Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Oregon-Legal Muzzleloader

What would you all suggest for someone just getting into black powder for an Oregon Legal traditional type Muzzleloader. I am looking to go .50 caliber rather than .54 as it’s easiest to find components for.

In my research I’m loving the looks of the Great Plains conicals for hunting applications.

If you want a .50, so be it. If you want conicals, so be it. There is a price to pay for conicals, recoil, for one and more importantly, bullet drop at ranges game may be normally shot. And, that seemingly small 50 grains more weight in the .54 is actually very noticeable when whacking steel, given a similar impact velocity. Without me rattling on here at length, go over to a forum that specializes in black powder sports and read up. Some factors I would consider before making your decision, expected range of your quarry...conical or round ball and importantly from that, the best twist rate. At the risk of stirring the pot here, compromise twists, 1 in 48", are like the old saying: compromise does not do anything perfectly, but it will do everything more or less. The original rifles of the opening of the west were not conical shooters, most being somewhere around 66'' to 72" twist, and those old round ball rifles stayed popular with hunters long after conicals came into common use in military and target work. Short range...round balls. Conicals, longer range, adjustable sights, range finding ability, recoil tolerance.

This one is a 50 and it's for sale.

11290001 by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
11290005 by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
12030002 by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
P. B. Wrist-side by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]

Knight is having a sale.
50 cal western legal Wolverines for less than $300 shipped
https://www.muzzleloaders.com/product/wolverine-max-1-muzzleloader/

Load it with Parker Hydra-cons

I’ve tried other bullets but have been super impressed with Parker bullets on elk.

He said Oregon Legal traditional type Muzzleloader

A budget would narrow things down.

A .54 roundball rifle will do for elk as well as deer, and ammo is never a problem, though you may have to order balls or cast your own. Most people run out of range using iron sights before a .54 roundball runs out of gas. Lots of people shoot elk with .50 rbs too, but most think .54 is just a bit better.

Shooting roundballs in a rifle made for them is a pleasure, and cheaper than conicals too. Not sure about all the Oregon rules, but don't let stories about BP cleanup scare you away from using that. Might take a bit more to get the same whomp as say, 777, but BP is easy to light and again, inexpensive.

not trying to muddy any water here but if you go 54cal the only thing that is slightly harder to obtain is bullets and balls.
buy a couple hundred balls, or a hundred bullets and you will likely pass some of them on to your kids. unless you start growing a full beard, marry a indian woman, wear buckskins and go to ronde, you most likely wont shoot more then a hundred times a year.
that said a 50 will and does kill anything that pumps blood.

Steve , you are killing me here every time you post that beauty. and i just sold a truck

Whoops.

Still shoot the Parker bullets at least.

Deerstalker, you sold a truck?

Cool!

Want a flintlock or a nice Hawken?

Have used Triple Seven in my bp revolvers so was planning to use it in whatever front stuffer rifle I go with as well.

I don’t plan to hunt elk just yet, probably deer if anything big game-wise to start out. Thanks for all the advice thus far.

Yes, and yes! But momma' s kitchen remodel comes first😏 you would think packing crate cabinets and particle board counter tops would be sufficient !😆
I have dreams of a long flinter like you make. Momma says dream on!

IMHO there is not really a right choice available in current manufacture. Every gun out there has something wrong with it design-wise. Barrels too short, barrels too long. Wrong sights. Wrong recoil pad / butt plate for hunting loads. Etc. The two closest are from Lyman. The Deer Stalker is great but has a short 24 inch barrel ... I want 26-28 inches of barrel. The Trade Rifle has a proper 28 inch barrel but has a hooked butt plate rather than a recoil pad. If you are willing to buy used, I would look for a Thompson Center Renegade Hunter .. but probably add a recoil pad.

For Oregon, if you are going with a .50, I would go with a 1-48 or faster twist. There has been talk in recent years of regulation changes which would outlaw .50 cal patched round ball for elk so if you want to shoot elk, go with a .54 or bigger for round ball or a .50 twisted for conicals.

Pedersoli offers a hunter oriented Hawkens in a fast twist
https://www.davide-pedersoli.com/sc...onal-hawken-hunter-rifle-percussion.html

Cabelas used to sell a hunter type sidelock in a 1-48. They were made by InvestArms. Model 150 listed below.
http://www.investarm.com/eng-avancarica.html

Haven't seen a Pedersoli in the flesh in ages, but the Mortimer I had about 20 years ago was finely made and very accurate. After a bit of fiddling with the touchhole, ignition was fast and sure. I tear up just a bit when I think of what I paid for it, what I sold it for, and what they cost now. Taylor's and Co. is about 20 minutes away. I should go visit them when the Crud Panic is over.

Its hard to call that sucker a Hawkens by any stretch but if you want a brand new fast twist side lock its about as cheap as you will find. Personally a 1-24 is too fast for a 54cal but fine for 50cal. I wouldn't mind having one in 45. Some of the old Cabelas InvestArms models were also 1-24. I think it was only offered in the carbine model. Lyman's quality has really gone downhill in the last few years. They are also InvestArms based or at least that is who makes the barrels for them. On a side note both Oregon Barrel and Rice are making dropins for T/C Hawkens and Rennies. The Rice are really nice cut rifled barrels and made from 4140cm. They are around $400 and just need to be blued. Oregon Barrel dropins are $350 but no sights.