Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Best Muzzleloader Ever Made?

Those are nice rifles

Muzzle Loading Rifles by Sharps Man, on Flickr

Another quick thought
"Best" needs to be understood in one of 2 ways.

#1 The best quality of any gun made in the muzzleloader era, (from the days of the hand cannon to the beginning of the breach-loading era) or any reproduction of any such gun. Quality being viewed on the basis of accuracy, dependability and artworks

Or #2 The best technology ever made (so far) for the use of killing game with a weapon that happens loads from the muzzle.

In category #1 I would say the ones that probably are on top of the heap were the German and English guns made in the late 1860s
In category #2 I have to say.................I don't know. I have no interest in a muzzleloading rifle made with 2017 technology. I have a scoped AR-15 in 6.8 SPC now. If I only carry one round in the chamber and no magazine on my person I would have the same capabilities as such a gun, but hunting that way seems to beg a question to me.

Why?

I don't care what others hunt with.

But when I hunt with a bow I want to hunt the old way. Long bow with wood arrows. Same with any muzzleloader. My rifles are recreations of guns made in the late 1700s

I can kill game easier and farther away with my 270, or my FN-FAL, or my Ruger SR762.
But that's not the point of hunting with a weapon that provides a greater challenge.

When I hunt with my long bow, or my flintlock I hunt in the regular season. I never bother with "bow season" or 'muzzleloader season".
I am not trying to cheat. I am not even 100% dedicated to killing an animal. If I were I'd be using one of my auto-loaders.

Very Nice guns fellows! The best one I ever owned was 45 cal. Hatfield, still kick myself for selling it and going to an inline! I do have a 40cal TC hammer rifle that I hunted with last fall.

Gents; thanks for posting up the pics you do (along with the commentary). Am I the only one that wonders in here with a beer buzz to see what Kaywoodie has to show today?
Beautiful stuff. Thanks again.

You need to look up Monty Mandarino, he may be the best builder of any age of muzzle loading rifles.

I liked what Szihn had to say. However, if one can make his peace with the non traditional, the Remingtons (three of them) that I'm playing with are very accurate clear out to 300yds. Some hundred yard groups are just one big hole. I had no idea ML were that accurate.

Best ever made? That's easy.





It weighs 7#4 oz, my old eyes can still work with the sights because the barrel is 42" long. .45 Caliber...best I can do....offhand....at 50 yards.
Doesn't need no stinkin' caps, just a steady hold.



Fella named Turpin built it.

Nice rifles Sharpsman and DD!!! Very nice!!

SHarpsman, what is the story on that lefthanded plains rifle? Looks very nice.

White Super 91 .50 Cal, dumbest thing I ever did was sell that baby.

Kaywoodie,

Where would a person go to have something like that built? I have seen kits but really don't want to do one myself. Thank you.

Glen Jones built the above rifle.

http://www.flintlockrifles-gljones.com

Matt Avance builds nice stuff too!

http://www.tennesseevalleymuzzleloading.com

And Clay Smith too!

http://www.claysmithguns.com

Also check in to see what Track Of The Wolf has they get stuff all the time!

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Category.aspx/485


Lots of other capable folks out there as well. Just Google away!!!

Good Luck!
KW

Édit!

Oops! Forgot to add, our szihn here on the fire builds some keepers!

I have an old college friend that has built some darn nice flinters.
Just for himself.
Of some talent.
Might have him build me one (if he will).

Not sure what the best muzzleloader ever made was but I just ordered one of this guy's (www.jimkibler.net) muzzleloader "kits" and I am saying that these may be the best "kits" ever made - for the money and quality. I got a .32 caliber that I intend to use on squirrels and such......these kits are amazing - heck just price the parts and see where you end up!! I'll post some pictures when I get it done (probably be a while with my schedule but if I had a couple of days I think it could be ready to go!!).

PennDog

Thats gonna be a fun rifle PennDog! Looking forward to pics when you get it done!!

KW

KW,

It really should be a fun little rifle - I have always wanted a .32 caliber flintlock for squirrels.....I have a Vincent style caplock in .32 that I absolutely love for squirrels and it will go with me to this year's 1st annual squirrel camp in northern Pennsylvania. I will be sure to try and post pics (I'll have to figure out the new process since Photobucket went "south") of both squirrel camp (only muzzleloaders allowed) and the Kibler rifle when complete.

PennDog

Imho hands down the tc new englander. Accurate, reliable, relative light weight, affordable, well made, nice looking rifle. I'm sort of old school so not an inline fan as I see primitive weapons ( is that PC anymore?) seasons as meaning traditional but thats just me. Of course there are a lot of outstanding customs out there but for a production gun tc is tuff to beat and the new englander is their value leader. I also had a Browning mtn. rifle for a while that was very nice but much more costly than a new englander.

Bangeye,

Back in the day all those T/C rifles were well made, accurate rifles! The Hawken, Renegade, Seneca, etc, were all top quality firearms! Well worth the cash!

I knew Clay "back in the day", and he tried to convince me to join him in an apprenticeship at the gun shop in Williamsburg. Wallace Gussler was still buzzing around there at the time. He did, and I didn't. I couldn't give up my good paying job to live on snowballs while doing the six or seven year (if I remember correctly) apprenticeship. Oh, to wind back the hands of time!