Muzzleloader advice .....

[sswheeler]

Hello,
I am new to the site and so far have found it to be very informative. I am new to muzzleloaders and would like some advice on a good first gun. I'm thinking a inline closed breech. Any sugestions?

 

[66chevelle]

I must say I bought a CVA Optima this year for my first one. And love it. It is the new break action one and it is very easy to clean and use. My father has a inline and I am not a fan of cleaning it. Actually it may be for sale if your interested. Back to the Optima I bought mine at walmart in Greensburg for $227 and I got a $25 mail in rebate so I pay $202. I took a 133 pound field dressed doe this year and dropped her where she was. It was a high lung shot. Also mine is 2" high at 50 yards and dead on at 100. Hope this helps and welcome to this great site.

 

[Marc]

i got a tc omega z5 and it work beautifully. i got it from the walmart from down in beechgrove on emerson ave and 465

 

[spainy79]

I'm in the market for a muzzle loader as well and can't decide between the CVA or TC.

 

[antsi]

If you are planning on this as a deer rifle, I have been very pleased with my CVA Buckhorn Magnum. It is a very inexpensive rifle - my wife paid I believe $110 for it delivered from Midway USA for a Christmas present for me a few years ago.

She bought it on a tip from her brother, who had one and was very pleased with his. It was a good tip.

The gun has been extremely accurate by muzzle loader standards for me using 2 pryodex pellets and a 250 grain Barnes MZ expander bullet. With this combo, I can easily shoot 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards - which is plenty accurate for deer hunting in Indiana. The MZ expander does a good job dropping the deer, too.

The gun will take 3 pyrodex pellets for a "magnum" load but I have not found this necessary. The gun is very sweet shooting with 2 (100 grain load I believe) and plenty of power for realistic deer hunting ranges.
I put a modest mid-line Bushnell scope on it - a 1-4x. For a total cost of less than $200 this is easily the best dollar-for-dollar values I have ever spent for a firearm.

The only minor downside I would point out is that this rifle has somewhat cheesy sights on it when you get it. They are actually good visibility sights, and work well as long as they work, but they're plastic and didn't last long on my brother-in-law's gun. Again, throw a scope on it, and that's not a problem.

 

[ruger7722]

i have optima pro and traditions pursuit both nickel steel.pursuit is lighter feels like a good rifle,optima shoots better and easier to clean half inch or 12mm socket i forget.both break action i would recommend either.tripple seven pellets and some sabots and your in business.i have lots of tripple seven pellets to trade for a little of nothing.picked every pack walmart had.reg.12.00 a pack,i can sell them 4.00 a pack.never thought about selling them but would.sorry about the sales pitch but i hope this helps

 

[Flintlock]

I gotta put in my two cents here... go with a traditional sidelock muzzleloader! More challenging and more rewarding! There is nothing like the smell of real black powder!

If you are interested in traditional muzzleloaders, let me know and I can give you any kind of info or advice you need! I am the Indiana State Representative of the Traditional Muzzleloading Association and am a member of the NMLRA. I built my own flintlock as well and have another on the bench as we speak (well, I have several on the bench actually! Some are builds, some are restorations, some are repairs...).

The Traditional Muzzleloading Association :: Index

 

[66chevelle]

I just thought of this CVA also makes a wolf. It is pretty much the same as the optima but doesnt have a thumb hole stock and is about 1.5 inches shorter. It was $157 new at walmart.

 

[johnjw77]

me, my dad and my little brother all shoot TC omegas and I wouldnt give it up for the world. Everyone I have ever talked to who shoots an omega is more than 100% satisfied. You can purchase a basic omega z5 package with everything to get started in solid black at walmart for around $230. I have heard good things about the cva optima also but I cant see buying one when you can have a TC for a few bucks more. I have dropped a deer at 200 yards and honestly wouldnt think twice about shooting out to 250 (with the magnum charge). Hope this helped and good luck!

P.S. the omega is among the easiest of muzzleloaders to clean, take your time and look into them, you will not be or find anyone dissapointed with their performance.

 

[sswheeler]

Wow! Thanks for all the replys! I'm still not sure which one I should go with. I'm leaning towards the T/C, but the CVAs have a lot to offer too. What are the advatages or disadvatages to stainless?
Thanks again and keep the info coming.

 

[42769vette]

i have shot tons of muzzeloaders and as far as i can tell the prohunter can not be beat they are more pricy than others but in my mind if your serious about accracy and cleaning the prohunter is the best and that 28 inch barrel really helps

 

[oldrookie]

I am into my third year with my Optima and have really enjoyed it. I too bought it as my first muzzleloader and it still has not disappointed me. It will shoot just about any load well. Obviously it was built with the powerbelts in mind. Mine also likes a 300g hornady xtp pushed by 90g of 777 loose powder. Good luck and have fun with it.

 

[sswheeler]

ok I picked up a Optima Elite at the 1500 today. I can't wait to shoot it. But I do have a question. Is it safe to shoot a round ball/patch ? Thanks

 

[42769vette]

i know they aren't the cheapest on the market but i am 100% sold on tc prohunter ive just never shot any muzzleloader like them they are amazing