Muzzleloader recommendation needed

[peaceman]

Drew a moose tag and in need of a muzzleloader that will reach out to 200 with open sights. must be 45 cal or larger.
I looked a little at a CVA MRX or LRX. I see that Blackhorn is now $200/lb so that probably is out. what other powder are folks using.
THanks for the thoughts and comments.

 

[ElDiablito]

Congrats. What state?

Just about any off-the-shelf muzzy will be good to 200 yards. CVAs are junk. I’d look at Woodman Arms, TC or Knight. Or find a used White.

Get a good rear peep and fine front fiber optic like the Williams Western Precision globe. 777 works fine if you don’t want to spring for B$209.

 

[peaceman]

The tag is here in Alaska. The ability to go 300 yards would be a bonus. I'll take a look and see what i can find and i'll look at those Williams sites.

 

[ElDiablito]

Sights and bullet are probably the biggest decisions.

 

[Macegl]

I have a TC encore and an older knight disc. Both are accurate, and I would recommend either one.
The knight has taken more tinkering to get where I wanted it. But it can be set up for different ignition sources to be legal in different areas, so I knew going in that I would be trying quite a few different setups. The encore was pretty good right out of the box.

I shoot 777 due to the price of blackhorn and have always had good results. The only downside is it leaves a crud ring that can make the first cleaning patch a little difficult until you get the hang of it.

 

[Str8shtr]

777 is the next best thing after bh209. A smokeless ML with bh209 is an amazing thing, especially if you want to shoot distance. For a standard ml ...The new knights have went through the roof on pricing...maybe you can find an older one. I bought a knight bighorn for $350 some time ago.

 

[270-300]

The tag is here in Alaska. The ability to go 300 yards would be a bonus. I'll take a look and see what i can find and i'll look at those Williams sites.

Quit kidding yourself and use a 30 06.
If your not going to enjoy muzzle loaders for what they are you are just ruining it for the guys who do.

 

[mtnbound]

Drew a moose tag and in need of a muzzleloader that will reach out to 200 with open sights. must be 45 cal or larger.
I looked a little at a CVA MRX or LRX. I see that Blackhorn is now $200/lb so that probably is out. what other powder are folks using.
THanks for the thoughts and comments.

I use Swiss powder, a 200-300y shot with irons is gonna take some serious practice even with the size of a moose's vitals. I bought a Tradtions MZ last year and tried the Hornady Bore Driver to see if the combination would allow me to shoot farther, but I couldn't consistently hit a 12" plate with the combination past 150y.

Are the moose really pressured in the area? I have found I can get closer to a moose than any other animal.

 

[peaceman]

Quit kidding yourself and use a 30 06.
If your not going to enjoy muzzle loaders for what they are you are just ruining it for the guys who do.

Well that would be my choice if it wasn’t for the requirement to use a muzzleloader

 

[peaceman]

I use Swiss powder, a 200-300y shot with irons is gonna take some serious practice even with the size of a moose's vitals. I bought a Tradtions MZ last year and tried the Hornady Bore Driver to see if the combination would allow me to shoot farther, but I couldn't consistently hit a 12" plate with the combination past 150y.

Are the moose really pressured in the area? I have found I can get closer to a moose than any other animal.

They are used to seeing cars and people there but as the season carries on they will get more weary. I plan on being there in the midst of the rut so hopefully all common sense will go away and it’ll be a sub 100 yard shot. Most of it is getting pretty overgrown tioo. None-the-less I would like to be able to reach out if need be.
I have a Cva double .54 and a 50 flinter but Ak weather doesn’t help that one.

 

[mtnbound]

They are used to seeing cars and people there but as the season carries on they will get more weary. I plan on being there in the midst of the rut so hopefully all common sense will go away and it’ll be a sub 100 yard shot. Most of it is getting pretty overgrown tioo. None-the-less I would like to be able to reach out if need be.
I have a Cva double .54 and a 50 flinter but Ak weather doesn’t help that one.

I have packed a double 54 a few times in the hopes of guaranteeing a load would fire, only to find that if one got wet, there's a good chance the other one is too.

 

[Machingeaneer]

Quit kidding yourself and use a 30 06.
If your not going to enjoy muzzle loaders for what they are you are just ruining it for the guys who do.

Do you come off this abrasive in real life too? He asked for a muzzleloader recommendation not your diatribe on the state of black powder hunting.

 

[MallardSX2]

Congrats. What state?

Just about any off-the-shelf muzzy will be good to 200 yards. CVAs are junk. I’d look at Woodman Arms, TC or Knight. Or find a used White.

CVA’s are NOT junk.

 

[MallardSX2]

This is what I would recomend with a rear Williams ramp with the integrated peep. You can put a qr scope on and off if it and use it for multiple states. Very nice gun for the money. Anyone that says they are junk has 0 credibility in the conversation in my opinion.

CVA™ Accura LR-X - Cerakote Patroit Brown & Realtree™ Hillside - .50 Cal 30" Barrel Threaded 3/4x24 - Fiber Optic Sights - PR9207N

CVA® Accura™ LR-X Muzzleloader Rifle w/ Fiber Optic Sights - PR3207N - .50 Cal Muzzleloader, X-Treme Adjustable Stock w/ Realtree™ Hillside Camo. Best Prices, Fast Shipping, Expert Advice!

muzzle-loaders.com

 

[96s10383]

Do not be scared of CVA. I have yet to have an unsuccessful hunt due to using my CVA Accura V2 (27" Bergara barrel), using Blackhorn 209 powder, a BH209 breach plug conversion, CCI 209 magnum primers and PRBULLETS.COM's QT Polymer tipped bullets. If that setup gets pointed at a deer, it's very likely that the deer will be down within 50 yards of impact. The last deer harvested in January was at 209 yards, unsupported and backwards out of a treestand.
The gun is way better than the operator.

 

[ElDiablito]

This is what I would recomend with a rear Williams ramp with the integrated peep. You can put a qr scope on and off if it and use it for multiple states. Very nice gun for the money. Anyone that says they are junk has 0 credibility in the conversation in my opinion.

CVA™ Accura LR-X - Cerakote Patroit Brown & Realtree™ Hillside - .50 Cal 30" Barrel Threaded 3/4x24 - Fiber Optic Sights - PR9207N

CVA® Accura™ LR-X Muzzleloader Rifle w/ Fiber Optic Sights - PR3207N - .50 Cal Muzzleloader, X-Treme Adjustable Stock w/ Realtree™ Hillside Camo. Best Prices, Fast Shipping, Expert Advice!

muzzle-loaders.com

That’s funny. One only has to do a quick search of dedicated muzzy forums including MML to see that CVA is well known for poor design and numerous QC issues. There’s nothing “very nice” about any CVA model especially is you’ve ever shot a TC, Knight or WA….

 

[guitarpreston]

Last year I was shooting a knight .50 very consistently at 200 with iron sights. This year I’ve built a custom smokeless tc omega I just got my iron sights for it and have not messed with them yet. Your eyes are a big limiting factor at extended ranges along with front sight size.

 

[peaceman]

Last year I was shooting a knight .50 very consistently at 200 with iron sights. This year I’ve built a custom smokeless tc omega I just got my iron sights for it and have not messed with them yet. Your eyes are a big limiting factor at extended ranges along with front sight size.

I'm sure I'll realize that limitation all too soon.

 

[peaceman]

I have packed a double 54 a few times in the hopes of guaranteeing a load would fire, only to find that if one got wet, there's a good chance the other one is too.

I've hunted with mine once and have a second follow up shot was nice to have. what was funny is a fellow hunter came to see how someone could reload so fast to get a second shot off and thought I was using something other than a muzzleloader He had never seen a double ml.

 

[OrangeMan73]

I pick up a traditions pursuit XT because I needed a second one for tags my wife and I both drew. Surprisingly it out shoots my Knight Ultralite considerably and was a quarter the price. I think its lighter as well but the barrel is longer (hence the XT).

Only complaint is I can't figure out how to rig the breech to take percussion caps, so it only takes musket (anybody know a way around that? I'm in Idaho and need an exposed breech). That might be a philosophical nuance though.