I did it

[Alaska316]

I'll be hunting Elk with a muzzy this year. After reading all the bad reviews about the vortek. I ended up buying one. Two of my buddies bought em about 4 months ago. They have put over 100 rds through them and love them. So I took mine out yesterday. 20 rounds through it and only one didn't fire. Now keep in mind. Yesterday was my first time ever shooting one. Loved it. 75 yrds, and I can actually hit the target.   

[JColony]

Welcome to the world of Muzzleloading, it's addictive!  I'm a TC guy myself, but I won't hold it against you that you chose the Vortek. 

[ghosthunter]

yes sir Once you get hooked thats it. For elk at least. My elk hunt each year has become the one I look foreward too. I still modern the deer but lve smoke pole elk.
Most of my hunting group has switched to Black powder elk.

[engelwood]

One didn't fire?!?!?! Man, I'm not judging or anything, but on a sunny day, with no rain or snow, on the range.... that should NEVER happen. Glad you are happy with the gun. I hope it works well for you. Nothin like nailing one with the ol' smoke pole!

[halflife65]

I borrowed a muzzleloader one time when I drew a multi-season tag and somehow managed to shoot a buck with it.  Awesome experience and I giggled like a little girl for 3 hours after I shot it.  You should have a lot of fun - it makes me seriously consider taking up muzzle loading as a weapon of choice.  I bowhunt now but grew up rifle hunting and it's the perfect combo of the two.

[oneezreiter]

I am going to be entering the muzzy world this year as well.  One nice thing about South Dakota is I get to hunt all three weapons and will have at least 5 tags.

[MLhunter1]

Wlecome to ML hunting.  Its fun.  Your vortek should have fired everytime though, especially when its dry out.  The only mis fires I get is when I used to use pellets and it was moist out.  Now I use loose powder and even in the wettest days it still fires fine.

[Navyrep1]

Your Vortek is a fine weapon...love mine for many reasons.  Make sure you really firmly seat the musket caps on the nipple.  If your problem persists, give Traditions a call.  They've got a newer stiffer hammer mainspring that should cure your issue....free.  Spoke with them today, they said some of the earlier release Northwest Magums were released with an inferior spring.  Mine was one of the weak ones but I came up with a temporary fix until my new springs comes in.  In the meantime, it shoots perfectly....just needed a little tweaking.

[Alaska316]

Figured it out. Sportco sold me reenactment ones. He said they'd work fine. WTF..... I hope someone from sportco reads this. I have spent lots of money there. And the extra nipple Wholesales sports sold me when I bought the gun from them. He said he has one and that I needed it. Hmmmm, fits not mine. Let me say thanks to Muzzleloader supply. They know their stuff.

[huntnnw]

My TC has never missed fired.  Hunting elk with a smokepole in the rut is a blast and I look forward to it every year

[Navyrep1]

Figured it out. Sportco sold me reenactment ones. He said they'd work fine. WTF..... I hope someone from sportco reads this. I have spent lots of money there. And the extra nipple Wholesales sports sold me when I bought the gun from them. He said he has one and that I needed it. Hmmmm, fits not mine. Let me say thanks to Muzzleloader supply. They know their stuff.

Spend just a couple $$ more and get the good German musket caps.  The Vortek nipple has a lot longer threading/length that fits all the way into the breech plug cone end.  I have yet to find one in stock on a shelf.  You may need to order one direct from Traditions.  It's a good idea to have a spare.  It's not necessarily just a Vortek thing, all brands of nipples can break or chip occasionally.  It may never break but it's better to have a spare then to lose out on a hunt or range day.  Sportco....who knows.

[bullcanyon]

Not the first time I've heard that about sportco. Those reenactment ones are no good.