As a beginner to the sport - either of those CVAs would serve you well. There isn' t a whole lot of difference between the 3 rifles - mainly barrel length and a few " extras" . Personally, if I was starting from the beginning (knowing what I' ve learned over the last 3 yrs of BP shooting) I' d probably opt for the StagHorn.

That said, if I was looking for a new gun right now to replace my " old" Knight, I' d look real hard at CVAs new Optima or the T/C Omega. They' re not that much more expensive than the Firebolt, but offer some very neat features for keeping the ignition dry and for the primer loading.

Another thing for you to consider is the legality of deer hunting with such an in-line there in PA. I know they have some gun restrictions there, so you want to make darn sure you can legally hunt with what you buy.

If you go the in-line route.....I definitely suggest going with the .50cal rather than the .45. There are many more bullet options in .50 than for the .45......and IMHO most all of the .45cal bullets on the market are too small (light) for the best accuracy results. The manufacturers have been tweaking on their barrel twist rates for the .45s ever since they came out - and I' m not convinced they have it right yet.

Get yourself a .50cal rifle, some 300gr sabot bullets (like Hornady XTP Mags), and load 80gr of the new Triple 7 powder - and you' ll be darn close to " ON" right out of the box!