# Help me decide



## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

Hey all, my brother has talked me into Muzzleloader this year for deer since my dad passed away a few months ago. I always hunted rifle with him. So here comes some changes. 
I am more old school in a lot of ways and like the older round ball muzzle loaders and like shooting them. I was looking at buying a kit and building one of my own. 
Now on the flip side, I shot my brothers inline and that was a lot of fun to shoot as well. 

So my dilemma is that I want a traditional muzzleloader, but also an inline but can only afford to buy one this spring. 

Help me decide with the pros and cons of each!!!


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

It is all going to depend on how you really want to hunt with one. 

The biggest pro with a inline is that they are no longer your great great grandfathers muzzle loader. Throw a scope on it get some modern black powder substitute, 209 shotgun primers, and specialized bullets and you have a 300 yard rifle. 

A traditional muzzle loader such as a flintlock or one that uses percussion caps to ignite the powder is generally heaver. And while you can mount a scope on it along with getting a barrel to shoot the same bullets properly as a inline why would you? 

I enjoy my side lock muzzle loader actually more than my inline. It still wears the open sights and I shoot full lead maxi-balls out of it, and I killed my first muzzle loader elk with it. But it isn't a inline.


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## CROC (Sep 12, 2007)

I love my Thompson Center, there are a lot of Renegades and Hawkin's running around,. I like Maxiballs currently for my load. However I started out round ball and they group really good. You don't need a 300 yard gun, you just need to change the way you look for deer and bring your rifle eyes into a new range. I VOTE TRADITIONAL!!!!!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

My Traditional Sidelock Hawkin has been rebarreled with a fast twist barrel and shoots XTPs in sabots in nice pretty cloverleafs at 100 yards. Speed is the same as my inline... so yea, best of both worlds.

I tend to use my Remington ML more though... it was a gift from my wife and its become my favorite gun. I've killed an amazing number of deer and elk with it.


-DallanC


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

If you are using an inline you will experience very little difference from the "rifle hunt" except that second quick shot.

Using a vintage style muzzy will give you a little sense of what what challenges the old timers had.

Using a hybred, that is a vintage looking style with modern upgrades is like driving a "new" VW beetle" pretending and hoping to drive an old "bug" VW.

The bottom line is you will still be deer hunting and hopefully having a good time.


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## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

Thank you for the responses. I think I will buy one of the kits to build one. I want more of an old school hunt and definitely the challenges that go with it.


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## neverdrawn (Jan 3, 2009)

I built my first muzzle loader from a kit. It turned out really nice and shot well out to a hundred yards with round balls. Had I put on a peep sight I think I could have extended the range a bit more. My problem was the front bead covered most of the target beyond that. It was really fun to shoot but in damp weather I would occasionally suffer a hang fire. It's really hard to stay on target when that happens! I killed multiple deer with that gun but have since went to an inline. I kind miss the nostalgia of the renegade, but the new one shoots really well, even in cold, wet weather.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I like to shoot traditional better than inline. Both are fun though. I either shoot a sabot or roundball out of my side lock, usually with FFF Black powder. It is just more fun and nostalgic. The inline has a 6-18 Leupold on it and it is just a single shot rifle.

Here are a couple decent sidelocks and you might negotiate the price down a touch. They'd be as good or better than most current kit guns and cheaper too. 
http://www.monstermuleys.info/dcforum/DCForumID49/13435.html

Whatever you buy, make sure you have a fiberglass ram-rod. The wood ones will break on you, usually when reloading in the heat of the moment.


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## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

Thanks again for all the info from you guys. I ended up buying the one Packout gave the link to. Thompson Center Hawken side hammer, 50 cal., wood and brass model. He is bringing it down next week on the way to the Expo!


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I like my Lyman Great Plains Rifle! Very accurate, and fun to shoot. My eyes aren't as "young" as they once were so, I have issues focusing the front, rear sights, and target together. It sucks getting old!


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## StillAboveGround (Aug 20, 2011)

Consider a used gun. Got my TC Encore 50 cal and 7 mm Rem Mag Barrel used about 10 years ago. Got into shooting ML by pure accident, was only looking for the 7 mm.

I see 4 or 5 today on just the first page at Utah Gun Exchange for $250 or less.


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## bossloader (Sep 11, 2007)

Don't think even with a new in line that there is no challenge, hunting with a muzzy made me a better hunter because you have to think about the shot, wind, distance. you will have so much fun welcome to the muzzy life.


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## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

Thank you sir! I ended up with a .50 Hawken (percussion). Working on loads now and spoke to the older gentleman I bought it from as to what he used. Headed to the range this weekend to start trying them out.



bossloader said:


> Don't think even with a new in line that there is no challenge, hunting with a muzzy made me a better hunter because you have to think about the shot, wind, distance. you will have so much fun welcome to the muzzy life.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I hope that it doesnt have a 1:48 barrel twist. What projectiles do you plan to use? I found the "Ball-et" type projectiles worked the best. Heavier conicals sortof worked. Roundballs and sabots will not work very well.

I rebarreled my Hawkin many many years ago with a 1:28 twist barrel and it shoots every bit as good as my Remington 700ML


-DallanC


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## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

It is the 1:48 twist. I am heading to sportsman's in the morning to buy what I need to test different loads and such. He gave me what he had left for the ML but none of it is labeled, so I am basically starting from scratch. He did say he used 70 grains of powder for deer. And a brand new package of caps.



DallanC said:


> I hope that it doesnt have a 1:48 barrel twist. What projectiles do you plan to use? I found the "Ball-et" type projectiles worked the best. Heavier conicals sortof worked. Roundballs and sabots will not work very well.
> 
> I rebarreled my Hawkin many many years ago with a 1:28 twist barrel and it shoots every bit as good as my Remington 700ML
> 
> -DallanC


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