ORIGINAL: petrey10
I am very new to muzzleloading actually I have never done it and I was thinking about getting into it...I am curious as to the range a muzzle loader will have...what has more range a .50cal or 45?? I will be hunting deer and if I really really like the loader I will kill the damn coyotes with it too when i get bored with my 25-06...thanks again
For long range shooting with a Thompson Center you would want a Encore, Pro Hunter, Omega, or Black Diamond XR. All of these are a 200 yard rifle with the right optics and practice. Using something like a 200 or 250 grain Shockwave and two or three pellets and you could knock anything down at 200 yards.
As for the caliber I would stick with a .50 caliber. While the .45 caliber might be flatter shooting you're not really going to notice the difference between the two calibers. If all a matter of what you practice with. The .50 caliber has a better selection of projectiles as well. It is legal out west where the .45 caliber is not, should you ever get the urge to hunt something big and hard to kill out there. Not that the .45 will not do the job. It's just some states do not accept the.
Also check your State regulations as to the black powder caliber allowed. For instance, if your shooting a .45 caliber and that is the minimum caliber permitted, then you can not shoot sabots as the projectile is too small... All you could shoot are concicals.