I went out this morning to try 2 different bullets in my Knight Mountaineer .45 Cal 1:20 Twist, One of my Favorite Paper Patch Bullets that i have been Shooting for Several years, i have shot this exact same bullet to 500 Yards in my 1:30 Twist GM LRH Barrel in a TC Hawken Stock, With Peep Sights. I have turned out some impressive Groups over the last few years with this Particular Bullet, I started Shooting this Bullet not long after i Started shooting Muzzleloaders, This Bullet FLAT OUT Shoots! This morning’s go around proved no different in this New Knight Mountaineer 1:20 Twist. If i were a competitive Shooter i would NO DOUBT Shoot these against ANY Bullet out there, BRING IT ON! These things will hang with ANYTHING!!


The Bullet after i Patch them, I short patch these. I get these Bullets by the Box of 50 from Buffalo Arms, they are a Swaged Cupped Base Bullet, .444-400 (.444 Diameter, 400 Grains) Quality Control with these is IMPECCABLE, The majority will weigh to the 10th of a Grain of eachother (Again, they are Swaged, NOT CAST)


If i do my part, this little Bullet will do it’s


The little 300 Grain Grease Groove Bullet was a NO GO, It played out about like i figured it would, But i needed to know for sure. NO DOUBT i could get this MUCH better, but this was just me wanting to Tinker around with something Different. I have MUCH Better Bullets, And Several of them for this Particular Rifle, and Rate of Twist.

When you get these Paper Patch Bullets dialed in they can be Lazer Accurate, As I’ve said MANY times before, It was Idahoron’s Paper Patch stuff that Got me interested in Muzzleloaders. I have been Tinkering with Paper Patch Bullets of ALL Sorts, Shapes, and Sizes about Non Stop from my very Beginning in this stuff. I have pretty much lived and Breathed these Paper Patch Bullets. I love them for Target/Bench Shooting. Truth is they aren’t for everyone, there is a LOT more you need to know with these PP Bullets to get them Right than a Grease Groove. In my experience, They can be a Finicky Bullet to get Right, But can be VERY Rewarding if you take the Time to learn them.

Buying these Swaged, Cupped Base Bullets from Buffalo Arms takes the majority of Tinkering out of the equation. If you buy the Bullets from BACO all you really need is 9# Onion Skin Paper for Patching them, a Template for cutting the Papers, and a sizer Die so you can Adjust Fit to your Bore, You want these PP Bullets to just barely hold the bore going down, Your thumb and index finger on the Range Rod is all that’s needed, If you are having to push, you have them to tight. You want them to Just “Kiss” the Rifling on the way down.

These .444s with my particular paper (Old Vintage 9# onion Skin) Finish at .451, This is just Patched and measured, No Sizing. This is IDEAL for this New Knight Mountaineer with the Larger .452 Bore, Just Patch, Twist/Tuck the Tail, And They are Ready to Load. But these are to Big for my GM LRH, Which is a .451 bore, When i shoot these in the LRH i push them Through a .449-.450 Sizer just to “Iron” The paper and get me at .450

These Bullets Shot VERY ACCURATELY to 500 Yards in my GM LRH, I am Looking forward to seeing what i can do with these in this New Mountaineer, Now that I know they Shoot well in it

I sure wish we lived closer My Brother! You would get a KICK OUT of Shooting this Rifle, This Knight Mountaineer is SOOOO Modern it doesn’t even feel like a Muzzleloader to me, This thing is nicer than my Current Centerfires, NO JOKE!

I had made up my Mind i was done with the Plunger Guns, They were such a miserable “BLEEP” to clean after Shooting Real Blackpowder that i had Quit taking them out, I DREADED The thought of Stripping them down and Cleaning the Nasty things. In the summer when it was nice out, and i could Sit Outside it wasn’t as bad, But doing it in my House in the Winter Months was MISERABLE! The Old MK-85, and White Super 91 Were assigned Lonely Corners of my Safe, I knew in my Heart that i was Done with Them, I decided to get Rid of Both of them. I Thought to myself, if I’m gonna have an in-line Rifle, i want a MODERN up to Date, Sealed Breech, BH209 Compatible Gun, One I could Mount a NICE Scope on and Not have to Wrap Duct Tape around it to keep from Scorching it!

If i were a Collector of inline Rifles i would have Kept the Ole MK-85 and Super 91, They are Both Iconic Old Guns, But fact is i am NOT a Collector of inlines, i am a Shooter of them. I was HAPPY to see them go to a New Home, I wouldn’t have another one! Unless i was Rescuing it from Doom, and it was dirt cheap

This Knight Mountaineer is a TON OF FUN! It is so easy to clean that it feels like Cheating . I definitely made the Right decision in Purchasing this Rifle

In short, Our Fast Twist GM Barreled TC Sidelock Muzzleloaders (Aka “Hotrod” Hawken/Renegades) Are FAR AND AWAY SUPERIOR to the Plunger Guns, I don’t even see it as Close. That is my Humble opinion of course, But it’s from LOTS of hands on Experience with Both gun types. I wouldn’t trade 1 of my Burned out Sidelock Nipples for a Complete Plunger Gun

The Above is NOT the case with this New Sealed Breech Knight Mountaineer, This thing is a VERY Different Animal. And ADDICTING