I have a 50cal. kodiak mag. in nickle/black. It's a great shooting muzzy for sure. I get some good groups up to 100 yards and that is about as far as I can shoot and see a deer in my neck of the woods. I've put hundreds of shot throught it to see what it likes and nothing has gone wrong for me, as matter of fact I haven't even had a misfire yet and this is my first muzzleloader gun and first year hunting with a muzzleloader. Asfor saving money for a TC, a gun isonly goodin the eye of the beholder. What is good for someone, might not be good for you. You can't go wrong with either gun. Oh by the way, get the 50cal. there's nothing a 45cal can do that a 50cal can't do and it's bigger too.