Hi guys, newbie here. I have decided after almost 20 years of hunting to finally try something new and I have decided on Muzzleloading. Now comes the fun part trying to find honest educated opinons and advice on what to look for and what to stay away from. I basically don't have a clue as to what is a good muzzleloader and what is not. I am looking into flintlock only but not stuck on the traditional wood stock, blued barrel, etc. I would also like some advice on barrel length, are shorter or longer barrels better, the barrel grooving, i.e 1-48 , 1-60 etc. I have only looked a a couple guns and realized I need help before I spend my money. I did like one gun that I saw so I will mention it, maybe someone has one or has expience with it, it is a Traditions firestorm with a synthetic stock and stainless barrel. the length was only 26 inch and the twist was 1-48. Is this a decent gun or not. One last thing I probably should add is I do most of my shooting as less than 60 yards although there are a couple places that I hunt where an open field shot of 100 or more might happen but mostly I try to stay close in as I like the one shot theory. Once again thanks in advance

Thompson Center makes the Firestorm and yes it is a very good rifle. It has a removable breech plug for easy care andcleaning, and they are a good shooter. Also you have the Thompson Center Arms service and support should there be a problem.

With their 1-48 twist they will shoot roundball, conicals, and some shooters even use Powerbelts with very good results out of them. Their locks are sure and normally very fast.

100 yards and even further is not out of the question for the rifle. Some other good flintlocks to consider are the Lyman Trade Rifle and the Lyman Great Plains Rifle or Hunter. The Great Plains Hunter has a 1-32 twist and will shoot sabots and conicals. The Great Plains Rifle has a 1-60 twist and will be an excellent roundball shooter. If you are going to go after a rifle that shoots strictly roundball might I suggest a .54 caliber as they have better knock down power in my opinion.

Good luck in your gun search.

A good rifle, but I would recommend the Thompson Omega Z5..........easier to clean and very accurate...

There is another company that makes flintlocks you might consider. One flintlock I almost purchased but do to a disagreement between myself and the store, I walked out on the deal, was a Traditions PA Pellet Flintlock. It is a .50 caliber. It has a removable breech plug. It will accept 150 grains of Pellets. 1-48 twist but made to shoot modern projectiles. It also is said to shoot sabots very well. Whether this would be a roundball shooter I could not say. I was getting it for the sabot aspect.

Traditions also makes some higher end rifles like the Kentucky, Shenandoah, and some other models. I personally can not comment on how well the locks and such work, but have heard some good reviews on the accuracy of the PA Pellet shooting sabots on a Pig hunt.

Another gun maker to check would be David Pedersolli. He makes some beautiful flintlocks. Then of course there is the custom route. You will pay more for the custom rifles but will have one that will last a life time and shoot sweet.

Just some other thoughts on the flintlock. Or you can stick with a Thompson Ceneter Hawkins and get a big bore in .58 caliber through FoxRidge Outfitters. Then there is nothing you could not shoot and knock down. They have the real power. I shoot a .58 caliber cap lock and the power from that rifle is amazing....

Cayugad has covered the subject pretty well and from reading what he publishes I would pay attention to what he said. You might want to consider what and where you intend to hunt and that may have some effect on what you select. Some states have different rules as to what you may hunt with. If you are completely unrestricted and not on a tight budget you might even consider looking at the Savage as it can shoot several smokeless powder loads and apparently is quite accurate. I was considering it until I checked and Arizona does not allow smokeless powder so I went with the T/C Omega in stainless and mounted a scope as it is legal here. I hunt for meat and went with the most efficient rifle that would harvest game which in my opinion was the Omega. I have since bought several other rifles and you will likely do the same. In order to give you more specific directions you need to let us know where you are going to hunt and what you intend to hunt. Also let us know how much you want to spend when you are completely through getting the FIRST RIFLE set up. If only hunting one state let us know where it is. If planning hunts in Colorado etc. other things come into play. ps: I just ordered a Lyman Trade Rifle flintlock since I have not had a flintlock as yet. Hope this bug quits biting me soon before I run out of retirement money. I think Cayugad has said this is a good flintlock to look at. I almost bought a Great Plains percussion before I bought the T/C Hawken. The Lyman rifles seem to look a little more traditional and are made in Italy by a good manufacturer. Some of the Spanish rifles are getting some bad press by some of the posters but I think the problems are being pushed a little out of control from what the real data is. I have one Traditions rifle which is OK but I do limit my loads in it.

I bought a traditions about 10 years ago and killed a couple of deer with it. 50 cal, shoot 80 grains FFF powder with a 350 grain sabot. Worked great. Although I moved on to a Knight DISC, it still have the traditions and shoot it everytime I go to the range. My wife just loves the barrel soaking in her tub afterwards.