O/ T Muzzle loader questions

Farmer · Post by **Farmer** » Fri May 16, 2008 9:02 am

looking to purchase a break action muzzle loader . I do not want to spend a fortune on one as there is only a 1 week controlled deer hunt in my area . Just wondering if any one here has used these models. Any info , likes dislikes about these models would be appreciated .
huntsman from new england firearms / Traditions pursuit LT / CVA Wolf magnum

Any information you might have, likes dislikes of these models would be appreciated .

http://www.richmondsportinggoods.com/ne ... loader.htm

http://www.traditionsfirearms.com/eshop ... n+Lines%29

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... 20815&rid=

saxman · Post by **saxman** » Fri May 16, 2008 10:24 am

I have used the New England guns (not as a muzzleloader) As a shot gun and rifle and found them to be very good.

raydaughety · Post by **raydaughety** » Fri May 16, 2008 10:32 am

I purchased a CVA Wolf Mag for my son for less a hundred buck on clearance. It's a great shooter. I shoot a CVA Optima Pro and love it.

Good luck and God Bless,

Ray

DuckHunt · Post by **DuckHunt** » Fri May 16, 2008 9:29 pm

I have the same setup as Ray. I have an Optima Pro and bought a CVA Wolf Mag for my kids. Topped with a cheap scope the CVA wolf shoots very well. My kids have bagged three deer in three shots over the past two seasons. They each took their first antlered buck with one.

To keep the recoil down I load it with 75 grains of Triple-7 and a 200 grain TC Shockwave sabot. I would have no issue carrying this rifle myself. It is a lot lighter and more maneuverable than my Optima Pro.

DuckHunt

Doe Master · Post by **Doe Master** » Sun May 18, 2008 8:27 am

I have the cva optima .I`ve taken a few deer with it and have no complaints with it .I`m loaded a little stout with 110 grains loose of triple 7 pushing a 300 grain SST .But where we hunt a 100 yard shot is long .

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun May 18, 2008 9:20 am

I have a Traditions Pursuit Pro and it is very accurate. BUT, I would NOT recommend Traditions!!!!!!!!! Matter of fact, I highly discourage anyone I can influence from buying Traditions. They DO NOT stand behind their products! I had a problem with a Traditions Pursuit Pro shotgun and they refused to repair it under warranty because I was using an after-market choke tube - THAT THEY RECOMMENDED IN THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL. I thought about suing them, but the cost would be more than the benefit, so I just threw the barrel in the scrap heap.
I also own a CVA and I would say they are a good "bang for the buck". Mine is an older inline, but they are a good gun.

raydaughety · Post by **raydaughety** » Sun May 18, 2008 9:42 am

Farmer, a buddy of mine just bought two .45 cal CVA Optima Pros from Sportsman's Guide for $180.00 each!!!! I wouldn't hesitate to hunt with a .45 cal, the only problem is the selection of bullets is limited but he shoots powerbelts that are available at most sporting goods stores. Good luck with your decision

.

God Bless,

Ray

ecoaster · Post by **ecoaster** » Sun May 18, 2008 10:32 am

I see that some of these guns are available for pretty much the same price in .45cal and .50cal. Does the .50cal give any more effective range or just more knock down power? I'm going to start asking a bunch of newbie questions too

, because I'll probably be in the market for a muzzleloader this summer.

Doe Master · Post by **Doe Master** » Sun May 18, 2008 3:41 pm

I personally have found more bullets in 50 cal. around here.

raydaughety · Post by **raydaughety** » Sun May 18, 2008 4:56 pm

With the .45 cal, your going to be limited in the variety of bullets that are manufactured for the gun and even more limited the availability of these bullets in stock. I would definitely go with the 50 cal. for this reason.

God Bless,

Ray

DuckHunt · Post by **DuckHunt** » Sun May 18, 2008 5:20 pm

ecoaster,
Both the .45 and .50 are throwing a good chunk of lead. Both have plenty of stopping power. The .50 is more common and therefore the accessories, bullets and everything to go with it is more commonly available.

I purchased a Traditions Lightning LD (Long Distance) model about five years ago in .45 caliber. I was using the assumption that since I would be using a lighter .40 caliber bullet in the sabot that I would get more speed and therefore much more range than a .50 model. This was a pretty stainless model with a fluted barrel and a muzzle brake. Unfortunately it shot horrible. I couldn't get it to hit consistently in a 18" circle at 100 yards with a scope regardless of what I fed it. Obviously it had barrel issues. In my case Traditions did replace it under warranty. I was so displeased with them though that I traded in the new unfired replacement on my .50 CVA Optima Pro. Except for the first time I fired my Exomax, I've never been happier.

Comparing the .45 to the .50 is very much like comparing a .270 to a .30-06. Both are equally capable of getting the job done. The .30-06 just has a more than twice as many bullet options making it potentially a tad more versatile.

DuckHunt

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Sun May 18, 2008 9:45 pm

CVA Optima Pro is hard to beat for the cash...

I preferr the pricey TC ENCORE and Prohunter though

JRS · Post by **JRS** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:04 pm

I bought a Pursuit LT a few years ago because I didn't want to spend a lot of money getting into muzzle loading. I found that I enjoyed it so much I bought a Savage smokeless muzzle loader. Never had any issues with the Traditions, and it shot fairly consistent once I found the load it liked.

the elf · Post by **the elf** » Mon May 19, 2008 11:16 pm

jrs--How do you like your Savage smokeless muzzleloader?--I am really interested -----in performance etc.-------Elf.

JRS · Post by **JRS** » Thu May 22, 2008 10:48 am

Elf

It's a great gun - fun to shoot, accurate, and low maintenance. Since the smokeless loads are about half the amount of Pyrodex, it is also cheaper. There is also a very good internet forum dedicated to Savage MLll shooters that offers lots of tips, tricks, and advice.

http://dougva.proboards34.com/index.cgi?board=Savage