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Silenus

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Hello all,

New guy from the MN Metro area here. I'm completely new to Muzzleloading, but not to shooting or hunting. I currently do not have any muzzleloading tackle, aside from anything that might carry over from shotgunning or rifle shooting.

I am primarily interested in muzzleloader hunting. To me, the main draw is the later season with fewer hunters in the woods (I stay out of the public woods during the firearms season), however I also have access to private property that is very open, very flat farmland which is unfortunately just on the "wrong" side of the rifle line here in MN. 2-300 yard shots would definitely be possible in the right place, and I know that modern inlines fall somewhere between a high powered rifle and a shotgun in terms of range.

I am open to pretty much any brand. Two possibilities that I have my eye on are the Remington Ultimate Muzzleloader and the T/C Encore Pro Hunter (FX). That being said, I'd be open to other options as well.
 
Welcome to the group, from central Indiana.


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Welcome from another fellow Minnesotan. Where about a is this hunting land? I live about 5 miles into the rifle zone but split my time hunting both zones. A good accurate muzzleloader is pretty versatile in this state.
 
It's in northern clay county, in the Red River Valley. So the terrain is very flat.

There is a good sized pond on the property which may or may not hold deer. I do know that when the crops come down when the farmer is growing corn, there are often tons of deer that come out. I might just have to give it a shot during the early archery season in the future, especially if I can time it with the harvest.
 
Welcome to the Forum :yeah: I have always been a Big Remington 700 Fan, But I know nothing about their Muzzleloaders? Look up forum member ENCORE50A, He has a Really nice Remington Setup! You Won’t Find a More Customizable Rifle than a Remington. If i were looking for a really nice Modern inline I would go with the Knight Mountaineer in .45 Cal 1:20 Twist.
I personally shoot Fast Twist Sidelock Muzzleloaders, I have an Old Knight MK-85 like Brand New, Super Nice handling, and Shooting rifle, But what a ROYAL PAIN to Clean! I can shoot my Fast Twist Sidelock’s EVERY bit as well as an inline, And my Sidelock Muzzleloaders are NIGHT AND DAY easier for me to Clean/Care for. My Knight MK-85 is a Plunger Style Gun, The Blowback into the Action is what i find the Biggest PITA to clean. If i were going with a New inline i would definitely go with a Sealed Breech style BH209 Compatible Gun. BH209 is not Recommended in These Plunger Guns like my MK-85, Another thing to note, The plunger guns like my MK-85 Can, and will Destroy a Scope Finish From Blowback if you don’t have them protected. I know you are Not asking about a Plunger Style Gun, Just something to be aware of in case you go that Route. I know a Guy on here that Bought a Brand New Knight Big Horn, He Ruined the Finish on His Scope the First outing with it Because he didn’t Know to protect it From Blowback. Good luck with Whatever you Decide to go with!
 
Silenus said:
Hello all,...………...I am open to pretty much any brand. Two possibilities that I have my eye on are the Remington Ultimate Muzzleloader and the T/C Encore Pro Hunter (FX). That being said, I'd be open to other options as well.

Welcome. Just seen the post.

I'll throw my 2¢ in on the muzzleloaders you mentioned.....

The Remington Ultimate (RUM) is a good rifle which has came along way. Its about as easy to get started with as any rifle on the market. For the beginner, just drop the pellets down the bore, seat the sabot/bullet, drop a primer case in the action and close the bolt. Its that easy. Be aware though, the rifle is heavy. The weight is to handle the extreme charges its capable of and to help with recoil. Although it uses pellets, there are many combinations equaling different charge weights 50/50 and T7M (60gre) pellets. Although the rifle is capable of charges that well exceed production rifle charges, it does not mean that you have to shoot heavy charges. They shoot excellent with production rifle charges. The biggest improvement for the rifle came last summer from Arrowhead Sporting Goods (ASG). A new breech plug was created which allows the use of BH209. One can easily push a 300gr bullet with BH209 to 2,400 feet per second using the ASG breech plug. It turns the rifle into a race horse instead of a pony. Please note, recoil IS heavy when using the higher charges and in doing so, a cheap scope setup will likely fail. The best part of the rifle is the Remington 700 action, which if down the road you ever wanted to convert the rifle and make it a 2 in 1 rifle, its the very best action to make the conversion, or modify (trigger etc.).

The TC Pro Hunter is a great production rifle, more suited to shoot saboted bullets than conicals. The Encore platform rifles are the most copied. They can be an extremely accurate production rifle and capable of using BH209 right out of the box. There are many modifications which can be made to the frame if the shooter feels necessary, such as trigger springs, hammer springs, etc. I shot the Encore platform since it came out, prior to shooting the Ultimate. I have shot many groups of an inch at 200yds. It can also be a 300yd rifle with the right bullet combination, even using production rifle charges of BH209. Its plenty lighter than the RUM. Honestly, had I known then what I know now, I'd have never sold my last Pro Hunter. I know of quite a few hunters that use the Pro Hunter FX and are very happy with them.

I myself prefer the Remington and its 700 action. There are more and more great bullets capable of over 1,000 foot pounds of energy at 600yds. However, these bullets are not cheap. I have no issue sending the common 300gr SST bullets to 400yds at a whitetail. But I shoot that range often.

There are other rifles, all very capable with the right charge, sabot and bullet combination that will shoot to 300yds. There's a lot of promotion for the Knight 1:20 twist rifles, which are .45cal and in many cases require sizing bullets. CVA is coming out with a 1:22 twist, .45cal bolt action after the 2019 shot show IIRC.

Here's some suggestions...….. Look carefully! Handle them all. Determine what your actual need will be, not only immediate but future needs. Don't just settle for something that's not going to serve all your needs. Believe me, its much better and cheaper to do it right the first time, than to do it over.
Good luck.
 
Thanks for the tips. If I understand correctly, a spare breach plug is recommended anyways, so that might be worth checking out as well.

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Silenus said:
Thanks for the tips. If I understand correctly, a spare breach plug is recommended anyways, so that might be worth checking out as well.

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With the Pro Hunter its a good idea. If the Remington Ultimate OEM is converted to the ASG plug, you're done. The ASG plug has a lifetime guarantee.
Good luck.
 

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