New to Muzzle Loaders any Help

[boatbuilder]

I have been hunting for about ten years and with work I am finding I don’t get to go as much as I want to. I am thinking about getting a Muzzle Loader to extend my deer season. I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions on what type of gun to buy and what kind of things I should be looking for in a Muzzle Loader. I and be looking for the latest and greatest for the best bang for the dollar.

[mshm99]

Welcome. I'm very opinionated on this. Buy a Savage MLII. Best buy on the market for what you get.( the savage uses smokeless powder)I've hunted with muzzle loaders since 1982 and was never satisfied with any of them until I bought the Savage in 2002.

That said things to look for:
Sealed breach. You don't want to have to clean up the mess that those blow back gases cause on the breach end.
209 ignition.
At least a 1 in 28" twist.
Use buck horn 209 powder.
Don't go cheap on the scope
Stay with quality 250 gr bullets and a good tight sabot. Power belts are junk and don't penetrateon game . There are others as bad.

T/C is a good second choice .

Just my opinion.

mshm

[Swede]

Totally agree with mshm. I have been hunting with muzzle loader for 4 decades.

For the price you just can not beat a Savage 10ML-II.

Good Luck

Swede

[whyohe]

check out your loacal laws also. some states do not allow smokeless or saboted bullets. i love my savage and have shot T-7 out of it for years before going smokeless.

[wildman]

''savage 10 ml is like a good woman, you're gonna love it.''

[boatbuilder]

Thanks for the info i will check it out

[art338wm]

Boatbuilder, A wise man said long ago:
"Might as well start out with what your going to wind up with in the end"

mshm99 made some excellent points about why the 10ML-II is one of, if not the best values of any [glow=red,2,300]production [/glow]muzzleloader you can buy at present. Let me first say I am by no means to be considered an authority on the 10ML-II. I have owned mine for over two years now and have about 400 shots fired out of it. But I have owned a Encore and have fired it over 2000 times, and consequently, along the way I learned a few things about in lines. I personally feel the 10ML-II FOR THE MONEY is without a doubt the best made most versatile muzzleloader you can buy.

If you wish for a more technical, detailed and in depth explanation of just how well the 10ML-II is made in comparison to all other production in lines go to Mr. Randy Wakemans website and look around until you find the link that explains why from a mechanical stand point the 10ML-II is the strongest ML designed production ML made to the highest standards in the ML industry today. Wakeman also gos on to brake down the cost of shoting a 10ML-II using smokeless compared to a normal in-line using a BP/Sub like 777. The 10ML-II shooting book loads is significantly cheaper.

One other advantage I would like to add the 10ML-II enjoys that no other production ML using BP or BP/Subs will EVER match is velocity. You can if you wish with the 10ML-II easily push a 250grn bullet to over 2400fps with reasonable recoil and a 300 grain bullet to2350-2400fps, but you will have to deal with some recoil. As I said, you will be well served to spend some time at Randy Wakeman's website as it will give you a good feel for the advantages a 10ML-II has over all other production MLs.

Hope this was helpful,
Arthur.

[Semisane]

Hey Boatbuilder, since you're new to muzzle loaders you should consider that there's another side to the coin.

Yes, the Savage is a mighty fine gun. But there are a lot of good muzzle loaders out there that will do the job. Several of the current Thompson Center models are excellent. CVA Accura owners seem to love their guns just as much as do Savage owners and are getting amazing accuracy. Even the very inexpensive CVA Wolf has a good reputation for simplicity, accuracy, and durability.

What are your real needs and your hunting situation? Is the gun going to be used one or two week ends a year at best? Do you really shoot 200 yards, or do you hunt areas more typical to most deer hunting situations where shots are 100 yards or less? You may not need a Mercedes if a Ford will get you there just as well.

When I hunt my stand that offers a 175 yard shot (max) I use my Lyman Mustang in-line and am confident with it at that range. When I hunt in the woods or other stands over small food plots where the shots will be 100 yards or less, I often use one of my old sidehammers - a TC Renegade or New Englander, or even a Great Plains flintlock. Sometimes there's more enjoyment to be found in the limitations of those more traditional guns.

If your objective is to hunt with a gun that is the closest possible thing to a cartridge rifle, the Savage is the way to go.

If you're going to sight it in one time, then take it out of the closet one or two days a year for a hunt, get yourself something like a Wolf.

[wilmsmeyer]

Everyone here has given great advise and things to consider.

Latest and greatest you say? Smokeless muzzleloader. Not much change in even the priciest smokey ML's.

Someone who hunts 1 or 2 weekends may be better served with a gun requiring little maintenance. (Savage)

A gun capable of MPBR of 150 yds. (Just about anything)

A gun capable of using any propellant (Savage)

A gun that costs verry little to get into yet gets the job done (not a Savage - many adequate inlines will run under $200)

Up to you. If you use optics, you may spend more then the gun costs. Can't skimp here.

One of your main reasons for doing this is a lack of time. Will extending your season also extend your time to experiment and get very familiar with whichever gun you choose? Any ML requires some TLC in the cleaning dept, load developement dept and just plain getting used to loading something from the other end.

[mshm99]

All good points. I'll only add this:
No one was ever sorry they bought the best.
Nuff sed.

mshm

[Semisane]

No one was ever sorry they bought the best.

True. But the best is a custom made flintlock at about $2,500.