Best Muzzleloader for Deer Season

[Swampchickin234]

Optima will smoke!


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[Swampchickin234]

Can't beat em for the proce


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[mspaci]

I really like the Knight`s. Have owned all of the brands & prefer them.  Mike

[wvmntnhick]

I've had them all. Don't really have a standout favorite. Had a CVA Optima and upgraded to an Accura. Recently replaced it with a Traditions Buckstalker. Not sure why but just felt I wanted the breech plug that removes easier at this point. The Accura was a shade more accurate but not enough to get all worked up about. However, if I were to get another one right now, it'd be a CVA with their new barrel treatment. They're guaranteed not to rust. I'm sure there's some fine print but that to me would be the best deal. Especially if you're hunting any kind of humid area with salt water present.

[Ihuntoldschool]

I use and recommend the Thompson Center PA Hunter.  .495, .015, 80 grains powder works best for me, open sights of course.  Don't fool with that modern stuff, hunt the blackpowder season like it was intended to be hunted.

[beakbuster10]

It's hard to go wrong with today's smoke poles. Whatever you get, make sure you shoot black horn 209 with magnum shotshell primers (the ones for reloading shells not muzzleloaders). Most consistent shooting and easiest cleaning powder out there.


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[beakbuster10]

Oh yeah, and Barnes spitfire tmz bullets.


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[jordanz7935]

It's hard to go wrong with today's smoke poles. Whatever you get, make sure you shoot black horn 209 with magnum shotshell primers (the ones for reloading shells not muzzleloaders). Most consistent shooting and easiest cleaning powder out there.


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X2!!!. I have a CVA Kodiak Pro and a TC encore. Both shoot great but the TC definitely is more handy to carry with its 26" barrel. The TC is also a lot easier to clean being a break action. I see some of these new ML's with 30" barrels which are way too long for anything but a beanfield gun. I think a 24-26" barrel is about the perfect barrel length.Id reccomend Barnes or scorpion pt gold sabots, I'd stay away from power belts.Good luck to ya!

[owlhoot]

I use and recommend the Thompson Center PA Hunter.  .495, .015, 80 grains powder works best for me, open sights of course.  Don't fool with that modern stuff, hunt the blackpowder season like it was intended to be hunted.

good advice considering that Missouri really don't have a muzzle loader season any more.
It is a alternative methods season now with everything from contenders to glock automatic.

[trkehunr93]

I vote CVA optima, had mine since 04, killed a lot of deer with it.  2 nice bucks have died because of that gun. 


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[jblackburn]

My traditions vortex is great. accurate and super easy to clean

[chatterbox]

T/C Impact is a great muzzleloader!
Very reasonably priced, and highly accurate!

[wvmntnhick]

It's hard to go wrong with today's smoke poles. Whatever you get, make sure you shoot black horn 209 with magnum shotshell primers (the ones for reloading shells not muzzleloaders). Most consistent shooting and easiest cleaning powder out there.


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X2!!!. I have a CVA Kodiak Pro and a TC encore. Both shoot great but the TC definitely is more handy to carry with its 26" barrel. The TC is also a lot easier to clean being a break action. I see some of these new ML's with 30" barrels which are way too long for anything but a beanfield gun. I think a 24-26" barrel is about the perfect barrel length.Id reccomend Barnes or scorpion pt gold sabots, I'd stay away from power belts.Good luck to ya!

I'll second the comment on the powerbelts. Those things are too soft to be reliable. Don't get me wrong, they'll kill deer. They just don't perform reliably at any distance or speed. They also allow to much gas to leak around the skirt making them unreliable over a chronograph. Having said that. different bores will have different tolerances so your mileage may vary. I've gone to the Hornady SST in the inlines and the sidelocks are shooting buffalo ball-ets.

[turkeyfoot]

Another vote for CVA Optima good shooting and very easy to clean

[born2hunt]

[quote
Having said that. different bores will have different tolerances so your mileage may vary. I've gone to the Hornady SST in the inlines and the sidelocks are shooting buffalo ball-ets.

That is something that a lot of folks don't realize.  There are 6 guys that I hunt with and we all shoot optimas. They can go grab a pack of pre packaged loads of whatever they want and shoot  consistent.  My rifle turned out to have a larger bore so the off the shelf  loads were way too loose  to shoot consistent.  I buy the SST bullets for hand loading then order oversized sabots and it is golden, not to mention cheaper.  My point is that you may have to experiment a little bit to find the right load regardless what rifle you get, and there are way more options than what Bass pro has to offer. So don't give up if what your buddy shoots don't work for you.