smoke pole question

[MooseTrack]

I am considering the purchase of the Thompson/Center Triumph Weather Shield™ .50 Caliber Rifle with Starter Kit - Realtree® AP HD™ and was wondering if anyone has any eaperience with this rifle. Suggstions and reccomendatios. Also, is the starter kit good enough to "get started" or should I buy additional stuff seperatly. It includes the following: 20 Shockwave 250-grain sabots, composite T- handle short starter/ramrod extension, Super Jag with spire-point bullet tip, three speedloaders, 209 capper/ decapper, bronze cleaning brush, 4-oz. bottle of Cabela's Black-Powder Solvent, 1/2-oz. tube of Superlube and 25 cleaning patches. Thanks in advance.

[vister]

kits are a good way for starters to get going. however, like rifle bullets, sabots for muzzleloaders fly differently from brand to brand. and when you only get a few shots each session before you SHOULD clean it, make sure the sabots you want are the ones you start with. as far as the short starter, i've never used one, the same with the capper/decapper. so kits do come with about everything to get going, although some of it is stuff i have never used. speed loaders are a must have, at least for myself. oops.

also, you can't go wrong with a CVA optima pro. many camo selections, and weather resistent options as well. a lot cheaper than a TC. I personnally have a CVA optima pro in camo with black matte barrel. very accurate and i like how it feels shouldered up.

the only difference with optima and optima pro, is the pro has a longer fluted barrel, and can handle mag loads of 150 grains of powder.

just make sure to fire a primer or two after cleaning the gun to blast out debris or dry the oils left behind in the flash hole.

the nice thing about optimas is that they completely disassemble for easy cleaning, by removing one screw

[TrophyEyes]

I would definately think that is a good purchase. Go T/C all the way.

[MooseTrack]

thanks for the imput. anyone have a favorite sabot?

[Gus]

You are buying a very nice gun. Personally, I would skip the starter kit and pick out our own accessories. If you want, look at the kit and then compare what comes in the kit to the other available tools etc. I found that once I knew what I needed to get, and what to use it for, I was able to pick out better accessories for myself than came in the kit. A knowledgeable sales person who knows muzzle loading can be invaluable at helping with this.

[MooseTrack]

Thanks Gus for your advice. Unfortunatly, I already pushed the purchased button and I am now waiting for delivery. I grew up in PA hunting with a flintlock, so this will be an interesting change into the in-line world of smoke poles. Looking forward to it!. Thanks again.