which muzzleloader do I choose?

[Double Droptine]

I want to buy a 50 cal inline muzzle loader. I am thinking about either an Omega or a Knight. I see there are several different Knights.

I thought I should get a stainless with a synthetic stock. I want something easy to clean/use and reliable in wet weather.

Info. on what scope to get is also needed.

I don' t know a lot about these types of guns or brands. Looking for advice to make my winter deer hunting in Wisconsin more productive.

If you recomend a certain gun please give specifics.

All first-hand knowledge is appreciated. Thank you.

[Danny45]

The Knights are great muzzleloaders for sure. But I' ve heard great things about the Omega. If it were me, just from the reviews and what I' ve heard, I' d go with the Omega.

[James B]

You could not go wrong with either of the choices you mentioned. Even the least spendy of the Knight rifles are very good as are most all the rifles made by TC. I have the TC woods Rifle which was the pre Black Diamond rifle. It will handle 150 grain loads and will shoot an honest to God 1 1/2 inch group at 100 yards. That with two 50 grain Pyrodex Pellets and the TC Mag sabot with a 300 grain Hornady XTP bullet. The Woods Rifle is not made now but the Black Diamond has replaced it and is a fine rifle. Believe me two 50 grain pellets is all it takes with the 300 grain bullet. You don,t need that heavy a bullet but I had several boxes and they shoot great in my gun. I have not had a Knight but my hunting partner has one and shoots the Barnes X muzzle loader bullets in it. Great rifle and great bullet. I have had a couple CVA rifles and they were good but not in the class with the Knight and TC. Hope this helps you out.

[Ruger-Redhawk]

I have no experience with the T/C inlines. Their traditional are hard to beat. I have a Knight Disc and really like it.Another inline you might want to look at is the Ruger M77/50.They run around the same price as the Knight Discs. The Rugers use a #11 cap or a optional Musket Cap breech Plug is available for them. I read somewhere that they have a aftermarket 209 conversion for the Ruger but have never seen one. If the T/C Inlines are anything like their traditionals it should be a great rifle.
Ruger Redhawk

[Mark whiz]

You can' t go wrong with either. The Omega has some really neat features - and anything in the Knight line-up is top notch. I shoot a Knight USAK American Knight, their bottom line model...............but you' d never know it was " bottom line" by the way it shoots. The last time out, I cut a 3-shot group of .6" between centers at 75yds. It' s never failed me and never missed game in the field (knock on wood!).

A stainless barrel really is not necessary. You have to stay on top of cleaning on ANY BP gun, so going for stainless is really just a matter of personal preference and looks.

Also, I would definitely suggest going with a .50cal model, rather than the new .45s due to better component selection and ease of load workup..............I' m just not confident in most of the .45' s capabilities yet.

For a scope - you really don' t need anything monsterous. I use a 1.5X4.5 Bushnell shotgun Sportview Scope. It' s lasted for over 3yrs now & I' ve never had any problem with it - not bad for $60. And since muzzleloading tends to limit your maximum distance for shooting, up to 6X is really all you need and it' s nice to have a low power for those close-in shots we dream of.

[handloader1]

T/C Omega. Good luck.

[who_else]

any knight