RE: Spanish vs American
 

Hey UC, you see that? I hope yer gettin yer check from Dan. :D

RE: Spanish vs American
 

I have had most of them and the only one I have shoot much since I got it is the Triumph, people that just look at them dont have any idea how much better they are, my second choice is the Omega the Omega shoots as good as the Triumph but lacks several things like the complete control of blowback and the easy cleaning [even so its better for cleaning than most, third choice would be the Knight rolling block. Lee

RE: Spanish vs American
 

Everyone here has their own "special gun" that we would recommend to everyone. The best thing that you can do is get with some friends and shoot theirs if you can and get a feel for what fits for your shooting style. All my deer guns are Traditions and their service is excellent. CVA now has Bergara barrels on their MLs which are also being made on centerfire barrels for the TC models that change out. I think the top Spanish makers, CVA, Traditions, etc are making advances in barrels and I would trust any of them. Bottom line is reading the manual over and over and understanding what charges and loads are acceptable for that gun. Next I would shoot at the range with small loads and work up from that to a point that you get accurate shot placement at the range you expect to shoot at. I'll bet you anything that you'll be in the neighborhood of 100 grains with a 250 grain bullet at 100 yards. Most manuals say that you can shoot 150 grains but why? If your barrel is 6 foot long that would be the only way you would burn up allthe powder so why waste it, powder is so expensive now anyway. I too got a wealth of gift cards and I'm waiting until after all the deer hunting seasons are over as I usually see some deals. I'm curently eyeing up the new Lyman and Traditions XLT in camo barrel and stock or I might buy another Knight TK 2000 with thumbhole stock for Turkey season. There is an overwhelming amount of guns out there. Handle as many as you can stand and buy the one that fits you. One that I can recommend may fit me but not you. With this site you should be able to hear the positive and negatives about any brand. Don't forget that there is no such thing as a dumb question here, we have all been there. Good luck in your choice and welcome.

RE: Spanish vs American
 

I can only speak from personal experience, but the green mountain barrel on my knight is tack driver accurate. I've only tried about 3 loads out of it, but at 50 yards (my normal hunting distance) it is a freakin tack driver. I would expect the same performance from any of the green mountain barrels. If you can get the same performance from a spanish barrel for less money, go for it. Good luck, Greg

RE: Spanish vs American
 

Gentlemen, thanks for the input.

First off Timber Creek, I did not want to start anything on a certain author because it would bring in the pros and cons of him and I really wanted to find out about the ML's.I apologize to you for not mentioning names and you are correct, it isopinion both his and mine. How he formed his is his business, mine is just from starting my research and that being the first thing I come to.Frankly his article scared me and as I mentioned the article is dated. I just wanted to find out as much as I could from experienced shooters such as you and everyone else on here. I respect all of the info and opinions that were posted.

I just simply want to make an informed purchase. My first visit to Bass Pro wasn't so great. The clerk just seemed to have "they are all great which one are you buying tonight" attitude. This just didn't sit well with me so I left thinking I will do some homework and buy it off the web or in the store without their help.

Cayugad, I will go handle some of the guns, looking at the points you mentioned.

For the record I certainly don’t want to restart the barrel test argument again, I could tell from some of the other threads that it definitely is a touchy subject. I guess I picked the wrong title for the thread. I guess it was because the thought of any gun blowing up scares me like the thought of shooting a 20 inch arrow out of a 28 inch draw bow at 65lb draw. Both require a trip to the doctor with some explaining.

Thanks again

RE: Spanish vs American
 

Phathead - I hate clerks like that. I never could understand why a Sporting Goods store would have someone like that behind the counter. I see that in Wal Marts and other stores as well. All most like they are doing you a favor by waiting on you. When I go to look at guns, I want to LOOK at them. I want to know all about them. Some of the clerks wouldnot even know how to load one, or what the rifle might shoot well. I do not blame you in your search for the right rifle. Many people just buy one rifle. Unlike some of us around here (me included).

RE: Spanish vs American
 

I agree about the clerks your talking about. I think some of that comes from bean counters making the management decisions, most of those clerks don't get any kind of commission...but that is whole nuther can of worms. I think me and cayugad were getting at the same thing. I think it will really come down to making some close personal inspections of some of the different models your interested in and going with the one that your happy with both with fit and finish of the gun and how it fits you and feels in your hands. I don't have much experience with the CVA,Traditions, etc. other than handling them in the store and one Traditions of a friend I shot a few times. I don't think you could go wrong with a Triumph, Omega or KRB.

RE: Spanish vs American
 

One of my first mz's was a cva optima. It was a good, servicable rifle. I took several different animals with it before selling it last Spring. I currently shoot a Knight KRB and love it. Though the CVA is a good rifle,I believe the overall quality is better with companies such as Knight and T/C.

The best prices I've seen, so far, on the KRB have been at natchez shooters supply:

http://natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=KGK RB607C

http://natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=KGK RB707C

RE: Spanish vs American
 

Whatever happened to Wakeman? I used to get a kick out of reading some of his rants and enjoyed his self proclaimed expert opinions.

RE: Spanish vs American
 

You just had to post that link and brag on your rifle.. didn't ya Chris. [:o] That stainless steel model is just what my rifle wall is crying for. I'm just glad there was no picture of it.. I like Natchez as a store to do business with. Real friendly and helpful people on the telephone, and more then willing to go the extra mile to make your purchase a good one.