New Muzzleloader -- Opinions

[CAS_HNTR]

Looking for some thoughts on muzzleloaders I can buy today.......I have a nice TC Black Diamond but the thing sucks to clean and shoot with the scope on it, so I need to find something that I can put a scope on and clean/use more easily.

Looking around and it looks like TC is making nearly as many as they used to and the only one that really interests me in the Impact. I have always been leery of CVA, but their Optima and Accura series get good reviews.

One other point it that I really a bowhunter, but do get the smoke pole out for a couple days a year.....so I don't need a 1200 muzzleloader!

Any thoughts?

 

[yoderjac]

I got a TC Pro Hunter XT 28" SST/Flextech Black with speebreech a couple years ago. It is very easy to clean and shoot compared to my older Omega. It has a large side thumb bar on the hammer. I believe you can move it to left or right handed. It make shooting with a scope a breeze. The breach plug comes out with no tools, just a quarter turn. This makes cleaning much easier.

All the issues I had with the Omega were fixed with this. You can also interchange the barrel for other uses.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Peplin Creek]

Traditions vortex. That muzzleloader looks super sweet. I too shoot a black diamond. Hate how it cleans.

 

[bjseiler]

Remington 700. Weighs a ton but almost no kick. Can shoot 4 pellets though I’ve only ever shot 3.

 

[jwill1776]

I’m partial to the CVA Accura but whatever you get I’d highly recommend shooting Blackhorn 209 powder, incredibility clean to shoot, higher FPS, and the closest thing you’ll get to shooting smokeless powder.

 

[Dukslayr]

I bought a CVA Accura a few years ago. I just shot my first deer with it this year (normally bow hunt late) just for the heck of it. I’ve shot it a bunch and really enjoy it. It’s pretty straightforward to clean by just unscrewing the breech plug. It feels very well balanced in my hands. I haven’t owned any others so I have nothing to compare it to, but I’ve beeb very happy with it.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I have a TC Omega, that often gets a bad wrap, but which I love. If I was to buy another muzzleloader I'd go for the TC Strike in walnut. Just a beautiful looking, striker fired, rifle for under $500.

 

[Kooch]

I've got an Omega also. It was great when scopes were illegal. Now with scopes legal it's a pain. Can't put a hammer spur on it, with low rings it's hard to cock. With higher rings, it's hard to shoot. I'll probably go back to the peep sight on this and just buy another. Probably a CVA. I've shot a buddy's. It's a shooter.

My eyes took a crap a few years ago and I can't hardly shoot without a scope, even with a peep sight.

 

[yoderjac]

I have a TC Omega, that often gets a bad wrap, but which I love. If I was to buy another muzzleloader I'd go for the TC Strike in walnut. Just a beautiful looking, striker fired, rifle for under $500.

I'm not sure if it was the Omega design or just my gun, but it is much more finicky then my Pro Hunter. With 3 50 grain pellets it would spray. With 2 50 grain pellets it was better. With 1 50 grain and 1 30 grain, the groups were much tighter. I did not find any big difference in group size with my pro hunter with any of the pellet combinations I tried. I know that most guys worried about high accuracy use loose powder so they can fine tune, but I find the pellets much more practical for hunting purposes, however, they do have unique risks.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Kooch]

My Omega shoots great. I use 90gr BH209 with a 240gr Hornady XTP in a harvester crush rib sabot. I have no complaints with the accuracy, a couple inches at 100 yards from a good rest. It's the other stuff. I lust for a quick release breech plug, among other things.

 

[CAS_HNTR]

I would like to have an Omega.....my dad has one and likes it a bunch..... unfortunately they quit making them! Who knows why.

 

[yoderjac]

My Omega shoots great. I use 90gr BH209 with a 240gr Hornady XTP in a harvester crush rib sabot. I have no complaints with the accuracy, a couple inches at 100 yards from a good rest. It's the other stuff. I lust for a quick release breech plug, among other things.

Yep, it is probably my individual gun. It is interesting how even one copy of a shotgun can pattern much better with one load than another copy of the same model. I'm not attributing the issue to the Omega model in general. Just noting that I did not have that same sensitivity to load with my Pro Hunter. My omega is about as accurate as yours if I feed it a load it likes.

I would like to have an Omega.....my dad has one and likes it a bunch..... unfortunately they quit making them! Who knows why.

My guess is that the market is demanding easier operation as the OP noted. They probably require a certain market demand for it to be practical to keep a model in production. Back when the Omega came out, there were not a host of options that were better. Today the standard for easy of operation has risen.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Islandguy]

It wil come down to personal preference. I have TC's, Knights and CVA inlines, all are good shooters, with the correct load. Break actions with quick release breech plugs are the simplest when it comes to cleaning. Find one that fits you. Shoot a friends if you can. I've converted all my inlines to shoot BH209.

 

[Peeps]

I have the TC Impact. With the BH 209 it’s a tack driver and cleans in a breeze.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

My guess is that the market is demanding easier operation as the OP noted. They probably require a certain market demand for it to be practical to keep a model in production. Back when the Omega came out, there were not a host of options that were better. Today the standard for easy of operation has risen.

Thanks,

Jack

I think you're right Jack.

I do agree with Kooch....it can be tricky to cock the hammer with a low mounted scope and especially if you have heavy gloves on. But besides that, with two 50 grain pellets and a Barns Spitfire sabot my .50 cal shoots 1" groups all day long out to 150 yards, and in New England all you'll ever really get is a 75 yard shot or so.

 

[H20fwler]

I’ve got a couple 50 cal muzzle loaders.

My first is an Italian made Hawken that is just a well balanced beautiful rifle but finicky to shoot. I’ve had it for around thirty years.
I hate the little primers caps and the rifle has let me down when I really needed it a few times. It is also a dirty mess to clean correctly. Still it’s fun to shoot and pretty accurate to 100 yds, my daughter loves the look of it and wants to use it as a wall hang so it will probably be going to her house to live.

The muzzle loader I normally use if I still have a tag that late in the season is a TC Omega I’ve had it for around fifteen years it’s OK but I’m not in love with it. It has a peep sight and shoots the 209 primers, I use two pellets of White Hot with a PowerBelt in it. It is a decent shooter to 150 yds I’ve killed a few deer with it but missed a good buck in light brush this year with it. The breech plug can be stiff to remove for cleaning still kind of dirty to clean but nothing like the Hawken.
Couple of guys I work with have the TC Encore and love them.

 

[Badger22]

Been thinking about a CVA Accura myself and it has a good name. Good to hear others recommending it.

 

[Booner21]

If your state allows it you are selling yourself short by not checking into a smokeless.

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[yoderjac]

If your state allows it you are selling yourself short by not checking into a smokeless.

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I will say that I've lost more than one deer because the smoke cloud occluded the direction it ran and I found no blood trail.

 

[Booner21]

If your state allows it you are selling yourself short by not checking into a smokeless.

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I will say that I've lost more than one deer because the smoke cloud occluded the direction it ran and I found no blood trail.

Not to mention minimal cleaning and a pretty substantial increase in muzzle velocity.

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