Beginer Muzzleloader

[navyrower]

HI i am going to be getting a muzzleloader soon so i can extend my buck season. Do any of you have any recomendation on gun types and or caliber, please keep in mind that i am a leftie

[mainedeersniper]

Ok to start off. You more than likely want .50 cal, cause its more versitile that .45 and .54 and it is just more modernized. THere are also more gun selections in .50 cal. For a gun i have no idea want you would want. Definately a in-line (a lot easier to clean). You could go with a bolt action or a break-in-half.
Personaly i have a traditions in-line bolt action that i got brand new for $90 at a gun store. FOr sights you probably want a scope, well.... all depends on far you are shooting. IF it is 75 and over go with a scope if its under 75 i wouldn't bother. Mine is open sights and i got a nice 10pt. buck 193lbs. with it at about 10yd. gOod luck on search.......

[lovestohunt]

I would make sure your state allows scopes on muzzleloaders. In WI, you can have them on your smokepoles during regular gun season and use them, but then when muzzleloader season begins, you can only have a zero power or no scope at all. I would stay away from a bolt action unless it comes in a left handed design. A lot of todays inlines are a break-open design. I've owned three so far, the TC omega, the Winchester Apex 209, and the Remington Genesis. All have unique features and detriments. The Apex was really a CVA Kodiak I believe. My BIL just bought a traditions smokepole that has a break open design and is as accurate as anything out there. Just like all muzzleloaders, you will have to play around with your powder and bullet combination. With powders in pellet form, shooting is now made easy with the choices of Pyrodex, 777, and american pioneer powder. You have a wide range of bullets to choose from as well.

Whichever gun you decide to get, make sure you clean it immediately after you are done using it, stainless barrel or not. That was a big mistake of mine on my first gun. A complete cleaning is essential otherwise you will have a nice rust finish on your new purchase.

[.358 MAN]

HI i am going to be getting a muzzleloader soon so i can extend my buck season. Do any of you have any recomendation on gun types and or caliber, please keep in mind that i am a leftie
45 or 50 cal. will do. Make sure you use Powerbelt bullets. They are fullbore caliber unlike sabots....

[Tikka lover]

Break opens are great, you can't go wrong with an Encore. For me the Powerbelts never would group well, they were all over the place no matter the powder charge. I tried the Barnes TMZ, ya they are a snug fit but that's why they shoot so great. Shrunk my groups from easily 10 inches to 2 inches at 100 yards. My opinion the Powerbelts are to loose in the barrel. I have had an Optima Pro, wasn't to impressed with it and it weight about 2 ton. Right now I have a thumbhole Omega and it shoots great, don't know if that comes in a lefty version. For the money you really can't beat the Omega. Just today at a local shop they had one on sale for $295.00

[Rich M]

Ditto ont he .50.

Check your game laws first. Some don't allow scopes, or only allow 1x scopes. Some don't allow 209 primers. Some don't allow sabots.

I have a CVA Wolf - cheap and nice enough. It is a break open model - like a single shot shotgun. Easy to use, easy to clean.

[.358 MAN]

Break opens are great, you can't go wrong with an Encore. For me the Powerbelts never would group well, they were all over the place no matter the powder charge. I tried the Barnes TMZ, ya they are a snug fit but that's why they shoot so great. Shrunk my groups from easily 10 inches to 2 inches at 100 yards. My opinion the Powerbelts are to loose in the barrel. I have had an Optima Pro, wasn't to impressed with it and it weight about 2 ton. Right now I have a thumbhole Omega and it shoots great, don't know if that comes in a lefty version. For the money you really can't beat the Omega. Just today at a local shop they had one on sale for $295.00
Both my MZ loaders group excellent with powerbelt bullets..

[ColtWKnight]

Well if your not into the tradition of muzzleloader hunting the way they did back before the invention of metallic cartridges, then I would get a break open muzzle loader that uses shotgun primers. That way its easy to clean and the ignites the powder well.

There are lots of good options in all price ranges these days. I have an Optima, and its better than the first generation in lines, but not as good as the Omegas and Encores. It is fairly inexpensive and easy to clean though, plus mine shoots very nice groups.

You can get pyrodex pellets to make loading easier and you have a wide range of bullets to select from. I wouldn't worry to much about which bullet is best or better than another just get whats readily available and shoots well through your particular gun.

shooting modern muzzleloaders is pretty simple compared to the old days when you had to meticulously clean your gun everytime you took it out to the range, force patched balls and loose powder down the barrel, and worry about wether your primer caps would go off on a cold or humid day. I don't even want to get into what you had to go through if you accidently got a oily primer patch piece wedged into the primer cap hole. Bullet extraction sucked!!!

However the traditional stuff is fun and challenging.