Black powder Deer Rifle (help)

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Sgt. Rock

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I have killed deer with rifle, shotgun and both compound and crossbow and it is looking like I could be doing some hunting in a controlled deer area in the next few years where a black powder can be used. What should I get? 45, 50 cal, I can't really break the bank and I guess the only thing I want is to be able to put my 40mm red-dot on it. Help a Nut Out
Later
 
50 cal. You can pick these up for under $300 Lots of accessories available. You hit a deer with one of these. You can see daylight out the otherside. LOL. Just my 2 cents. Muzzle loading is a lot of fun. I put about 50 rds. through mine on wed.

Dave.
 
Get a .50 as mentioned.
use it for what ever else also. Lots of good ones out there. But IMHO get break action of some sort.What is a bolt good for on muzzleloader anyhow? More weight, more useless moving parts, gets in the way of cap removal, harder to clean, harder to unload via nipple/breech plug, did i say more useless moving parts.
They are not expensive if you shop around for different makes/models.
I really like my cva and didn't break the bank.
They all shoot good though and you can probably pick up a bolf action model for cheap now since the breaks and the rolling blocks are the latest and greatest.
Just my opinon.
 
I bought a NEF Huntsman, nickel plated for $279 at SIR, $4.00 for the weaver base and mounted a red-dot on it. Shoots great :) powder, bullets, cleaners, etc. were around $100 for everything. Cheap investment and it gets me another week of hunting:D , and I still have 3 tags to fill.
 
If you are looking to hunt and are not worried about being a purist buy any good inline. I have personally used about a dozen different types. The easiest to deal with and accurate as well would be the new savage smokless powder muzzle loaders. Super easy to shoot and maintain. If you must use black powder go to any of the Knight products. In terms of quality BP guns are like everything else, you get what pay for. I've hunted BP for 20 years now and I use a Knight disc and love it.

I've stopped using cheap BP guns for a good reason. They are fine new but accuracy and everything else seems to go south rather quickly. Between myself and two other friends we have taken an average of two deer each for the last 20 years with BP. There is a fair bit of knowledge to draw from. You don't need to spend a fortune but if want to do this long term spend a bit of money and I highly reccomend to buy new. BP guns need a lot of TLC and you just can't be all that sure that a previous owner took care of the gun.
 
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be traditional please modern inlines...........no thanks.
as to calibre 45 is minimum , 50 is most common. bigger calibre is ok up to you. flintlock or percussion but percussion is much more weather resistant.
shots should be under 100 yds, an practise x lots you get 1 shot.
my 10 cents good hunting
 
I have great respect for the traditional approach. However, if the reason for the endeavour is to hunt and be successful inlines have a distinctive advantage. I went hunting with a fellow with a beautiful flintlock that would hit milk jugs at 100 yds all day at the range. The weather was a bit cold and snowy. Lets just say my gun went boom when it had to and his did not.

There may have been other factors at play that day but I can only draw conclusions from first hand experience. By the way I would still love to have his gun as it is a piece of art.

Choose you preference and enjoy the sport.
 
huntman said:
Get a .50 as mentioned.
use it for what ever else also. Lots of good ones out there. But IMHO get break action of some sort.What is a bolt good for on muzzleloader anyhow? More weight, more useless moving parts, gets in the way of cap removal, harder to clean, harder to unload via nipple/breech plug, did i say more useless moving parts.
They are not expensive if you shop around for different makes/models.
I really like my cva and didn't break the bank.
They all shoot good though and you can probably pick up a bolf action model for cheap now since the breaks and the rolling blocks are the latest and greatest.
Just my opinon.
Click to expand...

Definately break action. I've owned 3 M/L's currently have a CVA wolf and a CVA optima. I use 777 powder. Clean up is painless. The barrels come off in 30 seconds. The CVA wolf for the $$$ can't be beat! IMHO I had a Gonic inline too! Dumdawg now owns. A little more hassle to clean. But by far the best of the 3 M/l's I've owned. Very accurate.

Dave.
 
.50 cal for sure

Hi,

I would also go for .50cal over .45cal. This year, I shot a nice doe for the first time with BP and it was wicked, I just love it :D .

As for the gun, I didn't want to spend a lot so I bought a cheap Tradition inline ML for $149 at S.I.R. and 2 of my buddys bought the break action, one Wolf and the other one is a high end SSML he paid around $600 for and another one bought a bolt.

They all shoot very good with no distinguisable difference in accuracy in between the 4 :cool: . We tried sabots, rnd balls and are all very pleased with the results within 100yds. The advantage is when cleaning them and goes for the break action for which removing the breach plug is super fast and easy compare to the bolt and the inline models which are not that bad either, you learn to relax when shooting bp ;) .

For range shooting, I use a patch with bore butter between each shot and can shoot easily 20rnd before I need to clean it but you need to clean them after every shooting session, otherwise, they tend to rust rreally fast. I use Tripple 7 powder in loose form and my buddies use the pellets, I find easier to adjust a load with the first.

Good luck
 
I personally don't like the in-lines. But to each his/her own.

I used a T/C Hawken in .50 with a 410gr Buffalo Bullet for hunting. It was effective and very satisfying. The only thing I tried that was not traditional was Pyrodex (powder, not pellets). That sure made clean up easier. However, I still stayed with FFg for hunting. Nostalgia. it is a funny thing!
 
1899 said:
I personally don't like the in-lines. But to each his/her own.

I used a T/C Hawken in .50 with a 410gr Buffalo Bullet for hunting. It was effective and very satisfying. The only thing I tried that was not traditional was Pyrodex (powder, not pellets). That sure made clean up easier. However, I still stayed with FFg for hunting. Nostalgia. it is a funny thing!
Click to expand...

You're right, the inline is the worst one to clean in between them all, and the safety mechanisme is poor on them but for the amount of $$ invested to try it, was not bad at all.

Now, I am thinking to go with a more traditional look like your Hawken or even a flint :cool: , it's really easy to get hooked on black powder shooting :D .
 
yes as mentioned there is something to be said for the "old" ball and patch.
i still use mine when i hunt bymyself, but when i have company with an inline i may as well bring my camera. I have lost out on several HUGE bucks because of that old gun but i still have the memories and stories, just no horns or pictures. But that's why it is called hunting.
And cleaning as also mentioned, is VERY important so new is always better incase the previous guy didn't diligently clean it after every shoot.
Hard to inspect the old barrels if the breech plug doesn't come out, like most they are seized or non removable.
Have fun
 
Get a .50 cal inline for putting venison in the freezer.... the traditional ball and patch is fine if you have a Davey Crockett fantasy. I hung up my Hawken flash pan rifle a long time ago.
 
All this talk about one being better than the other, is like comparing apples to oranges. They both get the job done if the hunter does his part. I use a cap lock with patch and ball, and hunt with others that use modern inlines. I get my Deer the same as the others, and have even got Deer that they couldn't get because of a miss fire on their part [they didn't clean it proper]. I have shot in competition against inlines and have beaten them many times, and this year I didn't win, but another traditional rifle did. The inlines are be better in some respects, but it all comes back to the fellow that is behind the rifle.
 
Well I have shot and hunted with both for many many years as well and I can tell you unequivicably that in-lines are....
Far less prone to misfires.
Have much faster lock time.
Are much more accurate.
Reload much easier and faster.
Are lighter to carry.
Have much better sights/optics.
Are much easier to clean and maintain.
Will shoot modern bullets that kill farther and more effectively than traditional Muzzle Loaders.
:confused:

And I'll shoot for accuracy, distance and time against any traditional Muzzle loader... or in-line for that matter.:runaway:;)
 
To each his own. I started shooting a .45 Investarms Hawken about 17 years ago. I now have a Lyman Deerstalker and have never missed a season. Hunted in the rain, and snow and I have only had one time that my rifle would not fire. All muzzleloaders will missfire if they are not looked after properly, I have seen first hand a Stainless Knight with a shotgun primer that would not fire. It took several primers to get it to go off. The modern muzzleloaders are by far simpler to use, and that is why they are so popular, but they still need to be handled properly. The fellow behind the rifle is far more important than the type rifle. Use what ever you like best.
 
beretta boy said:
Do the BP "traditionalists" wear buckskin... or Gore-Tex ????
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I can wear iether, it is not so much about the get -up as the rifles for me.
I have however, been known to get into the bush with wool, cotton, and leather.
I have owned both Penn. and hawken flintlocks, but prefer the Hawken caplock,that's my prefered rifle, .58 with a patched round ball.
Cat
 
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