Looking to buy a muzzleloader

[mitchparker6]

I'm new to the muzzleloader game, but have about 5 years experience with rifles and reloading. Looking at the brands and was wondering what to go with? I've been looking at CVA and knight. I plan to use the muzzle loader in Colorado, new mexico, and iowa. I plan to hunt elk, moose, mule deer and whitetails. Looking to have something that is colorado legal and something that I can slap a scope on easily for iowa and new mexico. Also looking to get something that I can get components for easily right now. Wondering what powder and primers people are using and if they are a available right now or if they'll be hard to get ahold of. Thanks for any help!

 

[pirogue]

I would not have a CVA contaminate my hands. A couple years ago, I watched my son’s misfire twice. He proceeds to take it apart, and it fires. Luckily, no bodily injury, but plenty of property damage.

 

[realunlucky]

I'm the opposite-- I have a cva paramount pro and it's one of the most accurate rifles I've ever shot. I'm thinking about using it on my sheep hunt rather than the rifle i built to take.
I have a knight UL and it's a nice rifle too but in the same league as the paramount.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[Downeaster]

The gun thing is pretty subjective. The main thing I would think is to start buying BH 209 and 209 caps whenever you see them. Im luckily stocked but I hear that the craze has trickled down to ML components as well.
Best of luck

 

[Wapiti1]

Couple of things to think about. Does the rifle you are looking at have options for ignition? i.e. can it use a cap and 209 primer, or just one (may need a conversion kit)? Can it be compliant in 49 states (PA not considered)? It may matter if you want to hunt, say, Idaho.

BH209 is the best of the substitutes. 777 is next, and Pyrodex finishes it off a distant third. However, BH209 and 777 are harder to ignite and need the 209 primer for best results. Caps can do it, but are less reliable. Pyrodex will go boom with a cap reliably. Pyrodex is corrosive as heck, so you have to clean it every time where you can get away with being a bit of a slob with the other two. 777 will leave a heck of a carbon ring at the breech plug if you go too long though. BH209 might as well be smokeless.

One last note, 777 has a shelf life after it is opened. It attracts humidity and gets weak, then just won't ignite.

All powder comments are related to loose powder. I've never shot pellets.

Federal and CCI primers. Winchester 209 primers have been unreliable for me. Other ignition systems are good, but you may be depriming and priming brass cases, or little steel inserts. I like 209 ignition with moderate loads simply because it is easy. High pressure stuff and you need a different system.

Couple of comments on muzzleloaders. The CVA Paramount is nice, I see they offer it in .50 cal now. My money would go to a Knight Mountaineer in .50 cal. The CVA break actions are fine as well, but I like the Knight offerings better. If I were looking for something more spendy, I'd look at the Cooper 22ML or go full custom from Arrowhead or Hankins.

My muzzleloaders are a Savage MLII with a custom .50 cal barrel (smokeless), a .54 cal Lyman Trade Rifle, and a .50 cal custom Billinghurst underhammer.

Have fun. It's addictive. And Read the stuff Sabotloader has on here about bullets, loads and accuracy.

Jeremy

 

[FrontierGander]

CVA Accura V2

 

[shadowfox032]

I just picked up a CVA Accura V2 also. After doing some research, I felt like it has the best bang for the buck.

 

[nphunter]

I recently picked up a knight 45. It meets the needs for me for mostly deer hunting in almost every state. I will be picking up a 50 mountaineer barrel as well so I can use that for elk if I ever decide I want to to.

The quality of the knights are great and the whole gun breaks apart very quickly. The break actions have a lot of issues with firing pin rust and I’ve seen a lot of fail to fire and accidental discharges due to them rusting from lack of maintenance. The knight I can literally break 100% down to clean I’m about 1 minute.

The firing pin comes out to clean very easily without any tools. I plan on shooting a lot and wanted something that would last me a lifetime and be able to easily take care of and be accurate, the knight checked all of those boxes and I’m very happy with my purchase.

One of the biggest drivers for me was watching my buddy have a misfire his break action twice this fall while deer hunting. One time on a nice buck which he happens to kill anyway.

 

[Josh_]

For what it’s worth I shoot a .50 Encore. Had it for 15 years or so.
Solid all the way around, never had a miss fire.
Keep the barrel and breech plug clean and use a good quality primer and you shouldn’t have misfire issues in any quality muzzleloader.

 

[hunt1up]

I've only had a few muzzleloaders and they've all be TCs. I current have a Triumph and an Impact for the kids. I love the Triumph. It has a great balance and feel in the hand. I always enjoy carrying it in the field. The Impact is sweet too. It's a budget model but is just as capable as the higher priced Triumph. Both are extremely accurate with some 250 grain sabots and blackhorn 209.

 

[OXN939]

One last note, 777 has a shelf life after it is opened. It attracts humidity and gets weak, then just won't ignite.

Great SA on lots of stuff in this post. Interested if you have any experience with numbers relating to this specific part about 777's diminishing efficacy. I've killed a deer and run a few ranges this year with a bottle of 777 that was opened in '18, and I live in one of the most humid parts of the country. Groups, chronos and kills just fine it seems. My big complaint about it is the crud ring. Even using the reduced strength primers that are supposed to mitigate how badly it forms, I still get enough of one that reloading in the field for a follow up shot would involve enough force on the ramrod to break something.

 

[Wapiti1]

Great SA on lots of stuff in this post. Interested if you have any experience with numbers relating to this specific part about 777's diminishing efficacy. I've killed a deer and run a few ranges this year with a bottle of 777 that was opened in '18, and I live in one of the most humid parts of the country. Groups, chronos and kills just fine it seems. My big complaint about it is the crud ring. Even using the reduced strength primers that are supposed to mitigate how badly it forms, I still get enough of one that reloading in the field for a follow up shot would involve enough force on the ramrod to break something.

I saw mis-fires with bottles that had been open for 6-9 months. By open, I mean the seal broken. Any bottle that I was running out of in the fall would give me fits next spring and I was storing them in a climate controlled location. I called Hogdon and they said it had about a year shelf life after you open it due to humidity. The sugar component in it gathers moisture and it slowly decomposes. That is also the component that gives you the crud ring. I was surprised, but that is what I got. Range practice probably makes a big difference in how long the bottle is open, etc. That was in about 2014-2015, so it may not be the same formulation, I suppose.

I've since moved to BH209 a couple of years ago.

Jeremy

 

[OXN939]

I saw mis-fires with bottles that had been open for 6-9 months. By open, I mean the seal broken. Any bottle that I was running out of in the fall would give me fits next spring and I was storing them in a climate controlled location. I called Hogdon and they said it had about a year shelf life after you open it due to humidity. The sugar component in it gathers moisture and it slowly decomposes. That is also the component that gives you the crud ring. I was surprised, but that is what I got. Range practice probably makes a big difference in how long the bottle is open, etc. That was in about 2014-2015, so it may not be the same formulation, I suppose.

I've since moved to BH209 a couple of years ago.

Jeremy

Interesting. All aspects of performance of this specific jug- crud ring, accuracy, reliability and velocity- are all identical to when it was opened three years ago. I even shot a few groups over a chrono and verified the velocity. Agreed about BH209, though. If your rifle fires it reliably, OP, it is just very clearly the way to go. More consistent, less hygroscopic, less corrosive and more stable than any other BP substitute out there.

 

[mws-pa]

I really enjoyed shooting my CVA Plains Muzzleloader, got the plug to use Blackhorn 209, seems to like the Winchester primers over the CCI primers

 

[SirFishesALot]

I haven't had any issues with humidity affecting powder or primers. My open cans of primer work without any issues for years until I use them all. That being said I live in Colorado and it isn't exactly humid here.