ORIGINAL: bobnan
I bought a traditions Yukon last year based on price. Went 0 for during season since I didn't see any. Iam shooting 100grain with a 285g powerbelt. Was putting 5 shot grouping in 2" at 50-60yards this weekend with fixed sights. Any thoughts as to the qaulity of this muzzle loader?
Well since you own it, you would be a better judge of the quality of the rifle then I am since I do not. Is it easy to clean? Does the action lock well? How is the trigger pull.. crisp and breaks clean? How does the barrel and hardware fit in relation to the stock? If you're happy with the rifle, then this is a mute point.
Shooting a 2" group with open sights at 60 yards is very good shooting IMO. I have friends who brag about a super tightgroups with their open sights at 50 &100 yards, and have yet to see one do it. They always have a bad day. Most of them shoot between a 2+ inch group at fifty yards, and much worse at 100 yards. Always seems like one of them devils will sneak away. I have good days on the range and then some days we would rather not discuss. Also some people measure groups much different then I do. So you need to not let that worry you too much.Practice and load work is the best way to shrink groups.
So IMO your rifle is shooting about normal. Plenty good for harvesting a whitetail or two at 100 yards. Without a scope, I would be hard pressed to shoot further myself. Not that the rifle can not, it is just that my eye sight does not allow it. Everything would have to be perfect for me to try a long shot. I do try and practice out to 125 yards but we are not shooting any 2" group there either.
Another
excellent point was made in this discussion already. Sights, or should we say lack of. Some rifles have excellent sights that really fit the shooter and his style. Some people love the fiber optics, others consider them too large and hate them. Some like a round bead front sight while others prefer a blade. Peep sights while accurate, can be a pain in low light conditions. I like RED DOT scopes and 1X scopes personally. If you are not happy with your sights, consider changing them to something you do like. I have done this with a couple rifles...
I am sure that Traditions makes a good rifle. I have a number of Traditions rifles and they are all good shooters. The main thing is, if you are happy with the rifle, that is all that matters. By the way, in the very first part of my rant I asked some questions about the overall conditions of the rifle. What is your opinions on those questions?
