Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Going to buy my first muzzleloader 50cal.

CVA rifles look nice and not too expensive.
What do you muzzleloaders like?

Last one I bought was a Kibler. Seems to be more than excellent. Haven't completed it as life's been in the way the last year.

Prior to that I owned a T/C and it was awesome but no longer made anymore - I don't think.

Son has a T/C and last year put together a Pedersoli flint lock. Good bit of kit.

Check out the Dixie Gun Works "Tennessee Mountain Rifle". (Union City Tennessee) It's a Miroku brand, made in Japan for DGW- - - -very high quality and custom made for Dixie. It was once available in either percussion ignition or flint. I like flinters, myself.

I have a T/C Hawken 50 I got in '78, I like it a lot!

When it comes to muzzleloaders I prefer the traditional . I've had both in-line and traditional . I've shot quite a few deer with a CVA Hawkin and passed it down to my son. In my opinion if you go with an in-line or break open and put a scope on it, you just as soon hunt with a regular rifle, but then again you know what they say about opinions

I built a Investarms Hawken kit, not super hard.

Thanks.
The traditional rifles are cool but i'm going to stick with a modern inline rifle.

I was gifted a tc triumph so that’s what I use and like. I have shot a few of the CVA’s and wouldn’t hesitate to go that direction either.

On the new market there aren’t many to choose from. The CVA Wolf is a decent entry level rifle. So is the Traditions Buckstalker. My choice unless TC reintroduces some of their older models would be a CVA Optima. Nice rifle at decent price.

These are the guns my older son and I use.



If you have an action,the T/C black powder barrels are readily available on the secondary market and relatively inexpensive.

Woodman arms 45 cal and don't look back, Made in New Hampshire.Low maintenance, light weight, absolute tack drivers, and if you call the company with a question usually it is the owner who answers the phone.

I built the 54 renegade from Thompson center back in the 80s t
It was cool,, every once in awhile I bring it out now dropping 130 grains of the FFG stuff a little wad toilet paper down on top of it hold it in .


level gun with your belt off to the side and yell get off my land and let her rip big old smoke Ring Good... times lots of loud

I have that rifle. Percussion. Built from a kit, from Dixie. Great rifle and I killed 4 deer and 2 hogs with it. Here it is hanging over my fireplace. It didn't come with a patch box, but I installed a patch box.

ChipsNdips, Barca lounger xl ;

honey, hand me another root beer!

If you can find a stainless Thompson Thunderhawk, you'll be doing good for an inline.


The twist is a little slow, so 300gr bullets don't do so well past ~ 100, but other than that, it's a honey!

Love how it's stainless and plastic. Very easy to take care of.

I've been on both ends of muzzle loader from primitive to modern. The primitive I must say was a lot more fun. There's always that shadow of doubt as to whether or not its going to go "Boom". Modern are probably going to be more consistent as well as accurate. Oklahoma primitive season is only 9 days so a high end rifle doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I use a T/C Omega Z7 50 cal. and it kills just fine and I've used it since they first came out. Probably was the cheapest MZ you could get back then. If I was looking at a new one, probably CVA, Traditions. I've had Remingtons and they don't impress me at all. Smokeless, maybe a used Savage. There's always customs but they are pricey. I've killed a truck load of deer with the Omega, 100 grains of 777 and a 250 grain T/C Shockwave bullet. I'm thinking about going "Old School" for the 2024 season and finding me an old caplock. Puts some fun back in it.

I’ve owned a TC Renegade, upgraded to a Knight MK 85 and just bought a new CVA Wolf this past season. I put a Burris Droptine 3-9x40 on it and I can say it’s the most accurate muzzleloader I’ve ever owned. In addition to accurate, it’s affordable, uses 209 primers and the breech plug removes easily which makes it so easy to clean.

This was the first shot at 240 yards just to see if the Burris ballistic reticle was correct.

I started out with a TC side hammer and moved to a knight inline. Both work as they should. If I ever jump again it will be smokeless.

TC omega’s are alright

If reliability and accuracy are more important than tradition, then an inline or break action is where you want to be. Depending on state regulations, modern primers and powders like Blackhorn 209 are awesome. Much more reliable, cleaner, and you can use modern solvents.

I have a TC ProHunter FX. Always goes off, no hang fires, and accurate with the aperture sight I bought for it.