Good first muzzleloader on a budget.

N

nch_2018

New member
First, my budget is preferably under 200, but can stretch it to 300. I've shot my dads cva bobcat with 100 grain loads when I was 12 and I handled it easily. I'm 14 now and am pretty sure I can handle 150 grain loads. I already have all the supplies I'll need, just looking for the rifle. The cheapest I could find is the cva buckhorn for 125 bucks. Is it worth the extra money to get a wolf or another one? I don't care if it's traditional or inline, and I will be using it on deer within 150 yards
 
If you intend to shoot beyond 100 yds. on a regular basis. My most common advice offered: Best to consider a inline purchase for that purpose. But there are options also. Faster twist barrels, paper patched bullets, sabot use, better sights and powders. All helpful items to help with distant shooting. As far as which rifle.Which ever shoulders the easiest and give the best site picture.
 
https://www.tcarms.com/firearms/muzzleloaders/impact

I'll recommend the muzzleloader I have used the past couple of seasons. The T/C Impact. I have the Weathershield/black synthetic version which I paid $250 for but the blued/black version can be had for closer to $200 IIRC. IMO the few extra bucks for the Weathershield finish is worth it. I use a 250 gr Barnes TMZ over 100 grains of Blackhorn 209 and a Federal 209M primer. It shoots right at 1" groups at 100 yards (with a scope). I have centerfire rifles that don't shoot as good as this thing. The trigger is pretty crisp on it too. Feels just right for a hunting rifle. Definitely worth what I paid for it and then some. You can get fancier or prettier muzzleloaders for more money, but you'll be hard pressed to find one that shoots any better. Especially under $300.

6688_IMPACT_WS_Black467.png


Here's one for $217.99: http://www.impactguns.com/tca-impact-50c-26in-bl-syn-6680.aspx
 
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Whatever you get, don't give any thought to "using 150 grains" or any other charge.
Shoot your rifle on targets and find the most accurate load, and forget about velocity. I and many other men have been killing deer with handguns for years and years. I have many kills behind me too with muzzleloaders.

A typical 44 magnum with a 6" barrel shoots it's bullets at about 1250-1500 FPS depending on the load and the bullet and they kill deer just fine. You will be easily able to get 1250 FPS from your rifle so forget about trying to make it go fist before you make it shoot into small groups.

If the load is fast, that’s ok, but it’s a bonus not a requirement.
Good hits with big slow bullets kill VERY well, and bad hits with anything (including modern magnums) don't.
 
Whatever you get, don't give any thought to "using 150 grains" or any other charge.
Click to expand...

This ^

Don't go into it set on any one load, powder, or projectile. Just like a centerfire rifle, you need to figure out what combination shoots the best, which won't always be what you planned on shooting.

My .54 Lyman Deerstalker is most accurate with a moderate/medium hit load of fffg, with conical bullets being a bit more accurate than round balls, but not by much. Really hot loads are sometimes fun to shoot (big cloud of smoke) and do carry more energy to the target, but aren't are accurate for me/my rifle.

And, if you're on a budget, sometimes used is the way to go if it's been properly cared for. I got my Deerstalker at about 1/3 the new cost when a friend upgraded to an inline.
 
I used to be able to find used but good condition Hawkens (Traditions and whatnot) at gun shows for $150 to $200. These are pretty high quality, and arguably more fun than an inline... but a bit harder to clean though. So check some gun shows.

Beyond that, wait for a sale if you buy a cheap inline - don't pay more than $100 to $125 for a plastic stocked one from a usual suspect (CVA, Traditions, etc.), even new.

Remember, on these Spanish steel ones (CVA, Traditions), even though they say in their manuals that you can go to 150 grains of black powder, you definitely should NOT go more than (in my opinion) 130 grains* of Pyrodex, or 120 grains* of Triple-7, *tops*, to be safe, particularly if using a bullet heavier than 250 grains (in .50 cal).

*BP volumetric equivalency.
 
CVA Wolf is a great ML rifle. This rifle has been in production for about 7 years with a couple improvements along the way. There are a number of YouTube videos of this rifle in action.

Jack
 
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There are many who do it, but I fired exactly one round with 150 grains (3 5o grain pellets) of Pyrodex out of my Knight DISC rifle. To this day I do not have any idea where the bullet hit on the target, if at all. I was shooting from a low bench and didn't realize the butt of the rifle was just barely on the bottom my shoulder pocket, at the shot it shoved underneath and the first solid contact was the scope with my right eye brow. It was loud enough that the gunsmith who owned the range came down to see what I had done. 100 grains shoots a Sabot Hornady bullet out of my Knight with more than enough power to take deer cleanly. Don't be afraid to look at pawn shops, lots of folks got into muzzle loaders to take advantage of the extra seasons and then decided they didn't like it. Sometimes you can find a pretty good deal, just be sure you are checking it over well before you buy.
 
Second that Panfisher, I have had a knight disc for going on 17 yrs and have yet to shoot a deer more than once, either they are DRT or they run about 30 yds. and that is with 2 pyrodex pellets pushing a saboted 44 cal speer 240 gr hollow point, sighted dead on at 50 it hits 2" low at 100. Longest shot taken was 125 yds thru the neck DRT.. I did try the 3 pellet route and didnt like the recoil or the groups.
 
If looking at T/C rifles. FWIW: T/C had a problem with their Weather Shield barrels peeling its exterior surface coat. I don't know if the problem has been resolved as that peeling situation was encountered by many who had purchased their very first rifles coated with Weather Shield. You might want to check around and see if there is still a ongoing problem with Weather Shield.
 
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