Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

Hello all, I am curious as to what the lure of muzzle loaders these days is, I have a CVA .50 replica of my fathers from years ago that I helped him build from a kit which spurred us to buy a couple of .45 caliber pistols that we built together. They are a blast to shoot and I can see how cool it would be to take down a big ole buck with the .50 the. The big question is, what is the big deal with these new design muzzle loaders, except for the fact that you load them a little differently than a modern rifle I don't see any unique appeal. This is just my opinion and I'd like to hear from others.

Metro...

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

it extends my season, many people on here like traditional rifles, even flint guns, i love to hunt and i like to put the odds in my favor, during bow season i use a compound with high let-off and good equipment, our m/ler season same deal, but the new style guns are very acurate but they are still not a modern firearm and require alot of tuning, i don't care for flints, but if they were mandated i would use one, just to hunt, and they are fun to shoot....


the big deal is the performance, alot of people live in shotgun only areas but can hunt with a m/ler and they are capable of 200 yrd shots and pretty impressive performance. most are alot more weather-proof also.

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

The lure of modern muzzleloaders are they are different from the traditional muzzleloaders. I shoot flintlocks, I own over 8 cap locks in many calibers, smoothbores, and three modern inline rifles. Why did I buy the inlines? They are different. Just as I like to see what a .50 caliber flintlock is able to do, I also enjoy what a modern inline can do loaded with the right projectile.

I like to see if I can make a rifle accurate. I like to hunt and only hunt with black powder rifles, even when weather and common sense tell me a centerfire today would be a better choice. Inlines are not all that big of an advantage where I hunt. All the shots I would normally make with an inline I could and have made with a sidelock. In fact I normally hunt with a sidelock although this year I gave my inlines a chance as well.

If you like to shoot as much as I do, then stay away from the inlines or you will be owning some of them also. By the way I also shoot black powder revolvers and pistols...

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

My situation is that I hunt for meat and prefer Elk. In Arizona as long as it loads from the muzzle only has one barrel and uses black or a synthetic black it is legal for the muzzleloader seasons. I cannot get drawn for an Elk tag with a rifle however I have been drawn four times in a row for muzzleloader. I use a stainless Omega with a scope and the best bullet and powder available. I limit my shots to 100 yards and any rifle would do at that range with good placement. The Omega with new conicals has a slight edge as to terminal performance and Elk go down hard. Been successful three out of four times.

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

Extends my season,Plus I love to smell the smoke

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

Inlines offer see-thru cleaning, more potent & more waterproof ignition too. Inline ignition is centered to the bullet - giving it better accuracy. With the advent of 209 primers, more powder combustion makes 200 yard shots common with experienced shooters. Also, inlines come with fast twist barrels - ideal for sabot/bullets.... generally more accurate/more penetrable/more coefficient than conicals of yesteryear.

Don't buy a Knight Disc Elite or T/C Omega.... you'll become hooked/addicted to them if you do. This kind of fun puts a sting in your wallet too... your wife may get upset when you try to extend your time outdoors having so much fun. Stay away from the shooting range too! Buying different flavors of sabot/bullets ... different flavors of synthetic powders that make real blackpowder look ancient will likely increase the number of friends you have. Many regulars appear at the range every week with their inlines. They will want to converse with you ... exchange phone numbers.... maybe even hunt with you.

You don't need this kind of mess.... stay away....lol:D:D:D

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

I agree. I hunt with flint rifles and fowlers. Inlines have NO appeal to me. Don't shoot them, don't want them. I don't care if others use them, though.

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

OK I figured one of the reasons would be that it extended the opportunity for deer season and now as I find out it also can improve odds for getting drawn for a tag. Makes sense as there are probably far fewer muzzle loaders than modern rifle hunters. Do they also alow them for use in states that are shotgun only? Maybe cause of shorter range. I hope I did'nt offend any muzzle loaders, I am actually looking into buying one of the cheaper models I have seen in Cabellas to fool around with. Thanks.

Metro

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

Honestly I just think they're fun to shoot. I don't shoot anything but muzzleloaders these days. Between the 4 inlines and the sidelock here I have plenty of fun.

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

I originally bought an inline to extend my hunting season and got hooked! My Encore can shoot 1" groups at 100 yards so my slug gun sits in the safe now. :D Most of Maryland is shotgun only so if a deer was more than 80 yards away, I just sat there and watched it. Now I feel comfortable taking a shot at one. I think that inlines are easier to shoot, easier to clean and can be more accurate than a similiarly priced percussion or flintlock. I have seen some pretty accurate percussion M/L's but they cost several thousand dollars.

As far as your original question about why an inline. I bought mine as my first M/L because inlines were available. If only percussion or flintlocks were around, I probably would have bought one of them. There are a lot of M/L shoots at my range and I'm leaning towards buying a .36 caliber percussion that I could also use for squirrel hunting.

And last, about your comment for a cheap M/L. My first inline was a .50 caliber CVA Magbolt 150. It shot great and I got a spike with it my first year. I was just a little dissapointed with the quality but what do you want for $140. :D

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

They offer better performance, slightly better reliability and are easier to clean than a side lock cap and ball. They also feel more like a centerfire rifle which I prefer. I live in lower michigan where you can not use centerfire rifles. Either a muzzle loader or a shotgun. And until recently the Inlines offered slightly better performance than a slug gun at the expensive of not having a quick follow up shot.

I don't even hunt muzzle loader season, I'm a wuss and don't like the crappy weather. I use my ML during regular gun season. It's pretty deadly out to 150 yards easy without having to compensate for bullet drop. Just put the cross hairs in the middle of the vitals from 25 to 150 yards and squeeze the trigger. There really isn't a need for a follow up shot. Kills em dead every time.

I have owned a few side locks that were kits when I was younger. I never hunted with them because I wasn't really into that when I was young. I also owned a few pistols and still have one. They are a blast to shoot and can be shot fairly well if you know the weapon well enough. However the inlines are a bit better in performance. And MUCH easier to clean. Not to mention most have better triggers as well. Oh and they are usually lighter and easier to carry.

To each his own I guess. I personally don't like to make hunting harder than it needs to be. I will use the most effecient weapon at my disposal that is legal to hunt with. Others like the challenge and just being outdoors. More power to them I say. But if I didn't want to take game I would go out with a camera instead of a weapon. It sure would be cheaper in the long run.

On a side note though, I feel your shots should be limited even with a rifle, Like say to two. I don't know how often when I am out during the opening of gun season I hear someone shoot, then they fire 4 or 5 more rounds in six seconds! There is nothing in this area that requires six shots in 10 seconds to be killed. One shot should be suffecient and maybe a second one handy incase your first was a bit off and you needed to finnish the animal off quickly. If you can't hit a deer sized target with one shot from a rifle I think you should look for a new hobby or pick your shots better. Just my opinion any way.

Paul

RE: Lure modern muzzle loaders?
 

I think that ML offers many things. First of all, they are a lot of fun to shoot. There is nothing like the sound and smell of smoke after taking a shot. Secondly, here in NY, it's Shotgun or ML only. I'm with Paul here. I want the most efficient weapon possible and to me, a ML is more accurate than a slug gun. So this year, it's ML only for me.

I got my muzzle loader from my dad before inlines were the craze, so my ML is a sidelock. He never killed a deer with it, and this year, i'm going to try to get one with it in rememberence of him. After the season's over, i'll seriously take a look at the inlines since I think they are easier to shoot and the sidelock I have isn't holding up the best (CVA Frontier Hunter Carbine). It's overall a good gun, but rather hard to clean.

Whatever you decide, I strongly encourage you to at least try MLing just for fun, if never to hunt with.