Buying a muzzleloader

[Hawg]

I do have two other sidelocks and they're fine but harder to clean and if a cap goes pop in the field followed by several of it's friends I don't have to get out the bullet puller and have to inspect what went wrong. Moisture is not your friend.

If you have a pop in the field it's your fault, not the guns or the cap. What harder to clean? It takes 10 minutes from pulling the barrel to final wipe down.

[Pahoo]

I do have two other sidelocks and they're fine but harder to clean and if a cap goes pop in the field followed by several of it's friends I don't have to get out the bullet puller and have to inspect what went wrong. Moisture is not your friend.

Personally I find my SideLocks easier to clean than most MMLs. Granted, the MMLs are more accessible but actually have more surfaces that see carbon deposits, consequently, more to clean. The SideLocks are fairly predictable and easy to clean. .....

Example;
Currently during our classes, we use a TC New Englander and a Knight MK-85. if we have a large class, we use both. If we have a small class, we stick with the TC SideLock. Yes, on hard use, you will experience more hang and misfires with a SideLock but we love dealing with those problems. ......

Be Safe !!!

[johnwilliamson062]

the sense of satisfaction that comes with making a clean kill with a real muzzleloader is second to none.

The sense of satisfaction when one bites into a venison steak is what I am out for in the cold and rain.

I have a muzzleloader to get an extra four days hunting. If Ohio eliminated ML season I would sell mine and only ever buy another as a wallhanger. Chimps generally score below 50 on IQ tests using the 7 year old scale. I don't think deer are nearly as intelligent as chimps. Not so "sporting" IMO. Besides, the shot is the easiest part.

I also prefer a word processor to a typewriter.
MP3s in the cloud to 45s in a chest
and fuel injected automatics to carburated manuals.

If that makes me lazy, I claim the title with dignity.

Out of curiosity, do you field dress with split flint and cook over an open fire? If not you are obviously lazy just like me

My understanding is black powder and substitutes are still hygroscopic before being fired. Less surface are for moisture in the air to interact with and such, but same issues. Might be wrong. Buying an inline with speed breech makes it so I don't have to concern myself with such things. Planning to upgrade to one of the finger removable ones so I don't even have to worry about having a tool handy. Now that is lazy!

[Hawg]

My understanding is black powder and substitutes are still hygroscopic before being fired.

Somewhat but only if air gets to it. Humidity is very high here and I have hunted in all kinds of weather. I've never had a hunting charge not fire. My BIL however has had numerous ones with both sidelocks and inlines. If you need four extra days of hunting to get a venison steak you don't need to be hunting period. Actually I am kind of lazy when processing. I use a knife with a guthook for skinning but I use a homemade knife for the butchering. I wish I could afford a flint knife. Those are the very best.

[Mobuck]

"My understanding is black powder and substitutes are still hygroscopic before being fired."

I don't know of ANY type of gunpowder that isn't susceptible to absorbing moisture before being fired. That's why they're packaged in moisture resistant containers.

[Pathfinder45]

Here in Western Oregon, for Deer and Elk, the limit is one unless you are successful in drawing a controlled hunt tag. But then the question we have to answer is whether we want to bow-hunt, muzzle-loader hunt, or hunt the general rifle season. Choose one, and only one. So a muzzle loader here simply gives you a different season, that if selected, will exclude you from the regular season. Of course, you can bow hunt for Elk and muzzle-load for Deer, etc. Way too many restrictive rules with ever-increasing tag prices, if you ask me. But at least we don't have to wear hunter-orange, and we can hunt on Sundays. In our Muzzle-loader season, the propellant must be loose powder, not pellets; open, exposed ignition without centerfire primers; projectiles must be patched round balls or conical non jacketed bullets with a length that does not exceed twice the diameter, but no sabots or plastic tipped bullets..... and no scopes unless you have a special permit for certified visual impairment that meets a fairly stringent standard. I would rather hunt, but it is certainly far less restrictive to watch football and get drunk. I think that's why license and tag sales have reached such lows lately.

[Blindstitch]

Pathfinder that sounds really restrictive. If it were for one animal I wouldn't need a muzzleloader but still want one. At this current moment I have 2 tags for Michigan and 4 tags in Wisconsin. Both groups of tags can be used at anytime between October 1st and the end of the year for Michigan and September 17th to January 8th for Wisconsin so long as the right tool is used in the right season. But we do have to wear orange during gun seasons.

There aren't any real restrictions besides muzzleloaders have to be 50 caliber or larger and I think there's a 3 day doe only season sandwiched in there the first week of December.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

[QUOTE Dufus said: Alliant's BMZ and Blue MZ are not corrosive.QUOTE]
I disagree.
As read. "A little less corrosive" is Alliant's answer to their ML powders barrel corroding ability. To say not-corrosive kind'a reminds me of a typical Hillary's reply.

[darkgael]

I'm in Caswell county North Carolina.

Caswell? Is that where Bob Ruark spent his time as a kid?

Pete

[rfxcasey]

Caswell? Is that where Bob Ruark spent his time as a kid?

Pardon my ignorance but I'd never heard of Bob Ruark, interesting read on Wikipedia. According to the article he grew up in Wilmington North Carolina which is New Hanover county. New Hanover is about about 4 hours east and then another hour south from me, its quite a ways off. I'm in what's considered central NC according to www.ncwildlife.org.

There are a ton of deer here, I think the tag limit last year was 6 or 7, two of which were bucks. Your also allowed 1 or 2 turkeys (I think its 1) and a bear with the appropriate tag purchase. I see hordes of deer standing on the side of my road on the way to work. Seems like everyone winds up hitting one at one point or another.

I decided to order a CVA Optima V2 in stainless with the camo stock and fiber optic sights. All said and done it came to $268 with shipping. I could have gotten the same thing minus the camo for about 40 bucks less, but most of my guns are black and I wanted something different. Besides that the stainless with camo just looks great and I felt like treating myself, if I'd have bought the black stock I would have kicked myself time and time again in the long run.

I'm also talking to a guy about buying a CVA 50 cal


Says he'll take 100 buck for it. Says there is no rust, works fine and bought it in the 80's.

[Cheapshooter]

And your point is? MS is one of those anything goes states. I love muzzleloaders, I hunt with them a lot or at least I did when I was able to get out in the woods. I just hate the inlines, they're for lazy people that can't be bothered to learn how to shoot a real muzzloader and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside without a scope. Got my flame suit on so have at it.

I wouldn't say lazy. Just caught up in modern, high tech. Which to me negates the whole purpose of a "muzzleoader" or "black powder" season. To those who use the in-line, closed ignition, sabot wrapped jacketed bullet firing, pellet charged, scope mounted super rifles it's just another opportunity to fill a tag.
My state recognised that, and replaced the muzzle loader season with "alternative method" which added modern, centerfire handhuns. Now, if I just want to fill a tag, I use my T/C Contender with a scoped barrel in either 7-30 Waters, or 35 Remington, or my 10MM Glock 20. If I want to challenge myself, I break out my T/C New Englander, some real FFG Black powder, #11 caps, and patched pure lead round balls.
Unlike many of the "gotta fill my tag" types that would not buy a muzzle loader tag if they had to be restricted to the real thing, I have let many deer pass if they are out of my 100 yard comfort range. But have also harvested a few that were within that distance.

[redrick]

Congratulations on your new rifle . I think you made a good choice and like you said you will soon forget about 40 dollars if you got what you wanted .
If you are going to use Black Horn 209 they make a special breech plug for that gun and powder .

There is a good gun store in NC Ed's Gun Shop and Carlos knows his stuff . He could put you on a good bullet , sabot and load for your rifle .

That is a good price on that CVA Hawken . Even if you don't use it , it would look nice on the wall . Just check inside the barrel for pitting with a light and if the guy is familiar with removing the barrel and nipple get him to show you and you can see if there is any rust underneath .

[Dufus]

[QUOTE Dufus said: Alliant's BMZ and Blue MZ are not corrosive.QUOTE]
I disagree.
As read. "A little less corrosive" is Alliant's answer to their ML powders barrel corroding ability. To say not-corrosive kind'a reminds me of a typical Hillary's reply.

And this is naturally based on your personal experience and not something you have read.

To copy hearsay is similar to Bill's testimony to Congress.

[Hawg]

[QUOTE Dufus said: Alliant's BMZ and Blue MZ are not corrosive.QUOTE]
I disagree.
As read. "A little less corrosive" is Alliant's answer to their ML powders barrel corroding ability. To say not-corrosive kind'a reminds me of a typical Hillary's reply.
And this is naturally based on your personal experience and not something you have read.

To copy hearsay is similar to Bill's testimony to Congress.

Clean them like you're supposed to and corrosion is a non-issue. I usually don't clean mine for a day or two with Swiss or Pyrodex and corrosion is still a non-issue

[rfxcasey]

So can anyone positively identify or have any information on the CVA rifle I posted a picture of? Is it worth 100 bucks? Can I expect it to shoot half way decently if the barrel is in good shape?

[Pahoo]

So can anyone positively identify or have any information on the CVA rifle I posted a picture of? Is it worth 100 bucks? Can I expect it to shoot half way decently if the barrel is in good shape?

Really not much to evaluate here. CVA's are probably some of the oldest imports and have been around a long time. Some were pretty well mad and others, not so much. At any rate, they were never high end. This one looks to be their Frontier-Rifle or darn close. If so, the twist should be 1:66. You might want to check that. The heart of the rifle, in the barrel and I would definitely confirm the condition of the "entire" bore, crown and nipple area.

If all is well, $100.00 is a good price and it should shoot "well". .....

Be Safe

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

If the barrels bore is bright & shinny and the stock had no cracking what so ever seen. Set triggers work. Hammer can't be persuaded by hand off full cock. 100.00 ($) is a decent price. If contemplation the rifles purchase ask its seller for a inspection period. If he's not willing. More on>look for another.

Do you have a bore light to check the rifles bore with?
If not one can be found and removed from a lighted fishing bobber bought at Walmart.

[kraigwy]

I got a TC Omega just cause I didn't have a ML. Don't hunt with it except I did kill one deer in my back pasture just to see if I could. Wyoming doesn't have special seasons for Muzzle Loaders.

But I like shooting and the ML is shooting and its fun.

I had a bunch (couple thousand) shotgun primers from my Skeet Shooting days of 70s. I found they work as good as those 205s for MLs.

I shoot my cast pistol bullets my 44 and 45 revolves with the sabots in respective size. They shoot good.

Shot a bunch of the jacketed ML bullets, but don't see the reasoning.

Since I like to cast bullets I bought a Lee Single Cavity Mold .500 diameter 354 grain Minie bullet and a .501 bullet sizer die. I found it to be the most accurate bullet for my TC.

I planned on just shooting irons but The Omega came with a cheap ML scope. Sucker works great. I'll shoot it until the gun scope gives up the Ghost and will probably stick to the irons.

I guess I'm one of the lazy ones but I like my in-line. I've done too many things that are hard on this 69 year old body, I earned the right to be lazy. I don't hunt or shoot from inside of the barn so that's not a problem either.

[Pahoo]

If not one can be found and removed from a lighted fishing bobber bought at Walmart.

That'll work but shy away from "RED". Instead, try to get the AMBER or YELLOW as it will review more details. .......

Be Safe !!!