New to muzzle loading need advice

[wlf74]

Just wondering what would be a good rifle for a beginner? would like to buy now so ready for next season, thanks for the help.

[Wes Ellis]

There are many good muzzle loaders on there now ! I have a T/C Pro Hunter

and love it. I would go to a sporting goods store and pick up a few and see how it fits you!! My buddy has a CVA Acura and likes it and another buddy has a traditions' and likes it. My brother just got a T/C triumph and likes it.

I would get stainless or the weather shield ! Ask about cleaning, taking out the breach plug.

[TruthWalleyes]

Sky is the limit. Can spend as little as 100 (CVA Wolf) and as much as 2,000 (ULtimate Muzzleloader). I've owned two CVA guns and am very happy with their accuracy. If you buy now, you have plenty of time to make changes to the sights, even add a scope if you want to use your gun during shotgun season. Sight options are unlimited. Guns are very accurate if you practice and choose accurate sights.

I would suggest Barnes T-EZ bullets in 250grain. YOu'll need to make a choice between loading with pellets or loose powder. I have always used pellets, but will switch to loose powder next season.

Always clean your gun very well. Expect to spend $40 on cleaning supplies. Barrel Blaster works great. CVA makes a good grease for the breach plug. Patches, cleaning brushes, etc...all adds up.

Good luck on your search. Enjoy the smoke!

[maros91]

A good starter gun is the one I bought for my first one, the TC Impact. About $220. Don't matter what you spend always clean your gun!

[Gordie]

I would start with a CVA wolf and go from that point.

[MJ1657]

Sky is the limit. Can spend as little as 100 (CVA Wolf) and as much as 2,000 (ULtimate Muzzleloader). I've owned two CVA guns and am very happy with their accuracy. If you buy now, you have plenty of time to make changes to the sights, even add a scope if you want to use your gun during shotgun season. Sight options are unlimited. Guns are very accurate if you practice and choose accurate sights.

I would suggest Barnes T-EZ bullets in 250grain. YOu'll need to make a choice between loading with pellets or loose powder. I have always used pellets, but will switch to loose powder next season.

Always clean your gun very well. Expect to spend $40 on cleaning supplies. Barrel Blaster works great. CVA makes a good grease for the breach plug. Patches, cleaning brushes, etc...all adds up.

Good luck on your search. Enjoy the smoke!

Why you are switching to loose powder. I know nothing about it just curious.

[TruthWalleyes]

I'm doing whatever possible to make as precise and long range gun as possible. I'll get all new sights this year + scope with long range shooting in mind. Loose powder allows you to shoot whatever grains of powder works best for your gun and bullet to achieve the best balistics. Too much powder is not good, and too little isn't what i want either, i want to find the near 100% burn qty of powder which cannnot be done with pellets. Pellets your held to 100 or 150. I've also heard the powder burns cleaner, and i would expect a little better compression out of a packed loose powder load rather than a pellet load that has gaps and spaces between the barrel and powder.

[cavalierowner]

Why you are switching to loose powder. I know nothing about it just curious.

I can't speak for MJ, but I have always used loose powder because I can fine tune my charge depending on what projectile I'm shooting. For example, I use 80 gr for Powerbelts (I know, I know; but it works for me!!) and 90 gr for a patched roundball. It's all about finding out what your rifle likes for best accuracy.

[soultwist]

I also use loose powder, I found that placing measuring the charges into a clean empty plastic base 12 gs shell, then putting in a stiff 12ga wad, and a strip of electrical tape over the top makes an easy reloading option.

I have a powder funnel and cut off 45-70 brass case I use for pouring into the gun (45 cal barrel).

The empty shot shell works over the end of the ramrod to make it easier to push.

[Mr Special]

im no expert by any means and i only have one ML. i'll remedy that soon after xmas lol

its really does comes dwn to how much ya wanna spend, but you also dont have to get a 2nd loan on the house to have a great reliable accurate ML either

last yr i bought a CVA Optima

biggest pros why i choose it was

Quick removable breech plug, break action and stainless steel barrel and the price. had a sale at fleetfarm for around $220ish.

one slight dwnside,

TW, can back me up on this one

theyre sights are ok, not bad but not great. i'll be upgrading that as well.

i can still get 3bullets darn near touching at 50yrds

being a noob i went with pellets and the cva stater kit. after pricing things out the starter kit does save you sum cash.

i do plan to switch to loose powder next yr as well

which ever one u choose im sure u'll love it and welcome to the smokepole side of the world.

[Musky Buck]

10 4 what others have said, I shoot a 370 grain maxiball with loose powder once dialed in load wise it's simple really, you're basically shooting a single shot shotgun in a sense, I think the kick is minimal and accuracy is almost unbelievable from the folklore you hear about uncle festers musket. I shoot an old school kinda Thompson center .50 cal. and would love to musket hunt again but I've had a streak of rifle bucks recently so I'm tagless and haven't musket since 2009 when I shot the last muzzy buck in the state that year. All this muzzy talk has got me jacked up, been seeing tons of deer since rifle season in shooting light darn it anyway. Good luck with whatever you get, just get familiar as ever, read the manual, match the load to the load, maybe do what I've done I've carried a deer target to all 12 of my stands usually in the wintertime(decent weather of course) after muzzy anyway and once sighted in shoot from my stands and take note of how that all looks etc, bring my 30.06 too. just way more realistic than pounding away from a bench in controlled conditions, I do that first of course then the deer target, bring a buddy and it's kinda fun to do, then you knock out your shooting lanes brush wise and have several beers when you get home, 2 birds 1 stone.

[wlf74]

Thanks for all advice and hoping to buy this weekend

[92python]

I have a T/C Omega and like it. T/C Customer Service is very good though you probably won't need it. I would look at the T/C Impact. Do a search on T/C Impact review. Most reviews are very positive.

[cavalierowner]

One of the other things I like about loose powder is than I can load just 30 or 40 grains of powder and use it for plinking with a patched roundball at 25 yards to practice my breathing, trigger control, offhand shooting, etc. for a lot less cost. I don't really care where it's hitting on the paper, I'm just looking for grouping. I also use the very light loads when the kids want to shoot because there's almost no recoil; kids LOVE all the smoke and the Davey Crockett look!!

[MJ1657]

Thanks for all the responses guys. Great discussion I've learned a lot.

[Musky Buck]

Bit more on the muzz, 1 thing I've noticed with muzzy season deer sightings is they seem to be a lot more at ease meaning when you see deer they aren't like rut crazy where they're sneaking along quickly or nearly jogging or spooked from other rifle hunters etc. The deer I've seen are really calm, moving slowly, cautiously but slowly, it's different then how they are acting or moving along during rifle season in my experiences which is nice kinda. I also see because of temps most likely but much more browsing going on in the swamps/woods before they make their way to the field edges, I think to with colder temps they're always conserving energy likely why the slow pace and bucks aren't running around freaking them out etc., I see groups of deer that will allow a nice buck to be with them and in their presence without being all freaked out, now a yet aggressive buck they will shy away from for sure. Still many bucks are loners yet. Good luck, read the manual, practice with it, practice some from your stand with it especially if you're going to free hand shoot and wear what you'd wear so if it's thick gloves practice with them on, wear your jacket you'd wear some are thick, shouldering it etc. make it as close to the real thing as possible and you'd be a step ahead of most guys. My biggest adjustment muzzy vs rifle came with trigger pull, much longer on my Thompson center muzz, with those 3 bucks I got with a muzz that was the last reminder before I shot stay on the deer, take the recoil straight back not up, longer trigger pull, best part is no scope so no worries about that maybe getting you. For me it's cash in on that 1 chance, get him because I don't want to keep getting up at 5 or whatever to continue the hunt, in these temps, especially if I blew the chance, I'd rather sleep in some now, September goose hunt was a long time ago and that opner 6:13 I believe was legal light, then we get whacked with daylight savings and 6:37 was deer opener, I need some rest lol. Good luck.

[TruthWalleyes]

Quite the ramble MB.

[Wanderer]

FYI- when considering what you get for the money. If you plan to hunt hard or in cold temps, buy one that can take it.

I just did the typical end of season "unload" with my daughters Wolf and Ooops! Something broke.

I also noticed I put a little bend in the ramrod from last weekends reload.

[Mr Special]

oh wow sucks to hear. have u contacted CVA, i hear theyre customer service is pretty good

[Wanderer]

Not yet but probably will see if they'll do anything. At least a free part would be nice.

[TruthWalleyes]

Yep, my cheap plastic CVA front sight broke last saturday -14 (-30 wind chill).

Went to buy the same front sight just so i could hunt this last weekend before replacing the set with peep and ended up having to buy a whole new set of CVA sights just so i could hunt this past weekend. The new ones are Steel, so that's good that they quit putting plastic sights on.

[Gordie]

Bummer Wanderer,

Truth I did that several years ago and replaced them with Williams brand and I will replace all from now on with those style very, very thin front sight and it really helps draw the aim down for longer shots like you talking of before. Now just have to add the peep to it.

I'm building a break open style muzzy gun for next season have most of it done just have to carve a stock one of these days.

[TruthWalleyes]

I'll be making a trip your way this winter Gordie. Paint, sights and all. Been looking forward to it for a while too. I better save some pennies, my eyes are always bigger than my stomach when I'm mod'n something