ORIGINAL: ProStreetCamaro
I have owned many muzzleloaders from knight to TC to NEF to CVA. Every single one of them had there pro's and con's. Lets face it TC hyped up the cleaning time due to there super special breech design on the omegas. It takes me all of 10 seconds longer to clean my knight than it would take me to clean an omega. Knight saw this and didnt think they had anything to really worry about but TC pushed it so hard they brain washed people into thinking it is superior and will save a ton of cleaning time so the omegas sold like hot cakes. The triumph is nothing more than a glorified NEF sidekick with a better breech plug. Also the "weathershield" is a gimmick and alot of people are buying it thinking they are getting a stainless barrel when in fact they are not. Again all of this is due to brain washing people with clever marketing.
BTW if you want a .50 Elite I just saw one on modernmuzzleloader the other day for a GOOD price in the classified section.
http://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=11025
I don't have a MM password yet, but thanks for the link I will look into it.
I am a professional marketer (surprisingly, looking back) in fact, I am more than a bit familiar with the power of marketing. I guess I give people a little more credit for not being total weak-minded suckers, especially when it comes to things like firearms. One of the primary rules of marketing is to not promise something you cannot deliver. If you do, you may gain in the short-term but in the long-term it will come back to haunt you. Since T/C sales have grown steadily for many years now, it is quite obvious that the shooting public has not felt duped and under-delivered by the T/C product.They perceive they got what was advertised and perception, my friend, is the only truth that matters! As Cayugad wisely stated, we are only talking opinions here. There is no unified truth, only perceptions forming opinions and T/C's sales numbers are a direct reflection of public perception (and opinion).
I know a lot of hunters with Omegas and none of them bought them due to some marketed ease of cleaning -- they virtually all bought them on the feedback of and recommendations from fellow hunters who had had great experiences. I can claim personal credit for getting at least 6 close buddies to buy Omegas or in one case an Encore. T/C was not a big company when they started making MLs and they got all the money to do that advertising from somewhere -- selling a lot of excellent guns. There was a time when you saw a lot more Knight advertising than T/C. They OWNED the market, for several years I didn't know of any inlines other than Knight. Why couldn't Knight brainwash everybody then?
You may see the Triumph as a glorified Sidekick, but the difference in breech plug is far more than a cosmetic marketing piece. Any one of us who has gone to clean our gun or had to pull the plug in the field only to find we forgot a wrench knows that!