Knight Muzzleloaders.....scheming to buy one
 

As I sit here drinking morning coffee a reoccurring thought has come to mind. Does the brand still got it guys? I still have my LK-93 and loved it, but wanted a newer 209 ignition muzzloader. A few years ago I purchased a CVA Accura 2 and it has been reliable but I heard so many negative things about CVA and not owning American doesn't feel right. I see Knight offers several models and I am interested in the Disk Extreme. If I can get any money out of the CVA it will help fund for a scope for my Knight. That is the plan, does it sound like a good one.

IMO, they are fantastic. The Extreme is a great gun, if you get it...I recommend getting the bare primer ignition setup. I heard Knight has a decent deal going on Extreme's right now, but I haven't looked into it. All my Knights shoot very good if I do my job. I am shooting BH209 in my Disc style rifles, still using pyrodex in my MK85's.

My favorite is the Ultra-Lite. Not sure what style hunting you do, but for me that is the ultimate rifle...if I was buying new.

Is the Ultra-Lite a bruiser at 6 pounds? Probably not so much after scope mounts, scope, and a sling are added. Good point, I would rather have a light muzzleloader because it would suit my needs better. A lot of my hunting is up close and quick shooting. I will have to decide between the disc extreme and the ultra-lite.

If you enjoy tearing the rifle down for clean up, yes the Knights are fine rifles. I bought my first Knight (a little ol Wolverine) back in the early 90s. Took a truckload of deer with that lil gun plus a 368" bull in the Gila in NM. But eventually I grew tired of having to tear that thing down for proper cleanup: pull the scope off (via QRW Leupold rings), pull the trigger assembly, remove the bolt, pull the breech plug THEN begin cleaning & then reassemble all that after it all laid out & dried for an hour or so. :s6: The "Littlehorn" is Knights modern version of my 22" Wolverine. One thing I really must admit is that thing sure handled like a dream! Quick, fast & light in the woods. With a 209 conversion, 2 pellets of 777 & 250grn Barnes there was NOTHING inside of 150yds that was going to get away from that lil gun!

Some might love it, "part of the craft" they say. That's fine & more power to them. However I have other things I'd rather spend my time doing. So I bought a smokeless Savage ML-2 around 2003 & NEVER looked back. Now my 15yr old son has been bitten by the mzldr bug after he nailed a 152 inch 13pt with my Savage on our farm weekend before last. But since the Savs are no longer built, prices skyrocketed & the price tag for custom smokeless guns are idiotic, I think I'm going to buy him a TC Impact. A simple break action with quick plug removal & by shooting BH209 cleanup should only involve a few patches & a few shots of brake cleaner. (The standard cleanup equip for my Savage)

My Knights with the bare primer system stay as clean in the breach as either of my Savages.

Around 40 shots and its still relatively clean.



Kinda hard for the breach to get dirty when the primers look like this.


This has been the norm in my 54cal, 2 45s, 52cal LRH and an Extreme 50cal. All using the Lehigh bare primer conversion. Some of the loads were very stiff and a few exceed Westerns load data.

The T/C Impact still requires a tool for plug removal and another to remove the stock correct? How is that easier than a knight with a bare primer breach plug? QR Warnes rings and bases make the scope a non issue.

Knight triggers are removed with the same tool as the receiver screw. Seems really darn simple to me. The bolt can be removed and dissembled/cleaned without any tools.

I own lighter ML rifle that shoots similar weight bullets much faster and its not that bad at all. IIRC B&C makes that stock for Knight.

I was wrong about the muzzleoader I currently own. It is an Optima 2 and weighs 6.65 pounds out of the box. I think it recoil is very tame so the Ultra-Lite should be what I need. Thanks for pointing that out WV Hunter

I never see Knight Muzzleloaders at any LGS around and I don't want to drive an hour to Cabelas or Bass Pro to gamble if they have one in stock. Where is a good place to get one...Specifically Central Indiana.

Do you have a Sportsman's Warehouse in your area? They carry Knight rifles?

Unless you have a dealer close enough to drive to, you'll probably have to order. I know there are some online retailers that offer Knights at decent prices, but not sure who has what at this point and what type of prices you might have to pay.

I'd probably go to Knight direct - then you could get the bare primer ignition when you order and I think they ship for free. Most every store would have them with the full plastic jacket ignition I would guess, which means you have to order the nfpj setup from knight which is about $40 iirc.

Maybe someone else can chime in with options. I like the green stock :D

I have owned and shot the Ultra-Lite since they came out. I honestly do not find them 'bruising" at all in fact they are a joy for me. My hunting load is 120 grains of T7 and a Lehigh .458x305 grain bullet. I think part of this is in the design of the Kevlar stock and aluminum mounting block embedded in the stock. Some, and I to a large part of the recoil, is directed downward into the pistol grip of the stock.

The weight and the 24" barrel make it really adaptable to the type of hunting you describe and is pretty much what I deal with everyday hunting in the timber. Yet if I were presented a 200 yard target there would be not hesitation in that shot at all.

You could try

Miller Custom Knives
Nappanee,IN

He is the dealer that ordered the 1-20 Mountaineers and he shoots a Knight at the Friendship inline matches.

i'd stay away from sportsmans warehouse, they are horrible when it comes to getting you a good knight. They've been known to send out rifles that wont fire or bolts that are stuck. Keep an eye out on auctions or even the classified ad's on the forums, you'd be better off.

The Knight ML's that Sportsman's has or get are no different than any that you might bet any place else. The problem is found in the Western Edition rifles, but not in the 209 edition rifles.

If you were to purchase a Western Edition - try igniting caps as soon as you can and if there is any problem at all return it to Sportsman's with your receipt and there will be no problem exchanging it.

:s7:What's a 5 percenter anyways? I musn't be one or I guess I'd know what one was.:s7:

Art a while back one of the posters on this forum indicated that only 5% of all the muzzleloaders did somethings that he didn't do. So after reading his post a lot of folks added the comment about being a member of the 5% club - which turns out to be many more than 5%...

Your not up on the new Knights. Easier to clean then any brake open for sure. The old ones though you are correct.

The Knight Ultralite is the best production ML on the market today. But the Disc Extreme is a great ML as well. I would look for a Lehigh conversion for the Extreme and your set for life.

I fail to see how ANY bolt action MLer could be easier to clean than a break open action. My Pro Hunter is about as simple and easy as it gets. Lot more parts to break down and clean on a bolt. Not saying one is better than the other per say but a break is, to me anyway, MUCH simpler to clean.

Knights completely break down with two tools including the trigger assembly, breach plug and bolt assembly.
It takes less than 5 minutes to remove both assemblies and completely clean them. The Knight bolt actually requires no tool to remove or clean.

How long does it take to remove the firing pin and trigger assembly from an Encore for a thorough cleaning? How many tools does it require?

If you really want to see easy, get a NULA. Mine has zero blowby. Absolutely none and with smokeless powder it gets cleaned when i feel like it. Shoot it and give it a quick wipe down. Even the breach plug channel stays clean enough for many many shots.

Well I can drop my assembly out in about 30 seconds with one little tool. Completely disassemble the trigger assembly in about 1 and a half minutes with a small punch tool, clean it all up and put it back together in about the same amount of time. And that's with overly large sausage fingers! But most people don't break down their trigger assemblies. They spray a cleaner in and blow the assembly out then add a drop or 2 of oil. If for some reason you have found the encore trigger assembly difficult to break down, Mike has a wonderful guide up (with pictures) for doing just that :D http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/images...jobmanual2.pdf

Does anybody know where I can get a bolt assembly for a Disc Extreme?

o ring or the shims in our optima, accura and wolf make them pretty much the simplest muzzy to clean. Remove BP, hot soapy water with a brush after using the drill bit, dry it and I am finished with that part. A few patches of 2 in 1 bore scrubber and bam, its finished. I do however take my time as I prefer to treat them right and make sure its done right. If I worried about how long it took to clean a muzzy, I wouldnt be shooting one.

I know Knight sells them labeled as a "conversion" kit. You can find on ebay and such sometimes... not sure where else might have them.

I've owned a bunch of the pro hunters and encores they are much harder to clean then the new Knight ultralight for example

Numrich also sells them but i think its about the same price as Knight. http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/1372040.htm

And i can do the exact same thing with a Knight bolt and trigger so i fail to see how a break action is easier to clean. Ive owned both styles of MLs. Both are very simple to clean if you have the 209 tolerance (head space) set correctly. Its pretty simple to do with a Knight,,,Just use a Win209 or shim the primer pocket for the primer of your choice.

The breach will stay virtually spotless

Now with the breach, bolt and trigger out of the equation we only have a barrel/breach plug left. Never seen any difference in cleaning one barrel over another. The difference in a toolless plug vs a plug needing a socket is so small i would rather have a better designed plug like the Lehigh, Savage or Omega plug.