megasupermagnum
45 Cal.
Even now I still shoot inline muzzleloaders. I can't go into details because this forum takes such a no-tolerance stance. It has been a number of years since I have deer hunted with an inline.
The biggest myth I see is that inline muzzleloaders are simplified. Well, yes and no. The yes part is familiarity, at least to the newest inlines. The early inlines were often odd contraptions, even based off of existing firearms. For whatever reason it is tough for people to change habits. An inline allows a person to clean and operate them just like a modern firearm. The no part applies to just about anything else. For the most part there isn't a monumental difference. Along with the simplified myth is often ease of cleaning. I think cleaning most inline muzzleloaders is a PITA. They usually require multiple tools to remove the barrel, some are really bad requiring special tools, there's a ton of nooks and crannies in the action for fouling to hide in, and cleaning the breech plug and threads is not as easy as you imagine. It's not complicated, but it's not easy. By comparison a side lock is a breeze. You knock out a pin, and you are cleaning. No where for powder to hide, they barely get under the lock. It's so much easier to maintain a side lock. Even a pinned barrel gun isn't that big of a deal. Flintlocks do require the removal of the lock, so they are on par with an inline.
Here's a shocker (not really) the absolute #1 reason inlines are bought in such numbers is price. You can buy an entire inline for less than the cost of a barrel. I imagine prices have gone up, but the last inline I bought I walked out the door for $200 plus tax. At the time $200 might have bought a used CVA. A TC Hawken/Renegade was already over $300 used. Even today, the same gun I had bought, at the same store is only $300 listed online. That's a made in usa, very accurate and dependable rifle. No side lock can touch that price, not even imported CVA. If a person was looking to hunt, but didn't already shoot muzzleloaders, it's a no brainer.
So hopefully that cleared up some things. Back to the discussion about tags. The reason I mentioned the slug guns is because they are no more effective than a muzzleloader. Like I said, I know more than one person who uses a muzzleloader during the firearm season because they are more accurate. Yes, there are some really fancy slugs out there, but it takes more than a couple days at the range to find a good one. ..., Rifled muzzleloaders are more accurate than rifled slug guns, plain and simple. Someone wondered why MN's firearm success is always round 32%, yet muzzleloader season is way down around 15%, sometimes much less. The reason has nothing at all to do with what they are shooting. It is because the December muzzleloading season is that much harder. The firearms season happens right at the peak of the rut, and with un-hunted deer. You could allow bolt action rifles during the muzzleloader season, and I really doubt you would see 32% success.
To try and wrap up this long winded essay, I'll say my opinion remains that the hunter success difference between a flintlock and a inline rifle is negligible, if at all. After hunting with both, and continually shooting both, I just don't see it. The difference between a recurve bow and a compound bow is quite a bit bigger than the difference between a flintlock, and an inline for hunting purposes. The number one thing to remember is that everything muzzleloader related happens BEFORE your ever see an animal. As long as you didn't blow it, all you do is raise the rifle and pull the trigger. Everything bow related happens AFTER you see an animal. You can practice all you want, but there are a million things that can happen once you even draw.
The biggest myth I see is that inline muzzleloaders are simplified. Well, yes and no. The yes part is familiarity, at least to the newest inlines. The early inlines were often odd contraptions, even based off of existing firearms. For whatever reason it is tough for people to change habits. An inline allows a person to clean and operate them just like a modern firearm. The no part applies to just about anything else. For the most part there isn't a monumental difference. Along with the simplified myth is often ease of cleaning. I think cleaning most inline muzzleloaders is a PITA. They usually require multiple tools to remove the barrel, some are really bad requiring special tools, there's a ton of nooks and crannies in the action for fouling to hide in, and cleaning the breech plug and threads is not as easy as you imagine. It's not complicated, but it's not easy. By comparison a side lock is a breeze. You knock out a pin, and you are cleaning. No where for powder to hide, they barely get under the lock. It's so much easier to maintain a side lock. Even a pinned barrel gun isn't that big of a deal. Flintlocks do require the removal of the lock, so they are on par with an inline.
Here's a shocker (not really) the absolute #1 reason inlines are bought in such numbers is price. You can buy an entire inline for less than the cost of a barrel. I imagine prices have gone up, but the last inline I bought I walked out the door for $200 plus tax. At the time $200 might have bought a used CVA. A TC Hawken/Renegade was already over $300 used. Even today, the same gun I had bought, at the same store is only $300 listed online. That's a made in usa, very accurate and dependable rifle. No side lock can touch that price, not even imported CVA. If a person was looking to hunt, but didn't already shoot muzzleloaders, it's a no brainer.
So hopefully that cleared up some things. Back to the discussion about tags. The reason I mentioned the slug guns is because they are no more effective than a muzzleloader. Like I said, I know more than one person who uses a muzzleloader during the firearm season because they are more accurate. Yes, there are some really fancy slugs out there, but it takes more than a couple days at the range to find a good one. ..., Rifled muzzleloaders are more accurate than rifled slug guns, plain and simple. Someone wondered why MN's firearm success is always round 32%, yet muzzleloader season is way down around 15%, sometimes much less. The reason has nothing at all to do with what they are shooting. It is because the December muzzleloading season is that much harder. The firearms season happens right at the peak of the rut, and with un-hunted deer. You could allow bolt action rifles during the muzzleloader season, and I really doubt you would see 32% success.
To try and wrap up this long winded essay, I'll say my opinion remains that the hunter success difference between a flintlock and a inline rifle is negligible, if at all. After hunting with both, and continually shooting both, I just don't see it. The difference between a recurve bow and a compound bow is quite a bit bigger than the difference between a flintlock, and an inline for hunting purposes. The number one thing to remember is that everything muzzleloader related happens BEFORE your ever see an animal. As long as you didn't blow it, all you do is raise the rifle and pull the trigger. Everything bow related happens AFTER you see an animal. You can practice all you want, but there are a million things that can happen once you even draw.
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