Muzzleloaders

So I am going to go muzzleload hunt this year with a buddy but have never partaken in it before. So basically I need a rifle and want your guys input on that. Of course I looked at thompson and damn they look nice, but I got some ugly guns I would trust over some of the pretty ones. So advice, options, and if you have one to sell possibly also. Thanks in advance for the input guys.

I say either buy or build a traditional hawken 50 cal. Inline just are not the same as those. I have one if you want to take out and shoot to get a feel for it.

Pm me if you are intrested

I have a Traditions Buckhunter inline .50 fired exactly 2 times since new I'd sell cheap.

Whats the main difference in the inline to the hawkens? Is it where the percussion cap and powder charge is located?
And why are some over five hundred dollars and others at one hundred fifty? Is quality that much higher in a say thompson contender to others?

Inlines are known to be mote reliable, Hawkens are a more traditional with an external hammer.

I have a remington genesis, camo thumbhole stock, stainless barrel. It has 3 bulls under its belt.

I grew up hunting with a hawken .50 cal, same gun Jemeriah Johnson hunted with.

Big differences are weight and reliability.

The Hawken is a heck of a lot heavier that my inline. My buddy has a short compact cabelas model of a hawken that is pretty similar but the full size ones are much heavier.

The inline muzzleloaders use 209 shotgun primers that are inline with the barrel and thus the powder, a shorter distance the spark has to reach for better and more reliable ignition.

The Hawken and other more tradition muzzleloaders use a nipple and a smaller precussion cap. They are less reliable because the caps are sometimes junk, the nipple has to turn at an angle to get to the powder and has more of a delay in the ignition.

I do like the wood ramrod (what you use to load the gun) on the hawken over the aluminum ones in the inline models.

Next thing is sights. Most new inlines have fiberoptic sights which are legal in CO (you can't use scopes here). My hawken has metal sights.

I am a bit more accurate with the hawken because the finer sights, but can't pick them up too well in low legal shooting light. I do think the newer hawkens have fiber optics or are at least and option or aftermarket.

If you want a gun you know is going to work, even in wet weather, get the inline. If you want to be more traditional and feel old school go with the hawken. Both ways are great, but I have had it happen and seen it happen too many times where myself or someone has the shot at a bull only to have a misfire or hang fire with the traditional guns.

If you want to be a real badass then get yourself a flintlock with a flashpan.

myself, I will stick with the inlines.

I guess it all depends on what you like to shoot. I like the classical look of the Hawken. And I agree they are heavier.

So I got to stop by Sportsmans and check out a few and of course the one I fell in love with was a T/C Triumph Bone Collector. Felt nice when you throw it up, alot lighter than most others I checked out, and the ergonomics felt good. And of course with all that came the price tag. Shit. Anyone know something similar? I didnt really care for the traditionals, sorry for you traditionals out there, but they just were not for me. Only thing I didnt like was the sights, well just the rear sight. It was so bright I couldnt focus on the front sight.

I've noticed with the Hawkins that they cost a lot new, but when people try to sell them they don't move very fast. Usually are sold for a fraction of the new price.

I traded a H@R handi rifle for my TC Hawkins.

I ended up picking up a CVA accura. Inline, break action, fiber optic. Feels pretty good to shoulder, less than the bone collector with same features, in real tree camo. Not as heavy as the triumph but not as light as the bone collector. Now on to finding a load that works well, everything I see says 100 grns. How much do you inline guys mess with powder charges and conical weights?

I'm shooting a TC .54, 110 grns of FFG and 480 grains of lead. I'm getting just under 1800 FPS and should be around 1100 pounds of energy @ 100 yards. I thinks the 50's are producing around the same with 100 grns of FFG, and 380 grains of lead.