Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Thoughts on which muzzleloader to purchase.

No argument with that. I sure enjoyed toting my musket around for a couple of days this month. We have from late September until the middle of January to chase ‘em with something, or something else. No tags to draw either. Since I like to eat them as well, I use pretty much everything permitted, in season. Once I make some meat, I get a little more “sportin’ “.

Still using my LK93 with a peep sight. If I were going new it’d be a Knight Ultralite. That thing is nice.

I have 4 muzzloaders. A TC Encore, another inline TC Impact, a 50 cal. TC Hawken and a 54 cal. TC Renegade. Since I bought my TC Hawken, I have not shot my inlines. I also went and bought a new in box TC Renegade 54 cal. I make my own roundballs and patches. I might buy the new #11 cap maker . Then , I might even make my own black powder . I enjoy that stuff. If you are looking for something a little different, those traditional muzzies are fun.

I got rid of my inline soon after I bought my T/C Hawken. The Hawken is much more fun to shoot and hunt with. Patched round balls and real black powder all the way. The inline was just a modern, slow to load single shot rifle and I won't be getting another.

Pretty much how I feel. The only inline that ever got my interest was the one Ruger made for a while. Not sure why that one piqued my curiosity. Instead I hunt with a worn out TC Seneca .45 cal that doesn't like warm loads, 65 grains of 2F and a PRB or 70 grains of 2F and a home-cast, SPG-lubed 245 grain conical. With the conical, it's the slowest loading single shot .44 magnum rifle on the block. But silly amounts of fun.

Tom

I can’t see anything out there that can improve my tc triumph. Shooting blackhorn and rio primers it’s burning as clean as anything on the market. If you like that stupid stock on the encore then go with it. Really any of the break open guns are hard to beat, easy to clean, accurate and they are not that expensive.

And yes , I still shoot the 295 powerbelt hollow point with a .177 air rifle pellet shoved in the hp to keep it from fragmenting.

Take a look at the Knight website. They have the Vision inline for $199.

I had an encore. Hated it. Bought an old mk-85 and love it. 460gr no excuse conical over 90gr is a hammer.

That said i still love my sidelocks. Have a TC big boar, greyhawk, treehawk and new englander 12 ga. Easier to clean to me than inlines.

Are we talking about a Traditional, or a Centerfire look alike, loaded with black powder. Big difference? I have hunted both, killed game with the traditional, sold the other one several years ago. I like the feel and look of the traditional.

I bought the encore and picked up a 223 barrel for it as well. Also picked up a Savage ML II. I can't hunt with smokeless powder in AZ, I'm not sure how much of an advantage the Savage will be.

Neither go old school get a flintlock.

If you ever get a chance try out a White Rifles Super 91. They do excellent with the No Excuses conicals. They are easy to load and accurate as hell

I’m a Knight fan and have been for a while. They shoot the 250g Barnes bullets into an inch or so with 3 pellets. I’ve never had a proble with the 3 I’ve owned.

Absolutely spot on.

It is interesting to note that when states originally created muzzleloader hunting seasons, they stipulated that the rifles used had to be traditional side-locks using iron sights, and that they must be used with patched round ball ammunition and black powder only. Since these seasons were designated as for primitive weapons, it was only common sense.

Of course, that soon gave way to the first non-traditional in-line muzzle-loaders such as those based on the Harrington and Richardson break-open single barrel shotgun.
Then, of course, patched round balls gave way to TC maxi-balls and such, and then scopes began to be allowed as well.

Finally, the floodgates opened and the only requirement that remained was that the rifle be loaded from the muzzle. Modern saboted JSP projectiles and BP substitutes rule the day now, and the rifles are entirely modern. The so-called primitive weapons season just became a second-chance season to harvest more game.

They ruined a sport by their eagerness to build tag sales and revenue until the original intent was lost.

Sorry, but I don’t see how anything was ruined. Even in states where the most advanced types are allowed, peole are free to use what they prefer, and hunt the way they like. Only downside might be that there are more people in the woods, but I don’t see that here, and that’s easily solved by the use of a little extra shoe-leather. ML tags here are included with the Sportsmans license, which most buy because it’s a good deal.

I hunted with a TC Hawken during the Maryland shotgun season 40+ years ago and never felt at a disadvantage.

Bingo.We have a winner.

I started with a TC 50 Cal. Hawkin back in the 70's. I would still be using it if wasn't so heavy.I now hunt with a TC Impact

Randy Wakeman said the encore is the Mercedes of the muzzleloader world.

Have several a 45,( 2 )50's and a 54. 1 of my 50's was a kit gun and is browned with traditional sights the other is newer and has T/C fiber optics which are damn nice in low light. Like T/C Hawken and other t/c sidehammers. Mb

i just ordered a new TC Pro HUNTER 50