johnnydialtone

Wise Muzzleloaders,

New to this site and to muzzleloading.Will be muzzleloading next year for the first time. I am an avid whitetail hunter looking for another excuse to spend more time in the stand.
Been trying to decide which muzzleloader to get by talking with friends, sporting goods stores and searching the web for reviews on various muzzleloaders for info.
I will spend some money if it is worth it. Not one to trade or sell guns much. Been shooting the same .308 and 870 for the past 24 years so want to make a good decision.
It will be a .50 cal. Was thinking Blued / Black but could go with stainless if it is worth it. I hear it is easier to clean. My other guns are blued but they use smokeless powders.
So far everyone is steering me towards the T/C Omega. I looked at the gun and it felt pretty good.
Have a couple of concerns though:
1) The trigger guard seems a little small for gloved fingers. I live in Minnesota where it gets cold during muzzleloader season. To get the hammer back quietly I need my finger on the trigger and the space is limited. Any opinions or solutions?
2) When I shoulder the Omega it feels pretty good but when I shouldered the CVA Optima it feels like my head was in a more upright natural sighting position. Seems like I hear of some manufacturing / conistancy probs with CVA though. I have also thought about the Traditions Pursuit. Any opinions?
3) I don't know about the factory sites on the Omega. I use a scoped rile most of the time. I have used open sites on a very old 30/30 and they were nothing like the Omega fiber optic sites. Are the Omega sites good open sites? In Minnesota we can't use scopes during muzzleloader season so good open site are important to me. I set my stands in positions where I feel comfortable I can make a clean shot. If certain open sites and practice will help more that out I'm all for it. Any suggestions?

Any input is appreciated!

RAKTRAKR

i havent heard anything bad about the omega,but reading on this and other sites tells me its a good choice. If you like the feel of the optima but afraid of the performance, take a look at the TC encore. Its not much more than the omega

MLKeith

I have a stainless synthetic stock Omega. Mine was one of the first ones available. There have been some breechplug design changes made from the first ones. Most T/C barrels are fairly tight compared to other rifle manufacturers. Sabots have to be selected to fit the rifle or you will have trouble loading. Stainless is only easier to clean because you can see the powder on the exterior which does not seem like a big deal to me. I just like stainless firearms. I think the stainless barrels take a little longer to shoot smooth as stainless tends to machine rough compared to blue (carbon steel barrels). Most like the thumbhole laminated stock due to weight and solid feel. I personally like the synthetic stock but it does have a slight noise condition when bumped in heavy brush. Some have filled the hollow part and some have added weight at the same time. I also have a Pursuit LT which came with a terrible trigger (from reports many other Pursuits were the same with awful triggers heavy and rough) I would only consider a Pursuit if I could check the trigger before buying. It shoots OK now but fixing the trigger is significant. If I was out to buy a single muzzleloader and I only wanted it for hunting and did not want to switch barrels to a centerfire barrel I would still buy the Omega. If I wanted to switch barrels I would look at the Encore although they tend to feel a lot like the Optima. I like the T/C customer service and warantee. Accuracy with an Omega is not a problem. They are tack drivers and will shoot almost anything I can get down the barrel with decent accuracy. I tend to shoot 295gr. bullets and heavier as I usually hunt Elk not deer.

Tahquamenon

Handle as many ML's as you can get your hands on. Try to bring your hunting coat and gloves as well. When you figure out which ones feel the best. Narrow your list down to specifics.

My personal choice if I were investing today knowing what I know;
Thompson/Center Omega or Encore. I've hunted and shot both and own the bottom of the line Blue/Black Omega. Shoots very good. What I saved on stainless and the Encore I spent on Optics. Thompson Center service is one of the best companies I've ever delt with not only from firearms manufacturers but any company. Lifetime no questions asked warranty to the original owner.

Knight Elite or Extreme. These are very good shooting handling as well. Knight service is good. Lifetime warranty.

Savage 10ML. The Abrahms Tank of ML's. A real good shooter. Savage service is supposedly very good as well. 1 year warranty.

Brutus-Pedersoli Denali. Nice handling. Available from Cabela's. I don't know anything more about them.

Lots of info in this and other forums.

Also check out http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2h.muzzleloader.htm Randy Wakeman has done many evaluations on several ML's.

johnnydialtone

Thanks for the replies. I went with the Stainless / Synthetic Omega. Haven't shot yet but was thinking of trying with Powerbelt 295s and 2 triple 7 pelets to start. Found some good info on starting points on Chuckhawks.

What is the benefit of hollow points? From what I have read they are designed NOT to exit the animal. If muzzleloaders don't have the "shock" or knockdown power of say an 30.06 and the animal may travel a little longer after impact I would think a .50+" exit wound would leave a nice blood trail to follow. What is wrong with 2 holes?

tofer

as for the trigger gloves i wear a good warm glove on left hand ( or carry hand) and a lighter tight glove on the gun hand (right hand and i keep it in my pocket where its warmer

when im ready to shoot no probss getin it in the trigger
mechanix gloves are good but not the warmest a neoprene might be better blocks wind but makes the hand sweat

MLKeith

I bought some lightweight but insulated gloves from Walmart that work good with the Omega. They probably are not good enough for 0 degrees but work fine at 25 to 30. I live in Arizona and usually get snow mixed with rain when I get to hunt elk. I shot an elk with a 300gr. Hornady SST in a Harvester sabot (can't load Hornady with their own sabot in my rifle, they are too tight). Bullet passed completely through chest cavity at 100 yards. I have also had similar pass through with aero tip Powerbelts 295gr. I am considering switching to hollow point for next year. The pass through did make a good blood trail but I only got one lung on the first shot so I had to follow the trail for about 1/2 mile before I caught up with the elk. I think for deer you will get pass through with almost anything unless you hit heavy bone. Unless you are expecting to shoot very long distance I doubt that the aero tips do much for you other than limiting the expansion which I do not think is a good thing on deer. My opinion; I'm sure you will get others.

Tahquamenon

All things being equal, shot placement is the most critical regardless of what you are shooting.
The top end of the heart is what I am shooting for or else head shots if they are closer.

With hollowpoints, more rapid expansion is usually the result (Depending on the manufacturer) which can prevent them from exiting but also capable of delivering high energy impacts. However, I've also had dozens of hollowpoints that have exited deer.

The two hole theory is fine unless you hit them higher up. The chest cavity can hold a large amount of blood until you start seeing a trail and deer can do quite a bit of running around until that happens.

My .02

12 pointer

You wont regret getting that Omega. I got the thumbhole/fluted SST barrel Omega and its awesome. I shoot groups around 3/4" with Hornady SST 250 gr or shockwaves. I prefer the hornady sst because they are the exact same only cheaper and a different colored tip.

Rwalter63

As Tahquamenon, check out Randy Wakeman's article and check out the rest of the articles on that site before you buy a muzzleloader. There are some real eye opening articles and reviews which should steer you toward the gun that best fits your needs and wants. Spend and hour or two reading some of the articles, Randy is very highly thought of in the muzzleloading community.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2h.muzzleloader.htm

Personally if I had an unlimited budget, I go with an TC Encore. Unfortunately I don't. I looked at the Omega and I had the same concerns as you did. I have fat fingers and I live near Buffalo, NY so during hunting season there is alway some sort of glove on. If your on a budget I'd check out the NEF Sidekick which is a center break style using good old American Steel made in the USA. I own one and am very happy with it performance. It is based on the NEF Huntsman and Handi Rifles. Chuckhawks has a nice review on it. The TC Omega's from all the people I've talked to are great guns, Knight makes a great muzzleloader also from what I been told by my friends who own them.