Muzzle loader

b116757

b116757

5 year old buck +
I’m tossing around buying a muzzle loader any suggestions in Kansas it has to be loose powder no pellets and iron sights only no optics. I do not own or have really fooled with muzzle loaders at all from the brief bit of looking I’ve done so far I was thinking CVA Optima maybe. It’s about a 40 yard shot at my blind most of the time so I’m not needing to try push the distance with a muzzle loader just would like to take advantage of the addition hunting season.
 
CVA Optima is fine, though you might struggle to find one with open sights.

At 40 yards, just about any modern muzzleloader should work. If it were me, I'd get the cheapest I could find. You can get a CVA Wolf for under $250 before tax. Then you can upgrade later if you really want to, and save the Wolf as a loaner for guests.

I bought a Knight budget model (Wolverine maybe?) several years ago for $160 out the door. It does everything I need, and I'll probably never upgrade.
 
For a basic open iron sight gun- a break action inline is ideal. Cva models are a good pick.

If youll use it elsewhere, and can add optics and range...... you could do the same in a modified smokeless powder iteration
 
I’m not really into muzzle loading just want to be able to let the kids sit during that season.
 
I have a CVA optima. It works good, but due to the shorter barrel its on the light side and kicks. I haven't put lead in the stock yet. Using lighter bullets like harverster 44 mag sabots at 240gr heads, you should be ok. Harvester makes a 40 cal sabot too, I have them in 180gr and are not bad either. Never shot a deer with the 180's yet. hornady XTP work just fine with 100gr loads.

Any modern muzzleloader will treat you ok. Keep in mind most blackpowder substitutes are still corrosive to some extent. Clean well after using, wipe the exterior down with some windex and what you can get to inside the action too. Get what powder you can find. Triple 7 or pyrodex is fine. Any 209 primer works fine too. No need for special muzzleloader ones. I use 80 grains of real blackpowder. IT is the same load for my 54 cal flintlock. I only carry the modern one when it rains. This way my spare loads are weighed the same for either gun.

Fiber optic sights are a love / hate thing. Sometimes you get a starry glow around the front sight and get confused a bit where to line up well. The sights are kind of big, so sometimes it can give you shooting low errors. Best to practice with a deer sized object. Make a cutout of a deer broadside and shoot that. 50 yards your just fine with fiber optic limitations.

Bullet drop 40 yards, no issues there. Going past 100-125 they dive like a slug does.
 
Have an Optima break over, and an older Thompson Omega. Both are very accurate out to 100yds. Optima is easier to load and clean. Like bigboreblr said, any modern smokepole will do the trick at 40 yds, and it doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. New ones work in the rain. Old ones like flintlocks and percussion cap models are unreliable and dangerous due to misfires/delay fires even in high humidity.
Don't know about other states, but Ok muzzleloader season usually runs the last week of October, into the first week of Nov, before rifle season.
Muzzleloader season is my favorite. First boom in the woods before the rifle war starts, and only one shot is what you get to work with.
Only drawback is not seeing the deer reaction at impact, due to the smoke, so one needs to pay good attention after the shot!
 
Are you able to use belted bullets or saboted bullets in KS? You can pry much more than 40 yards out of loose powder if you can use the right projectile.
 
Sabots over 40 cal ok. Seems like scopes might be legal too. Old timers might call it cheatin'

Legal Equipment

The official website of the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks
ksoutdoors.gov ksoutdoors.gov
 
Looks like KS has some funny regs that allow sabots and scopes but you can’t use a gol darn copper jacketed bullet?
 
Wind Gypsy said:
Looks like KS has some funny regs that allow sabots and scopes but you can’t use a gol darn copper jacketed bullet?
Click to expand...

Giant bucks hate copper. We only have good bucks because of that rule…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I just read the Kansas regs and didn’t see anything about sights I thought I had read that only open sights where legal but after reading the regs again it looks like scopes are fine.
 
If I buy one I’ll likely go with a stainless model because of the corrosive nature of black powder.
 
b116757 said:
If I buy one I’ll likely go with a stainless model because of the corrosive nature of black powder.
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Black powder (pyrodex) will pit even a stainless steel barrel if you don’t clean it right away. Ask me how I know😔.
 
b116757 said:
If I buy one I’ll likely go with a stainless model because of the corrosive nature of black powder.
Click to expand...
We have blued and stainless CVA, wolf and others..... stainless with MLs is the equivalent of scent killing sprays with deer...... Theres no replacement for a thorough cleaning and many parts on a stainless ML are not SS...

The face of the action, trigger group, hinge pin, and others will rust in no time. Breach plugs are a thing of their own. Stainless will also corrode quickly
 
I keep thinking I'll get a ML but just never have the motivation. I had no clue it had to be loose powder here. I've seen plenty of friends's ML and pellets seem to be common. I know one guy who is very comfortable shooting his at 350yds. It's custom and damn accurate, even out past what I'd shoot my .308.
 
Join modernmuzzleloader.com for good info. Always good deals in the classifieds on used muzzleloaders as well.

I picked up a gently used Knight Original Disc .45 several years ago for $300 off that site from a trusted seller. Great bolt action muzzleloader that shoots sub MOA using Blackhorn 209. I now have two of the Knight Disc one stainless and one nitride.
 
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b116757 said:
If I buy one I’ll likely go with a stainless model because of the corrosive nature of black powder.
Click to expand...
It looks like there is no restriction on smokeless powder but i've never heard of folks using sabots or conicals with smokeless, maybe that is a thing? Most off the shelf MLs aren't designed for smokeless either. I'd look for an ignition system known to work well with blackhorn 209 which should be less corrosive than black powder if you're not going to pony up for a smokeless capable rifle. I'd probably look at the CVAs.

I have a TC encore with an aftermarket 45 cal smokeless barrel that uses Large Rifle Magnum primers. Nice to be able to use h4198 and avoid the corrosion of black powder and the centerfire primers are apparently much more reliable and less fussy than the 209 primers. I have a NV muley muzzleloader tag this year and cant use smokeless powder but can use blackhorn 209.
 
Wind Gypsy said:
It looks like there is no restriction on smokeless powder but i've never heard of folks using sabots or conicals with smokeless, maybe that is a thing? Most off the shelf MLs aren't designed for smokeless either. I'd look for an ignition system known to work well with blackhorn 209 which should be less corrosive than black powder if you're not going to pony up for a smokeless capable rifle. I'd probably look at the CVAs.

I have a TC encore with an aftermarket 45 cal smokeless barrel that uses Large Rifle Magnum primers. Nice to be able to use h4198 and avoid the corrosion of black powder and the centerfire primers are apparently much more reliable and less fussy than the 209 primers. I have a NV muley muzzleloader tag this year and cant use smokeless powder but can use blackhorn 209.
Click to expand...
I have a smokeless TC Encore .45 as well. Barrel came from Arrowhead and it is an absolute shooter! I size all my bullets and shoot bullet to bore. It is one of my favorite rifles.

209 primers are very dirty which is why I went with large rifle magnum primers.
 
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