Picking the Best Muzzleloader
1. CVA Accura MR-X Cerakote Sniper
Muzzleloaders used to be mainly for hunting within 100 yards or so. That range stretched a bit, but as that range opened up, the accuracy decreased at a similar rate. Some of the latest muzzleloaders can reach out quite a ways, and the newest rifle from CVA blends that long-range ability with superior accuracy with the Accura MR-X Cerakote Sniper – a real reach-out-there rifle that packs some serious punch. These rifles are built around a 26-inch Bergara Barrel that is fluted to save weight. This .50 caliber rifle throws a serious chunk of lead and can give you opetions when it comes time to take the shot. An adjustable stock, piccatinny rail scope mount and DeadZone recoil pad help make this rifle one of your favorite. All you need to do is shoot it to see why.
2. Traditions NitroFire Muzzleloader Rifle with Scope Combo
The Traditions Nitrofire has caused a lot of buzz with how it works. It uses a special, breech-loaded powder and primer combo developed with Federal Premium and Hodgdon Powder. The result is faster ignition and reduced risk of weather-related misfires. The rifle has a fluted, chromoly steel 26″ barrel with a 1:28″ twist ratio for superb accuracy. When you add in a premium trigger system, you get a truly sweet muzzleloader that gives you truly outstanding accuracy.
3. Thompson/Center Bone Collector Triumph
Leave it to Thompson/Center and my buddies over at Bone Collector to come up with a serious inline muzzleloader for the hard core hunter. The Triumph series has a Speedbreech plug that can be removed by hand for easy cleaning. It has a FlexTech stock with a built-in Limbsaver’s recoil pad and overmolded grip areas for a solid grip in your hand regardless of the weather. Speaking of wether, the metal parts of the Bone Collector gun have Thompson/Center’s WeatherShield, making them impervious to rust. This is easily one of the best muzzleloaders on the market, period.
4. Traditions Tracker
If you’re completely new to muzzleloader shooting and hunting, one of the easiest ways to gt started is with a ready-to-shoot kit, like the Traditions Tracker inline. This kit comes with everything you need to get started except the bullets, primer and powder.
If you’re looking for suggestions, we recommend Powerbelt bullets for starters. We’d also use Hodgdon Triple7 pellets, too.
5. CVA Wolf
The CVA Wolf is one of the most popular muzzleloaders on the market, and with good reason. These easy-to-use smoke poles pack a lot of value into an affordable package. In chatting with local retailers, the CVA Wolf is easily the most popular gift package for muzzleloaders by far. The best package is the scoped, stainless model. It comes with a 5.50 cal. Wolf with a 3-9×40 Konus scope and CVA’s DeadOn scope mounts, which are among the best ML’er scope mounts available. It even comes with a soft, padded case. This gun is simple to operate, easy to shoot and clean. It is easily one of the best muzzleloaders available for the money.
6. Traditions Buckstalker
Traditions muzzleloaders cover the entire spectrum of black powder guns. You can get modern inlines all the way to traditional side-lock rifles. The company even makes specific models to meet select state requirements. The Buckstalker is their most budget-friendly model of inline and they pack a lot of cool stuff into this gun. It has their Accelerator Breech Plug that makes quick ignitions as well as being easily removable for cleaning. It comes with a mounted and boresighted 3-9×40 scope and is a sweet deal at around $250. It also has a dual safety system, making it one of the safer muzzleloaders available.
7. CVA Optima
The CVA Optima V2 rifle is an outstanding value. You get a lot of features, like a weatherproof finish, T-handle ram rod, Crushproof recoil pad and easy cleaning. The barrel is fluted to cut down on weight, while still providing all the accuracy you need and expect. It comes with CVA’s Dead-On scope mounts, which are among the best you’ll find for a blackpowder gun. Simply mount your scope of choice and be ready to hunt anything. I have a Vortex Diamondback scope mounted on mine.
Muzzleloader Care
One of the biggest mistakes people make with muzzleloaders is not caring for them properly. You ned to clean them often and soon. That is to say that if you shoot it, you’d better clean it. The chemicals in the powder can do a number on the internals of your barrel. You can use any of the typical cleaners you’d use for any firearm. I once heard of a guy using dish soap and hot water, so I had to try it. It worked, butI’m not sure I’d do it again unless in a pinch. You need to oil it, too to keep everything working right. When storing it for a long time, I often will oil everything a little excessively and then clean it again before I go shooting.
Many states rule that a muzzleloader is deemed “unloaded” if the cap is off the ignitor, or nipple. This makes it so you don’t have to go shooting it after every hunt, and can transport it back home and so forth. While this ruling comes in pretty handy, I strongly urge you to not do it for more than a couple days, tops. And then, never bring the muzzleloader into your house when you come back home. The temperature difference can cause moisture to get into the barrel and to the powder, creating a bad situation. When I do this, I leave it locked in the garage when I come home. If you go a few days, touch the gun off in the afternoon as a reasonable spot, then take it home, clean it and you can reload the next time you go out.
Muzzleloader Regulations
Here is another area that will require some thought before you make a purchase. You need to check the regulations in the state you live in, or the state where you plan to hunt. There are multiple states that do not allow pelletized power of any kind. You have to use loose powder. These states include Oregon, Idaho and New Mexico. California requires that your projectiles contain no lead and many states require that you do not use a scope.
These regulations play into rifle selection because there are quite a few muzzleloaders that are set up only for a scope. The loose powder requirements also exclude a couple of ML’ers that use Federal’s new Firestick. Loose powder are burns a little differently, so you’ll need to work with it to perfect your load and loading techniques. This can mean extra work, and extra expense with trying out different combinations, but hey, that’s a lot of fun, too. Muzzleloaders are a fun way to hunt and often extend your hunting seasons for firearm-style hunting.
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