ORIGINAL: SHills
Since Oldwun owns both TC and Knight I believe you have some valid points but I have to disagree that TC convinced everyone that an easier cleaning ML is better. This happend to come w/a better OVERALL design. I have handled many knights and would agree the high end rifles are nice.
I can't be convinced that the older bolt designs are better by design by any manufactuer. They all leak gas anyway.I personally hate the disc system because it ties you to a part that will make a rifle obsolete.I have notshot one but from visual inspections the disc SHOULD prevent gases from coming back and making that sliding bolt system easier to clean. The design issue that really hurts any bolt rifle is the cleaning, the powder blast upon the scope (except for the older Savage w/ the modules)and the barrel length. The real bell ringer is when you but ANYbolt rifle you pick up and put beside an Omega.Instantly you will notice a 28" barreled rifle the same length as a a 24" bolted barrel. I personally think it is w/o a doubt the best rifle bar none in design. If I wanted to customize a rifle that is one for sureI would buy. I also like the things that are totally the opposite of the Triumph in a break breech. You fall right back into the bolt design in barrel length verses overall length compared to the smaller falling block of the Omega. You also have a group of loyal supporters of break open breech rifles but I just like the clean barrel lines w/ my scope on top. I would have liked to have seen deeperor more flutes on the Omega barrel to help its slightly nose heavyness. If you want a shorter barrel buy the X7 mountain rifle or cut you Omega to 24" which I would love to shoot!
I believe you will be hard pressed to find a better OVERALL funtional design w/beautiful lines when you consider all the points that make a great rifle. I think it will be the benchmark for all ML's in the future.
JMHO, SHills
There's not much correct about your post. A lot of it is simply opinion. Yes the 28" barreled Omega is shorter than a 26" barreled Knight Disc Extreme. The picture below illustrates this. However the Knight barrel length is 25 1/2" usable while the Omega is 26 1/2" usable length and most of that extra inch is taken up by the unneccesary QLA. So much for a 28" barrel. To make it 28" would make it the same length as the 26" barreled Disc Extreme. I could care less about advertized barrel length since it's usable that really matters.
You are also correct that the old Disc is leaky. However the 209 primer face butts up against the breechplug so there's no way it can seal pressurized gas from getting past it. The Full Plastic jacket is an improvement but still leaky. However it's not the FPJ's fault. Knight has a newer breechplug for it that almost completelyeliminates blowback. What there is can beeasily wiped off the scope even after multiple shots.
I own both an Extreme and an Omega, both were within $20 of each other when I bought them new. There's very little real difference in cleaning them. Both need breechplugs cleaned. The Knight has a bolt that needs cleaned while the Omega doesn't. Most of that is the bolt face.The Omega blows gas underneath the barrel requiring removal after every session while the Knight doesn't. My Omega blows plenty of gas onto the scope but so does the Knight. To correct this problem cost $20 for the Knight (new plug) and $60.00 for the Omega (PR 25ACP). I don't remove the stock for cleaning on the Knight every session since it's not neccisary. Once it's sighted in I don't remove the stock till the seasons over. Before the 25 ACP I had to do that on the Omega. Also the Omega is pickier about what it will shoot.
As to the Disc Rifles being obsolete if they stop making the Discs, New for '07 Knight has non FPJ breechplugs for all the rifles that use them. They can use a straight 209 now. I'm not sure why someone would do that but it's now an option. The Old Disc Rifles were no longer made after 2002, but the old Discs are still available. They are also easily converted to the new FPJ and by extension the new non FPJ plug.
I don't have anything to say about the Triumph. It doesn't look to be available in a Thumbhole stock so I'm not interested. I am dissappointed that Knight's no making the KP-1 or KRB-7 in TH stocks either.
I guess what it really boils down to for me is that the Omega has sat in the safe since January '05(used 1 season only)and the Disc Extreme saw action this past January and every year since I've owned it. It's made every out of state trip and taken most of my firsts.
I did put a new scope on the Omega but if it comes down to the two of them I know which gun I'll grab, the more reliable of the two.