BB Outdoors

I'm looking at getting the Traditions Buckstalker but before I do I was wondering if you guys had any information or anything about this gun. Whether its a good buy or not so much. Any help would be greatly appriciated!

1874sharpsshooter

Anybody that hunts with a Hoyt bow or a savage centerfire wouldn't be happy with such a low end weapon . Check out either T/C or Knight if you want a muzzleloader in the same quality as your other weapons .

cayugad

Almost any of the current mass produced muzzleloaders are lethal out to 100 yards once a load is worked up. From what I have READ about the rifle, with some good optics, it will be a good all around shooter.

But consider the cost of the rifle and compare that to the cost of other rifles in the same field. Yes a Knight or T/C is a excellent quality rifle. But that's not to say that a Traditions is any less serviceable. If your looking for the muzzleloader season of Wisconsin, and not countless weekends on the range having fun, then it will probably work for you.

I recently purchased a CVA Optima with a stainless steel fluted barrel, and quick release breech plug for a little over $200.00 at Mills Fleet Farm in Wausau. They might have the same thing at a Farm and Fleet. I like that rifle much better then the buck-stalker, but in reality they are very similar.

pluckit

I have one but I have not had a chance to shoot it yet. If you find the gun sold with a scope included you might be able to get both for around $150.00. That will put the rifle in the cost range of about $100.00. The gun is tight, it breaks open and closes with no slop or play.
If it shoots anything like my other Traditions rifles I'm sure it will shoot no less than 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards. And that's about the best I can do with any muzzleloader. Be aware that the recoil pad is solid rubber. I am about to check into seeing if the replacement pad for the Pursuit will fit the Buckstalker. Also be aware that the Buckstalker is available with a green synthetic stock. Here are the last 2 targets I shot with a nearly identical rifle, a Traditions Canyon. The only difference I can find between the two is the Buckstalker has fiber optic sights and the Canyon does not. Please note that I have not attempted to shoot this rifle with anything other than Blackhorn 209 and that I tend to have a difficult time shooting good groups when I use that powder for some reason. Also, with a 1.5 X 3 mm O-ring installed in the primer pocket of the breech plug you will get virtually no blow back. But also be aware that by using the O-ring you will scrape the paint off of the face of the receiver where the firing pin hole is. I think it is a very good rifle for the price.

lemoyne

By the time you get the trigger redone so its decent [a lot of them are not] and the Breach plug revamped so you can use Blackhorn, Well I would look at the TC Impact and even some of the CVA rifles first.

rodwha

When I was looking at .50 cal rifles that were of a handy size I found 3 that weren't expensive. The one you mention, the Pedersoli Country Hunter, and the Lyman's Deerstalker.

I ended up with the Deerstalker as it came with a blend of modern and traditional features. It was light, but not so light that were I to use conicals it would become uncomfortable to shoot at the range.

I'd say if you were looking for a more traditional gun maybe the Pedersoli would be your choice (has a faster twist, but it's fairly light). If fiber optic sights and a recoil pad are to your liking maybe you'd like the Lyman's.

pluckit

I will admit that the trigger needs work but at the range the trigger can be set so there is absolutely no creep. I can only guess the pull to be in the 3 pound range when the trigger is set. Setting the trigger only requires you to pre-pull the travel out of the trigger while holding your thumb over the top of the trigger. I have found that when this is done properly you will not be able to push forward on the rear of the hammer to make it fire. Pulling the trigger too far will permit you to push on the rear of the hammer and cause the hammer to fall. The one problem is that you will not be able to set the safety when you set the trigger this way. Otherwise the trigger does have a lot of travel to it but is not extreamely heavy. As far as the breech plug is concerned, all of the Traditions inlines that I own have had NO breech plug work done to them and are COMPLETELY reliable using Blackorn 209 with any regular or magnum 209 shotgun primers