New to muzzleloading
 

This year will by my firstto hunt with a muzzleloader. I will be hunting in Colorado andso far have a good understanding of the rules for muzzeloader huntingthere. I have alsoconducted quite a bit of research on different muzzleloaders in trying to decide which one to buy. My initialthought was that I would buy a T/C Omega, but after reading a few of the threads on this forum, itsounds like the Omega may not shoot conicals very well or at all.

My question is, is this presumption true? What is everyone's experience with the Omega and conicals? If this is the case, what are some good alternatives to look at? Iam also looking at the T/C Encore as well as a couple of the Knight muzzleloaders. Any help provided is much appreciated.

elkhunter004

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

Well for conical shooting my first choice would be a White Rifle. There were some White Lightening Rifles for sale. Whether they are still there I could not tell you. They come up for sale and it is not for long and they are gone. C-dad bought one. I think there were two for sale. Whether the other one is there I could not say, but that would be your best conical shooting inline rifle on the market.

My Black Diamond XR will shoot conicals. Others claim their BD will not. So I do not know what to tell you. I don't own an Omega, so I can not help you there.

With the kind of restrictions you have, no scopes, conicals, etc.. Have you considered a Lyman Great Plains Hunter? They have a 1-32 twist, and are known conical shooters. While they are traditional style, that does not mean that they could not shoot the same kind of distances, asan inline for instance. In fact with a Lyman Peep sight on a GPH you might have one real good long distance rifle there.

It is so hard to tell someone what will and will not shoot a conical. I bought a nice little CVA Stalker with a 1-32 twist guessing it will shoot conicals and sabots. Well it shoots conicals fine, sabots no so fine. I still have a lot of testing to do with it, so I am not giving up on it yet though..

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

All the T/C rifles have the QLA which seems to be the problem with conical shooting ability. Some will shoot some conicals. Most will shoot Powerbelts. There are other better conical rifles. The White is the best but also the hardest to find. The White company is in and out of business on a regular basis. I believe if you contact Josh at White he might still have a couple of 91's for sale. If I were looking for a Colorado rifle I would pick that one as it is the only White currently available other than used and they go so fast that I usually miss them. I think the NEF will also shoot conicals pretty well and they are available. I have one and it requires purchasing a new ramrod from Hubbards Outdoors as the stock ramrod is a joke. I also purchased the .25ACP breecplug conversion which I prefer over the plastic carriers that they designed the rifle with. If you consider that in the price then the low cost of the NEF is not quite so low. I do like the rifle however and they are noted for excellent triggers as delivered. You might look at the CVA Optima Elite as it has a Bergera barrel which is a step above the previous spanish barrels. I am not sure how they handle conicals. Try to handle some of your choices to see what feels good to you. Good luck and welcome to the Muzzleloading world. Be advised the "bug" bites hard and the tendency to continue buying rifles seems to happen to all. NOTE: Dave got his entry in before mine but he also likes the White. He got his before I got mine but I have another on order so I guess I am slightly ahead of him. The Lightnings are both sold from what I gathered. The last time I talked with Josh about a week ago he thought he still had a couple of 91's there. Worth a try. White Rifles toll free 1-877-684-4867.

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

All the White Lightenings I mentioned are gone. Like I said, they don't last long. Now a Super 91 would be a nice conical shooter as well. MLKeith is more up on what White has for sale then I have. He has a couple Whites I believe. I only have one, and only need one the way mine shoots.. :D

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

I apologize for my ignorance. But when everyone is referring to White Rifles, are you referring to the muzzleloaders built by Doc White himself, or to the current company White Rifles LLC? I am still learning about the industry, but there appears to be a difference between the two to me.

elkhunter004

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

I recomend White rifles also. I have a Lightning and a Super 91 in .504 cal. Great conical shooters. I had an Omega and unfortunately it would not shoot conicals very well. You can always send your TC's to precision rifle works to get the QLA removed, which seems to help in conical shooting.

I bought a Old stock/NIB Knight MK-85 on gun broker.com for $195 and it shoots the NE .503 460gr conical just as well as my Whites do. My experience with Knight Rifles is that most will shoot conicals well.

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

I believe they are refering to White LLC. I don't think Doc White has any rifles left, but you could certainly check with him also.

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

Come on guys, the Whites aren't that hard to find. I have bought 5 in about the last 8-9 months. Two of those within the last month. Just gotta be FAST!!! :D

If you are serious about getting a white, let one of us White guys know and we can put you in touch with Rattus in Hawaii. I think he has can hook you up with a 91.

Aloha!;)

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

If your hunting in colorado your going to have to use PowerBelts or Harverster Sabre Tooth in an Omega, of the two I recommend SabreTooth:

http://www.harvesterbullets.com/loadSaber.htm

You can ue loose powder in an Omega, and it will do just fine, as will an Encore. Chap Gleason

RE: New to muzzleloading
 

Chapman, there are a lot of good conicals besides those expensive two you mention. If a person is lucky enough to get an Omega with a well made barrel and properly done QLA section (well, properly would be"absent" but...) it should shoot well with any number of bullets. But the rifle's trigger guard can be BRUTAL when shooting heavy loads.

Some of the Knights shoot conicalsvery well. But I would also recommend a White if you can locate a good specimen. Parts are rapidly becoming an issue with the Whites though. Several recently wanted to buy extra triggers (as future insurance) and a special order had to be made from the makers of Bold triggers.