What to look for in a muzzy?

[BuckRut]

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.

 

[Antares]

Making sure it meets the legal requirements of the areas you want to hunt is a good place to start. That will probably narrow your choices, or at least inform your decision.

 

[Teodoro]

Hopefully you already know this, but start by figuring out where you're going to hunt and reviewing the legal requirements for that area. If you're in an area that requires open sights, you probably don't want a gun with a built-in rail. And you probably don't want a .36-caliber long rifle if you're in a zone that requires a .45-caliber projectile. Pennsylvania has a late season that's flintlock only.

The second thing to nail down is whether you're looking for a historic/traditional type of gun or a modern inline muzzleloader. This is a super super personal question. I'm just looking to take advantage of another season, so I have a modern inline.

The third decision point, in my opinion, is what kind of hunting will be doing with the gun. I use mine in Eastern creek bottoms where it's kind of unusual to have a shot over 100 yards. I think pretty much every inline sold could handle that. If you will be packing it on backpack hunts and are likely to get opportunities at longer shots, it starts to make sense to look at nicer equipment.

I know this is all pretty basic. But it's a pretty wide open question, and I think this is a pretty good starting point.

 

[Westhunt]

As already mentioned, start with what's legal in your area. After that, I really like break action models that have a tool free breech removal. I have a CVA accura LR-X and I don't need a wrench to remove the breech plug for cleaning. I had a knight muzzleloader that shot great, but cleaning was a little more time consuming.

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