escpen

Hello all. I am looking for information on good muzzleloaders on a budget. I would like to extend mydeer season here in New York by taking up muzzleloading (next year, obviously), but don't know much about what to look for in a good muzzleloader. Any recommendations you can provide on the best muzzleloaders for the money would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

cayugad

Just because you're on a budget (which I fully understand) and want the best value for the dollar I would look at the NEF Sidekick. I reallythink you would not be disappointed with that rifle. It is a well made, safe rifle that will last for for years to come.

http://www.dallastacticalsupplies.com/itemdetails.asp?itemid=NESPS050

Encore50

Blow that budget! I think of the extra costas acouple tanks of gas or a few nights at a restaurant.Get yourselfsomethinggood, T/C Omega or Knight, what the heck. But I have seen good reviews on the NEF Sidekick as well. Try this place for a deal. They treated me right. Ask for 'LOAN".

http://www.hlsguns.com/bp.html

edggy

(Listen to Cayugad) Try Going to Hunt without Gasolineand whydeprive yourselfor your family ofa nice dinner and of all thingspayingaLoan.
(Just my opinion)

roundball

In addition to Cayugad's suggestion, clean used TC Hawkens can be usually bepicked up on auctions in the $200-250 range, are an excellent rifle for the money, and TC has a real lifetime warranty regardless if original owner or not.

LIAF

try www.impactguns.com you can get a T/C omega Z-5 for $257.00, a used T/C black diamond XR SST for $199.00. If you want a CVA they have Kodiak 50 cal. Blue barrel/ black stock for $169.00. S/H is about $12-$14. If you want to get the NEF sidekick you can go to the place Cayugad suggested but wait till X-mas as I could have bought that gun in wood stock / blue barrel for $109.00 last January. Matter a fact right after x-mas i would start looking for sales as this is when the ML's seem to be marked down.

Encorepete

Please do yourself a favor and do not buy a cheapy muzzleloader as your starter. For the $ 200 you have, you can look around and score a quality gun from T/C or Knight. I would suggest the Knight American or T/C black diamond. In addition several other models of T/C such as the firehawk and Thunderhawk inlines and several different model sidelocks are also available for under $200.00. In addition to the American, Knight also has the wolverine, Disc,and Disc Elite rifles which can also sometimes be found for around $200 or less as well. Personally, I'd stay with either the T/C Black Diamond or the Knight rifles due to their removable breach plug for ease of cleaning. These companies offer a lifetime warranty on their guns and they have some of the best reputations in the ML industry. You can check www.gunbroker.com / www.auctionarms.com / and www.gunsamerica.com for sales of these ML's. Many ML's can be shipped regularly with no restrictions or FFL required depending on your state's laws. Another good place to look is the clearance section of Wal Mart. As with everything in life, you get what you pay for.
The last time I was in Gander Mountain, they had the T/C Black Diamond Premium Pack with the gun and a lot of accessories for $199.00 as their everyday price. If you have on nearby, you may want to chck them out.