CO elk MZL: Inline or Trad?

[TomJoad]

If you go the layman route, they make a faster twist barrel if you want to shoot conical bullets also. Then you can hunt elk with a .50 cal. ( more bullets available, in .50) But I would for sure go traditional, I have both and favor trad. ( bow hunter at heart) And I love really nice wood stocks, there are a few custom trad. builders that you may check out also. Track of the wolf has some for sale usually. I have never had a miss fire with my percussion cap rifles. Just make sure there is no oil in the barrel before loading. Snap off a cap or two before you load, and you should have no issues.https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/492/2/LYMAN-TRADE-50-P inexpensive one, but still very well made and reliable.

Appreciate the perspective @Stalker69. It’s my understanding that it’s best to get a slow twist barrel 1-48 for accurate patch and ball shooting and conversely a fast twist barrel 1-24 for full bore conicals. Is there a compromise twist that could shoot both? I’d assume both would suffer for accuracy but please correct me if I’m wrong?

Also interested in getting perspective on recoil between .54 cal round ball vs .50 cal with a full bore conical? Thinking the .50 cal should punch harder with more powder and velocity but also a bit concerned with the steel butt plates on a lot of trad guns. I’m not super recoil sensitive (used to light Mtn guns) but I’ve also shot plenty of older center fire rifles without pachmyer’s and they get uncomfortable pretty quickly on the bench.

 

[FrontierGander]

1:48 twist will shoot both conical ( Had great luck up with 460gr ) and patched round ball with superb accuracy.

If you want to shoot strictly patched round ball, a .54cal is a nice upgrade, especially in Colorado as its the minimum caliber for elk when shooting patched round balls.

The steel/brass buttplate is no issue when held correctly. Its not put into your shoulder like a modern rifle is, but held more on your upper arm.

 

[Stalker69]

I have a .50, .54 and .58. I really don’t notice a big difference in recoil. The 50 and 54 I shoot conicals, the .58 patched round balls. Shoot 90-110 gr. between them. And yes if you want to shoot round balls get at least the .54 cal. you could even go bigger as round balls are easy to find or mold your own.

 

[TomJoad]

Well certainly appreciate all the feedback. Just letting you all know I’m now ruminating and waiting for stock situations to improve as most trad and inline I’m interested in isn’t in stock anyway. I’m still very much undecided... part of me thinks I should start inline, higher reliability for a nubie & lighter for backpacking... the other part of me is interested in packing a trad gun in the backcountry and shooting round ball. I’ll let you know where I land but if you see something pop up in classifieds or elsewhere that’s tempting PLEASE post it up! It may push me one direction or another.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Man, from what I've heard you say, I think you're gonna end up with a full trad MZ before it's all over. Might as well jump in on the deep end.

 

[30338]

Regarding shooting and hangfires. If I load mine properly using Swiss black and a cci cap, I am having very fast ignition. I use my rigs on highly desireable game animals and if I felt handicapped by them, I'd switch to something else. I don't though.

Pretty sure I am quite a bit older than you. Something wrong with toting 9 pounds of death along on a backpack hunt lol? As a side note, the previous owner named him Lloyd after the 1970s barrel maker that made the barrel. I don't name rifles but I do refer to this one as Lloyd out of respect to both gentlemen.

 

[30338]

A guy could do way worse than something like this to start with:

THOMPSON CENTER .54CAL PERCUSSION RIFLE

THOMPSON CENTER .54CAL PERCUSSION RIFLE for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

 

[TomJoad]

Pretty sure I am quite a bit older than you. Something wrong with toting 9 pounds of death along on a backpack hunt lol?

9 is reasonable... 11.6 which Lyman has listed, that’s bringing a bench rig into the field! No idea on your age but I’m well past the halfway mark at this point and even though I stay in reasonable shape and am not a flatlander, I do what I can to keep my kit light. Lighter ultimately means longer and better quality time in the backcountry, I don’t go crazy but I do what I can.

Curious also to get your insights from BP hunting with a trad rig since you seem to be a bit of a unicorn at least in this post. I’m assuming you leave a powder charge and ball in your rig for the duration of the hunt. Do you change your CCI cap daily? Any other things you do to keep this gun reliable for multiple days in the field (besides a nitrile glove finger over the barrel)?

A guy could do way worse than something like this to start with:

THOMPSON CENTER .54CAL PERCUSSION RIFLE

THOMPSON CENTER .54CAL PERCUSSION RIFLE for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

Thanks for the link! How’s the quality on older TC guns? I’ve never shot a TC and don’t have a frame of reference for build, barrel or trigger quality.

 

[TomJoad]

A guy could do way worse than something like this to start with:

THOMPSON CENTER .54CAL PERCUSSION RIFLE

THOMPSON CENTER .54CAL PERCUSSION RIFLE for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

Another question for you all: If I buy a used ML... What should I be looking for or asking about beyond bore condition? Nipple seized? trigger and lock function? Anything else?

 

[30338]

Tom, shot you a pm. Those would all be good questions to ask.

 

[CoHiCntry]

If you end up going the traditional route... muzzleloadingforum.com is a good place to find a gun for sale. T/C either Renegade, Hawken or similar are routinely listed on there in the $300-$400 range. Lots of other guns too but the custom ones are a lot more $$$.

 

[KChunter71]

That makes sense, I hadn't considered hang fire, lots to learn here.


Appreciate the feedback. I don't currently have plans to hunt out of CO for MZL as I'm mostly an in state hunter for budget and time reasons. There is a possibility for WY as we have a cabin there that is a great home base but I'll likely stick to rifle there. If I end up moving to a state with stricter regs I can always invest in a second smoke pole! The knights look pretty nice. I have a bit of a work discount I can leverage for CVA which was pushing me in that direction but the knight UL seems like a great option.

As for weather I mtn hunt the rockies here early fall to deep winter and I don't have big issues managing moisture with our storm cycles. For rifle I have a crazy light < 2oz Dyneema sleeve I keep my rifle in during storms. It's lovingly referred to as the "gundom" by my buddies who give me endless s#%& for my homemade gear

You must share a picture of this sleeve! Haha

I think you will be happy with the CVA

 

[TomJoad]

You must share a picture of this sleeve! Haha

I think you will be happy with the CVA

You reminded me I needed to make a post in the DIY section on this project and a new windicator I made for 2020 that worked out great. As it ends up the gun sleeve isn't 2oz... this made me actually put it on the scale and it was 7 GRAMS or 0.28 oz!

Dyneema Gundom: https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/diy-dyneema-gundom.198462/

ULW Windicator: https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/diy-milkweed-dyneemacator.198469/

 

[marshland_max]

Regarding shooting and hangfires. If I load mine properly using Swiss black and a cci cap, I am having very fast ignition. I use my rigs on highly desireable game animals and if I felt handicapped by them, I'd switch to something else. I don't though.

Pretty sure I am quite a bit older than you. Something wrong with toting 9 pounds of death along on a backpack hunt lol? As a side note, the previous owner named him Lloyd after the 1970s barrel maker that made the barrel. I don't name rifles but I do refer to this one as Lloyd out of respect to both gentlemen.

And Lloyd is a Lefty dang man make a dude jealous ................!!!!!

 

[3lungs]

New to the site, hunt traditional muzzleloader and ran across this thread. Curious 4+ years later how things turned out for you TomJoad?

 

[TaperPin]

Get a Lyman gpr 54 cal percussion and shoot round balls. Add the Lyman tang peep site. Super easy, reliable, very accurate. You can reliably shoot triple 7 out of it with #11 cci caps if you don’t have access to real black powder.

I second that combination. The accuracy often surprises people.

I have to wonder where the interest in round balls for big game is coming from. They have been low on the list of things that kill elk for a very long time. Something like a maxi-ball is accurate and has a lot more behind it than a simple round ball.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I own an inline which is nice. I really really want a trad. Pedersoli’s are pricey but seems like there are some decent traditions out there, I’d probably lean towards a Hawkens 50 cal but definitely something that can take 777