Had to go with TC because I only have two side locks a renegade and a hawken.

Hey Grouse, you got some nice wood on that Deerstalker!!! I always thought they were Plain Janes!!!

You are exactly right. They are very plain. But the wood is beautiful when you see them up close. The lock and frizzen are very high quality in my opinion.

I like my T/C's . But except for a Traditions Buckhunter Pro I bought as a starter rifle that's all I've really owned. Except for another Traditions Buckhunter and a CVA Wolf I bought cheap to resell. The TC's are all I need in a rifle. I do wish the Z5 Omega had a speed beech though.

Use a speed wrench.

As I only have one, the TC Hawken is my favorite.

I voted for Thompson Center because of the versatility of the rifle. There are so many barrel options for the Renegade and the Hawkins they are hard to beat. But I do believe that my go to side lock is going to wind up being my .54 caliber Traditions Deerhunter side lock. This rifle has a trigger that compares to my Hawkins and it does not even have a set trigger to make it that way. With the adjustable sear screw you can set the trigger pull as light as you want it to be. And I love not having to have the trigger go CLICK when you pull the set trigger. The rifle is much lighter and therefor easier to handle, and has proven to be amazingly accurate at 100 yards. Too bad I can't vote twice. I have always touted the Traditions brand of muzzle loaders and with this new acquisition it just solidifies my fondness for this particular manufacturer.