What muzzle loader is a good one to start out with? Nothing over $400

Hell of a lot less and a great starter! CVA Wolf Break Action. Bass Pro $199 Nickel
Break Barrel. Great starter!
CVA WOLF 50 CAL BREAK BARREL
Easy to use.
Eric S. Stacy

I second that. I've had mine since last season and have dropped3 deer with it

Thompson Center Omega 50 Cal. Blows the CVA away... I betyou wouldbe much happier with the TC. Just my opinion of course...


chris

Check out the Traditions Pursuit XLT. Pkg. with scope under $400

All of the above are great, once you've found the right load and bullet combo. You should be able to pick out pretty much any muzzleloader for the amount you specified! Do some searching!

Do yourself a favor, go around to different places and actually shoulder them and see which feels good. When you find a few that feel good, research those specific ones.

But, as mentioned above, any listed in the previous posts will work great.

I paid $100 for my CVA Wolf and took my first deer with it this past Friday morning. I spent more on the Nikon Pro Staff scope for it. There is many muzzleloaders to be had for $400 or less. I bought mine as a impulse buy not knowing squat about them. If I was going out to look at one today I'd consider these. The CVA Wolf, the CVA Optima, TC Omega, and the TC Triumph. I'm sure the Knights and others have some just as good. Check out the black powder forum further down on this site and ask the same question. Get some feed back and then go to a sporting goods store and shoulder some and see how they feel. You might find that a $200 gunfeels better to you than a $400 gun. Be warned, black powder shooting is lots of fun and I kick myself all the time waiting so long before buying one. I'm actually going to keep an eye on the TC Omega and Triumph for a "after the season sales" and maybe pick me up another one.

I recently purchased the new T/C Triumph w/ the speed breech ($379 at Bass Pro). This is by far the easiest muzzleloader to clean!! The breech comes out with a twist of your fingers - no tools required!! The gun shot great out of the box. I equipped the gun w/ a cheap shotgun scope ($30 at local gun shop)and I am accurate (hitting a 12" pie plate)to 125 yards. I use3pellets (50 grains ea) and the T/CShockwave bullets. I love this gun.

Shouldering a muzzleloader alone should not dictate your purchase. Ease of cleaning, like an easily removeable breech plug and a seal primer chamber to keep the weather out are just 2 requirements I would look at.
These things use corrosive powder and I have seen many a barrel ruined by neglect because it was a PIA to clean.

The Omega, Encore and prohunter along with several other makes out there all are good weapons. Find out which bullets the manufacturer recommends for best accuracy and hit the range and have some fun. Clean the gun with a wet patch followed by a dray after each round, and scrub it after every tenth round to break it in right. Don't go crazy with a scope. Get a quality 1.5X6 or 2X7 that has a good objective size for light gathering ability. The low end will get you on deer fast and the higher magnification will be there when an animal is further out and you have a little time to crank it up to get a better shot placement.

Knock one down
T.