Josmund

Last summer I bought my first ML. An Omega Z5. I spent countless hours reading these post, receiving great advice and working at the range.

The result was a deadly accurate gun which produced fine 10 point Kansas buck in December.

Now, I find myself reading this forum every day. ( hurts my productivity a bit I might add ) Anyway, I think way too much about these silly guns. My theory is to buy another which will free up my mind and allow me to move on with the rest of my life.

I have two questions:

1) What type of gun would be a good complement to the Omega? I was thinking abour a Knight Long Range Hunter or MK 85.

2) What do I look for in a used MZ outside of the obvious condition?

Thanks again,

Jeff

spaniel

Is there a gap you want to fill? You could look at a gun for a slightly different purpose, like a T/C Renegade sidelock or an Omega X7 (peep sights).

The Long Range Hunter or a Disc Elite would undoubtedly be a fine choice if you want to stick with the scoped inline route. Fine guns.

When buying a used ML, due to the corrosive nature of the powders the primary concern is how good of care they took of the barrel. Do yourself a favor and invest in a cheap bore light. I would never buy a used ML without dropping a bore light down the barrel, I've just heard too many stories of people getting used ones on gunbroker etc that looked pristine on the outside yet when they received the gun the barrel was rusted and pitted out inside.

MTA: Welcome to the addiction. You are kidding yourself if you think you'll stop at "just one more." I'm sure Cayugad thought that once too.

MLKeith

First decide what and where you intend to use the rifle. Once that is determined it will probably eliminate some of the ones available. T/C rifles tend to be picky about shooting full bore conicals (not all but some are - my Omega for instance). Then find out which ones feel best for you. Are you going to scope the rifle and what is the stock structure relative to scope installation? Then find out what is available either used or on sale. Then when all is said and done buy a White!

Breechplug

If it was me I'd buy new, that way you know exactly what your getting, no surprises. It seems like you prefer TC? A Triumph would be a excellant choice, I watched a video of a guy shooting one and at 200yds he was almost touching every shot, seems like a long range hunter to me.
AS for a used one, as mentioned above a Bore Light and commen sence will get you one, also the age of it will give you a clue as to what the insides have been put through.
Dont kid yourself, once hooked on MLers there is no (just one more) you'll get more. I have the UPS Driver trained to not stop at the House if My Wifes car is in the driveway or befor the time she leaves for work,LOL!
Good Luck now that you've been bitten.
(BP)

cayugad

If you can put your hands on it before you purchase.. check the bore of course. Look for rust, pitting, and over all condition. Check the muzzle of the rifle close. Look for deep scratches, etc. Now **** the muzzleloader. If its a traditional, does the hammer come back and click through the half **** and full **** of the arch? Once the hammer is ****ed, slap the side of the rifle hard and see if you can knock it off the mark. Also check the trigger(s). Do they function properly. Is there a hard trigger, too soft a trigger, etc. If the rifle seems to function fine, now examine the stock. Your looking for hairline cracks. If you can pull the barrel, pull it and check the interior of the stock for hairline cracks or unusual wear patterns.

If you can not put your hands on the rifle, then you have to ask the seller about all the parts I mentioned. Get them to state... there are no cracks in the stock, the triggers, etc are all fine. The bore is not rusted. And if they tell you there is a little pitting or rust... WHAT DO THEY CALL A LITTLE. And where is the rust located. If you can get them to state condition, then you have something to fall back on if the rifle comes to your door and is in bad shape.

lemoyne

Since you have some experience I will skip the normal things. One of the things that a lot of people get taken on is when the gun looks mint inside and out but won't shoot decent. Ends up going to a gun smith and getting the barrel shortened by about 2 inches before it will shoot good again. What is wrong? One of two things Ramrod wear the person did not use a bore protector or a gouge in the button, either will be a big problem. The most common hard to spot scope problem is that the scope has been knocked over while on the gun and had the barrel of the scope slightly bent, the excessive parallax is the only way to tell this. Lee

idahoron

I have a Knight BK 92 that I have had since the day they first came out. It is a great shooting rifle but Idaho wanted to make the ML hunt more traditional.
I went the same route that spaniel said. I went with a TC Renegade with a Green Mountain Stainless steel barrel. I put a Lyman 57 SML peep sight on it. I also put a Lyman 17 AML globe front sight with Lee Shavers inserts. It shoots as well as any inline I have ever shot. And it still has a bit of traditional feel to it, and it looks traditional enough to be legal in about any state that has a traditional only hunt. Ron

rafsob

I also vote for a traditional rifle:



This is my Hawkens Carbine. 21" barrel with a 1 in 66" twist rate barrel in .50 cal. and shoots Patched Round Balls (PRB).

I also have another Hawkens that has a 20" barrel and is great to hump in the woods. It is a .54 cal. with a 1 in 24" twist barrel that loves sabots and conicals. I have taken many deer with it. I am in the process of mounting a Malcolm style 3x scope (Leatherman) on it. These guns are great to hunt the woods of Virginia which are very thick. The 3x should be just right for my purposes.

idahoron

Is that a Cabelas Hawken? Also what is the measurment across the flats on the barrel on the 54? I have a 15/16" stainless steel 45 cal Green mountain barrel. I am looking for a new donor rifle that I can put this barrel on. I have put three GM 1" barrels on Renegades but I want something a little different for this 15/16" barrel. I was thinking Cabelas for this one. Ron

rafsob

Not this one. I do have one of the Cabelas guns. This is straight from InvestArms, Italy. They make the Cabelas gun also. I always thought the European guns were the 15/16" flats and the 1" were USA. I never measured it and it is raining outside now. But if it stops I will go out to my loading room and do so.