I am a bow hunter through and through but this year i have decided to get a gun so that i can enjoy hunting with friends and family that only gun hunt. I know absolutely nothing about guns at all. Here in Ohio i have the option of black powder or shotgun. Which should i go for? What are the pros and cons of each also what is the cost comparison?
For economy reasons a H+R SS with a rifled barrel in 20ga or 12 ga will work fine.Not sure what your State laws are reguarding muzzleloaders best check before investing in something you can't use...................Harold
If I was going to limit myself to one gun I would have to go with the muzzleloader.We have a 2 week shotgun season in November during which we can use the muzzleloaders,then we have a muzzleloader season only the first week of December.
If you seriously have zero firearms... I would pick up a Rem 870 combo... it comes with two barrels... one smooth the other rifled with rifled sights... that way if you deside to shoot some skeet or hunt small game or birds you have the option with the smooth bore... and use the rifled with rifled sights and sabot slugs for deer hunting.
__________________ You get what you put in, and people get what they deserve. - Kid Rock
I live & hunt in Ohio and I would highly recommend getting a muzzleloader. I hunted with a shotgun for years, bought a ML several years ago and haven't touched my shotgun for deer hunting since then. Here are the pros of a ML over a shotgun for deer hunting in Ohio:
1. 2 seasons instead of 1 - and I've found that there are far less hunters in the woods during the late ML season.
2. Longer range - good quality ML's with the right load can shoot out to 200+ yards. Shotguns, even with rifled barrels usually max out at about 120 - 150 yards.
3. A lot more fun to shoot (my opinion).
4. You can tailor a specific load to your gun and your hunting style, whereas with a shotgun you basically are limited to what boxes of ammo your local gun store is selling.
5. Cost is comparable or cheaper, depending. I bought a $120 CVA muzzleloader, put a $50 scope on it and have spent maybe a total of $50 on other accessories for it = $220. I can regularly shoot 1.5 - 1.75" groups at 100 yards, and feel very confident shooting out to 175 yards or so. I've taken 2 deer at over 100 yards, both boom-flops.
I don't think you'll regret getting a ML if you decide to go that route.
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"Speak softly and carry a big stick - you will go far."
-Theodore Roosevelt
get yourself a T/C Pro Hunter......Muzzleloader one day, switch the barrel and it is now a shotgun
X2 - Plus, if you ever decide to get a centerfire rifle, get a barrel and scope and you're set. Any standard Encore barrel will fit a Pro-Hunter receiver and vice-versa. A muzzleloader is a lot of fun and once you get a good load, very accurate. My .50cal Encore will shoot 1-1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yards. There is a lot more work involved to muzzleloading than using a shotgun though. However, with the new slugs and rifled bores for shotguns today, you can have an accurate shotgun past 100 yards and it's a lot easier. So I would say you should look at an Encore with a 20Ga Pro-hunter barrel. If you want to try out muzzleloading, you can buy a barrel for later.
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Muzzleloader or shotgun?
