NYBowhunter71

Would you be able to use a red dot or HUD scope on a blackpowder rifle?

Semisane

Yes. But you probably won't like it. A scope, even a 1X, is far superior.

Gm54-120

Ive had a halo type reddot on one of mine. It leaves a lot to be desired in accuracy but if you are flushing deer at close range its not too bad. I shoot better with just a peep site in most conditions out to 65 yards.

The biggest issue is "what if" the battery dies and it does happen...then you are "fubarred". A cheap Simmons 2.5x20 or a 1x power scope has few negatives in comparison.

If you like RedDots, get a low power scope with the optional illuminated crosshairs. Then even if the battery dies you still have the ability to aim.

falcon

What Semisane and Gm54-120 said.

Been there, done that. Bought two red dot sights from Cabela's a few years ago: They cost about $200 apiece. Those red dot scopes were marginally OK for short range shots in the daytime. When sunset approached they were useless.

The dot grew a tail in low light. Even on the lowest brightness setting, those scopes were bad. The dot was too bright and that caused a lot of distortion. One evening while hog hunting, a doe came in to the waterhole at about 40 yards. Sighted on the animal for drill: If deer season had been in i would not have taken that shot.

7.62NATO

Easy now, folks. It depends on the quality of the red dot sight in question, and it depends on how you're hunting (and the $$ you have to spend!!). I cannot see for the life of me how a 1x scope would be superior to, say, and Aimpoint Comp M3, especially in low light. You can make the red dot as dim or bright as you need it to be, and it is crystal clear (NO distortion) because Aimpoint uses quality glass. I have an Aimpiont on my M1A Scout, and I can bang 1 MOA through the target every time with the right ammo.

Would I personally prefer a red dot on my muzzleloader? At this piont, no, because I only have one of them and I need it to be more versatile. If I had the money for multiple muzzleloaders and scope setups, I would definitely consider having an Aimpoint in a forward mount position on something like an Omega X7 to use as a still-hunting/brush gun. There wouldn't be anything faster and it would be good for shots out to 150 or even longer providing you did your part.

Like I mentioned before, it has to do with your needs and your budget.

Oh...on the battery...those batteries last FOREVER. 50,000 hours. That means you could leave the thing on for 5 years straight before you needed to replace it. For peace of mind, you could always replace the battery before each season with NO need to worry.

Semisane

7.62NATO, I had an Aimpoint for a while on a New Englander. It was mounted right over the factory rear sight mounting holes. For me anyway, it was darn near useless for fifteen or twenty minutes at first and last light. Otherwise, I would rate it as OK. I replaced it with a 2X pistol scope mounted in the same place and was much happier, and that forward mounted pistol scope was fast and clear.

Breechplug

Why would you want to? A Scope that gather's light and magnifys distance is all you should need. If you must shoot quick your shots should be short and open sights should do the job, but a MLer in My Opinion is'nt a quick shooter, it's one that is to be aimed at relaxed Animals and then shot. Too many things can go wrong with a quick shot, again just My Opinion
(BP)

cayugad

I have had red dots on a couple muzzleloaders and disliked them so much I took them off. If you want to buy one, give me a PM. They are Bushnell Trophy. My State, until this year did not allow magnification on their rifles. So I tried a red dot. I finally took them off and mounted one on a .44 mag Ruger RedHawk and the other is sitting around here. I went with 1x scopes and was much happier.

deerman69

The bad thing with red dots are they float around to much and when sighting in they cover to much of the target. I took mine off and just shoot with iron sights. Good luck