Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I'm looking to venture into the black powder game so I can take advantage of black powder deer season in the fall and also participate in a managed hunt that only allows archery tackle and black powder.

I'd like to stay under $500. I'm assuming .45 cal is enough for whitetail?

Thanks!

I would suggest .50 cal but a .45 would do. According to VA hunting regs the gun itself must be a minimum of .45 for deer, I believe you can use a smaller saboted bullet though. I believe most of the readily available pellets and bullets are for .50 cal's also. .54 and .45 are available, just not in the same quantities as .50 in most stores.

I can provide no help on what rifle to buy. I have a .50 cal sidelock but I think the consensus here is to get an inline.

I too would suggest a 50 cal. It's a good all round cal, you can kill just about any critter walkin. I'd also suggest and inline because of the cleaning factor. One thing to consider is where you hunt...if you can reach out for some long range shots, you may want a45 cal, they tend to shoot a bit flater. Some of these 45cal guns with 150 grains of powder can do some serious damage out to 200 yards. Quite remarkable for a socalled "primitive weapon"

For your price range you can't go wrong with a .50 T/C Omega. I have one and it's very accurate.

cutun wrote: Some of these 45cal guns with 150 grains of powder can do some serious damage out to 200 yards. Quite remarkable for a socalled "primitive weapon"

Don't say that too much, next thing you know there will be a push to ban .45 cal muzzleloader sniper rifles.

Vahunter wrote:For your price range you can't go wrong with a .50 T/C Omega. I have one and it's very accurate.

I recently checked out the TC Omega at a Cabela's. Very nice and I see one in my future for the fall season.

Bud's has the TC Omega Z5 .50cal with "premium pack" for $327 delivered. Sounds like a reasonable deal? It comes with:

(1) Extended Super Jag
(1) Breech plug wrench
(1) Composite T-handle
(1) 4oz. Bottle of #13 bore cleaner
(1) ¾ oz. Natural Lube 1000+
(20) Cleaning Patches
(1) Super Lube grease
(1) Flex Loader†
(10) Shockwave† bullets
World of Muzzleloading† DVD

TC Omega or Triumph in .50cal are very good choices. I have a Encore that has the same barrel, they are very accurate. You owe it to yourself to try the new powder Blackhorn 209. Its the closest powder to smokeless you can get (right now) very fast, easy cleanup, non corrosive and no crud ring or swabbing between shots.

http://www.blackhorn209.com/

I really like the T/C , I think it's hard to beat for the money. I prefer to shoot the 50 cal. no matter where you go you can find bullets and other supplies, and it seems to work well for me on deer.

I have a good supply of pydrodex and black powder, so I haven't been keeping up with things. I'll have to check this Blackhorn 209 out, it sounds good.

I picked up a used T/C Encore in .45 and love it. I've hunted BP and normal rifle season for the past 5 years with it. Like it better than my .30-06. If I was having to buy another, it would be a new Encore in .50 cal. There are just a few more choices of bullets and they are easier to come by.

Bob wrote:I really like the T/C , I think it's hard to beat for the money. I prefer to shoot the 50 cal. no matter where you go you can find bullets and other supplies, and it seems to work well for me on deer.

I have a good supply of pydrodex and black powder, so I haven't been keeping up with things. I'll have to check this Blackhorn 209 out, it sounds good.

Just be prepared for sticker shock, the cans I bought were $31 each and not a full pound of power either...

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Vahunter wrote:For your price range you can't go wrong with a .50 T/C Omega. I have one and it's very accurate.

I don't like the break open lever on the Omega. I much prefer the Encore in that regard. I have a ProHunter in .50 cal. It's a bit steeper in price, but has all the features that make muzzleloader hunting much less of a chore.

I have never used anything other than Blackhorn 209 powder. It's expensive, but considering you can shoot and shoot and shoot and not have to swab the bore, it's worth every penny. I have shot as many as 16 shots in a row with no swabbing and no loss of accuracy and no struggling to seat the next bullet. It's non-corrosive, doesn't attract moisture, more "bang" for the grain than Pyrodex or 777. I get great accuracy from this powder with saboted .452 Hornady XTP's. My load, at nearly 2000 fps at the muzzle, is a force to be reckoned with.

Also, for cleanup, you want a breech plug that removes easily (which most do nowadays), and if you use Blackhorn 209, you can use the normal solvents like Hoppe's to clean up with rather than the soap and water deal which I always thought was rather unusual and overly time consuming. No special lubes or treatments or "butters". Just clean as you would a modern firearm, and lube as you would a modern firearm. I use Gunzilla which does both really very well.

On parting shot....invest in a good breech plug cleaning tool. The shotgun primers really foul the plug up badly and is the most common cause of misfires or slow fires. I usually take mine out and just soak it in Hoppe's while I clean the rest of the gun, then make sure it's clear before reassembly. A breech plug cleaning tool helps if there are stubborn deposits especially in the flash hole.

I have never used anything other than Blackhorn 209 powder. It's expensive, but considering you can shoot and shoot and shoot and not have to swab the bore, it's worth every penny.

AMEN brother... After I tried that stuff, never again 777 or Pyro. I have a Triumph and love it.

XD45acp wrote:

I have never used anything other than Blackhorn 209 powder. It's expensive, but considering you can shoot and shoot and shoot and not have to swab the bore, it's worth every penny.

AMEN brother... After I tried that stuff, never again 777 or Pyro. I have a Triumph and love it.

People resist it because it's not a pellet, but pouring powder is no more difficult than pouring a cup of coffee. Truth is, it's not more expensive to shoot, because you actually use less volume for the same velocity than pellets or BP. I have yet to find a down-side.

Optima elite...if you are on a budget then this one will provide 2 barrels for the price of one...and they make about 20 different calibers. Cant say enough good things about this rifle. Nice shooter and accurate. Heavy for field use but yields a low recoil.

I'd stick with a flintlock. Percussion caps are a passing fad and soon everyone will be shooting flintlocks again.