Thanks for the input guys. A little more info. This would be solely for get some more tags out west here and I’m definitely looking at inline. We have a traditional muzzleloader late season here in Montana but I’m not really interested in that since I am already hunting for 3 months straight...
Looking at buying my first muzzleloader and it looks like there’s a lot to sort through. What deal breakers should I be looking for and what features are out of my price range? Looking to stay below 1k.
Just some food for thought. In the scenario you are describing wouldn't the harvest of these bucks be pretty random then? I don't picture the hunter who would shoot mediocre older buck or a promising 2 year old caring which one he shoots. It's just a matter of which one he comes across first.
To each his own. The world just isn't that black and white or that simple. In most places it's age that makes one buck bigger than the rest not genetic superiority. Also by the time he's old enough to show you he is genetically superior he has already bred does. I'm not saying it doesn't...
Remember the buck is only half of the formula. Hard to "high grade" the does carrying the big buck gene. Also just because a buck doesn't express the gene for big antlers doesn't mean he doesn't have it. He can still pass the gene to his offspring.
More important than thickness is that the target hang and swing freely. If you can get the plate slanted so it isn't square to the impact helps as well. 3/8" AR is pretty much the industry standard.