 cal (for 50 cal) 250 grain all copper bullet with easy loading sabot; the regular sabot is pretty tight and hard to load.  My choice was driven mainly by the fact that I don't want lead fragments in the meat, since my wife would never shut up about it; got kids. I've decided on the 250 grain because my bore twist is 1/48 and I've heard that it might not stablize a heavier bullet. We'll see.

I've been using pyrodex, but I've heard that the Winchester triple 7 burns hotter and faster with better ignition, which is a concern for me with those little #11 caps that my NW Explorer requires.  I've had plenty of no-fires after the cap pops.

[teanawayslayer]

bobcat, I agree with some of what you said but it also all depends on the shots you take. those 290's I have shot 2 elk with and they do not move after you hit them.  Same with deer.  They are soft but do a great job in my opinion.  Not saying they are the best but are really effective.

Hank- if a bullet is "losing velocity at 100 yards" it shouldn't matter, as that should be almost your maximum range with a muzzleloader anyway.  

All I am saying about the velocity is with the 348 I would take no longer of a shot. with the 295's or the 245's I am very comfortable out to 120-150 yards.  I have had several time where I could not closed that extra distance.  Major factor to me.  If I need that option then I have it.

[Blsum]

I know guys that use the barnes tmz with the loose powder and love it.  I am going to try the change this summer and see what happens. 

Dude your going to love this load. You won't go back to shooting those crap powerbelts. 

[Ghost Hunter]

My Lyman Great plains rifle has been great!  Easy to clean and with a .54 cal it can take anything in the state.  1" groups at 50 yards all day long.  100 yards groups are around 3-4" for me but my son can keep it to 2"...I have a T/C New Englander in .54 cal thats very nice too. I also have a Lyman .50 cal flintlock that I've been trying to wack a coyote with.  It's very accurate as well but alot to think about.   I dont have any modern inlines so no idea.

 

[Whitelightning]

I have a T/C Hawken with a Green Mountain LRH barrel.  Great gun for shooting heavy maxi-balls.  Best groups with the 370 grain T/C Maxi's, but I got my hands on some bullets made by No Excuses in Utah that go 460 grains that I will play with this year.  That's a big chunk of lead, right there.  I've shot a few for fun and with a heavy powder charge recoil starts to become "noticeable"...  You're welcome to pick up a few to try if you go with a fast-twist .50 cal and you're in my neighborhood at some point.

skillet, I agree No Excuse makes some nice bullets. I have shot them for years in the 495gr very accurate and will knock a critter arse over tea kettle in a hurry. Doc White had a lot to do with the Green River barrel in the early years that why they shoot heavy lead like they do IMO.

[Skillet]

Glad to hear someone on here likes them, too.  I'm going to put in some serious range/field time with them this year to nail down the trajectory.  I did see those 495 grain bullets he makes  - but opted for the "lighter" of the two.  I just haven't seen too many angry cape buffalo during elk season! 

I am 100% sold on the Green Mountain LRH (Long Range Hunter) barrel.  It turned my average 1:48" twist Hawken into a 1:28" heavy bullet tack driver - it is now much more accurate than I am.  Whatever Doc did, he did it right.

[llamabob]

Hey guys new here.I shoot a custom tc renegade that I built from a kit with a barrel built by oregon barrel co. 458 cal 1 in 18 twist 30 inch long. I cast 400 grain spitzer bullets from a  458 45/70 mold, resize and paper patch.100 grains tripple seven  and she will print 3 shots into 1.5 inch at 100 yds. I have a lyman target peep with a fiber optic front.living in the desert I get to shoot a lot and this gun shoots for me out to 200 t yards  as long as  I use my range finder and dial it in 1 gallon milk jugs at 300 are really fun.but I would never shoot at big game that far.but a broadside elk  at 200 that I have ranged and  have a solid rest to shoot from ,as several have discovered, is dead.

[KimberRich]

This thread kind of got off topic... More towards bullet choice than Favorite ML but it's full of good info! Especially for a newbie like myself.  I've got a T/C Hawken and like it for the most part.  All my cousins hunt with the Knight Bighorn and swear by it. 

[BlackRidge]

I love the traditional look/function of the T/C Hawken, but maaaan that buttstock end just looks deadly. Shoulder it wrong, and I'm sure you'd be feeling that for weeks to come

Was looking at the T/C Renegade and it seems to pretty much be the same as the hawken, but without that nasty buttstock end. Same with the T/C Grey Hawk, almost the same as the Renegade, but in an all-weather type setup

[KimberRich]

I love the traditional look/function of the T/C Hawken, but maaaan that buttstock end just looks deadly. Shoulder it wrong, and I'm sure you'd be feeling that for weeks to come

Was looking at the T/C Renegade and it seems to pretty much be the same as the hawken, but without that nasty buttstock end. Same with the T/C Grey Hawk, almost the same as the Renegade, but in an all-weather type setup

I have a limbsaver slip on pad that fits nice on my Hawken and I use it at the range but I actually like the shape of the butt stock as it contours to the shoulder well and feels stable to me. 

[lonedave]

Love my T/C Hawken with the 32" .62 Green Mountain barrel.  The barrel started as a drop-in smoothbore that I had rifled 1-72" by Ed Rayl.  It shoots better than I can by far and a 325 gr round ball behind 90 gr of Goex 2f has worked just fine for deer and elk.  A traditional gun just has to have a hooked butt!  I've never noticed any pain in shooting it, but I've never used more than 100 gr of 2f and much more may not get burned before the ball was out the barrel.  The other go-to rifle is my T/C Seneca .45 .  It's much lighter and has worked very well on mulies in the Snake River Breaks with round ball or maxi-hunters.