Picking up a second muzzleloader, thoughts?

[Macegl]

Going to pick up a second muzzleloader in the near future. Currently I shoot a Thompson Center Encore, I'm not getting rid of it, I just want to pick up something to hunt mule deer in Colorado and Idaho.

Originally I had thought about just picking up a barrel with iron sights for my encore, but that wouldn't comply with Idaho's ignition requirements. I also like the Idea of having a backup, or something friends and family could use if they wanted to hunt with me.

I'm leaning heavily towards a Knight Disc Extreme, getting the western version and buying a bare primer conversion. I have also toyed with the Idea of the Mountaineer .45 cal. This will be a mule deer gun, I'm not going to hunt elk out of state with a muzzleloader.

Money is a factor, which is why I'm leaning towards the Disc Extreme. However if there are compelling reasons to go with the Mountaineer over the Disc Extreme, I'll save my pennies and get the Mountaineer. Would the Mountaineer be more accurate than the Disc Extreme? (I'm hoping sabotloader can chime in on the differences)

Also, I'm not afraid to admit, I don't love recoil, which is why I have toyed with the idea of the .45 cal. I currently shoot .45 cal saboted bullets, and they are fine. How much worse will the full bore conical 50 caliber bullets be?

Thanks for the Help

 

[sabotloader]

Going to pick up a second muzzleloader in the near future. Currently I shoot a Thompson Center Encore, I'm not getting rid of it, I just want to pick up something to hunt mule deer in Colorado and Idaho.

Originally I had thought about just picking up a barrel with iron sights for my encore, but that wouldn't comply with Idaho's ignition requirements. I also like the Idea of having a backup, or something friends and family could use if they wanted to hunt with me.

I'm leaning heavily towards a Knight Disc Extreme, getting the western version and buying a bare primer conversion. I have also toyed with the Idea of the Mountaineer .45 cal. This will be a mule deer gun, I'm not going to hunt elk out of state with a muzzleloader.

The DISC Extreme is an excellent ML either for western hunting or 209 hunts. This is mine set up for Idaho ML hunting

If elk is really not in the picture the fast twist 45 should really be a consideration.

Money is a factor, which is why I'm leaning towards the Disc Extreme. However if there are compelling reasons to go with the Mountaineer over the Disc Extreme, I'll save my pennies and get the Mountaineer. Would the Mountaineer be more accurate than the Disc Extreme? (I'm hoping sabotloader can chime in on the differences)

Really all three rifles Bighorn, DISC, and Mountaineer all are capable of shooting with each other. They are basically the same barreled action. The Mountaineer is built to tighter specs than the first two but when it comes down to performance you do your part and you might never see a difference.


I do feel the fast twist 45 lends itself to greater shooting distances than the 50 in some cases.

Also, I'm not afraid to admit, I don't love recoil, which is why I have toyed with the idea of the .45 cal. I currently shoot .45 cal saboted bullets, and they are fine. How much worse will the full bore conical 50 caliber bullets be?

Thanks for the Help

If recoil is a consideration two things could help that... 1. A thumbhole stock and 2. the Kevlar stock that comes with the Ultra-Lite. With a thumbhole a lot of the shoulder recoil is eaten up the thumb and hand in the stock instead of around the stock. With the ULite stock and the embedded recoil lug some of the recoil is directed down through the pistol grip.


If you were to go with the DISC or even the Mountaineer and going to hunt Idaho then I would go with the FPJ version (red Plastic Jacket) it would be less expensive to convert it to caps because if you were to use #11 Mag caps and a capper you would not need a new bolt housing - just a new breech plug and nipple.


Hope some of this helps - open for more questions if they come up

 

[Macegl]

Thanks sabotloader, this definitely helps and gives me some needed guidance. I had no idea if I went with the bare primer ignition I would have to get a new bolt housing as well in order to become Idaho compliant.

As far as the .45 vs .50 cal, the .45 fast twist really intrigues me. My main concern is projectile selection. What are some good options for a full bore conical for a .45 cal fast twist? I recall reading somewhere about stabilization problems in some of the 1:20 twist muzzleloaders.

thanks again.

 

[Chesapeake]

A 50 cal roundball is about 155 grains. That’s about the lightest and least recoil full bore 50 cal projectile. Conicals start at about 240 grains with the Hornady PA conical and go up from there. Lighter would be expected to have less recoil. Likely flatter trajectory as well.
My favorite is the Bighorn with the western kit and thumbhole stock. Mines right about 7# and shoots great. I bought the stainless and then had it phosphate treated to get rid of the shine.

 

[Macegl]

Thanks for the info. I’m leaning towards a thumb hole .50 cal disc extreme. Went down to sportsmans warehouse and they had a disc extreme and an ultra lite, I shouldn’t have even looked at the ultra lite. Dang that’s a nice gun, just not really in the price range I can spend right now.

 

[Chesapeake]

I’ve tried the light weight muzzle loader deal. Had a 22” TC fire hawk. It was a joy to carry but lacked the barrel weight and length that helps me hold steady for off hand shots. I missed a few elk with that rifle.
I’m just not real good off hand with light rifles. I’ll gladly pack the extra pound to have a rifle I can shoot well.

Something to think about anyhow.

 

[YBPS]

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