i have been muzzleloader hunting for about 2 years with a CVA ridgeline flinktlock and it is about the most fun hunting i have ever done. but now that i am not applicable for a junior liscence i would like to look into a inline for the early muzzleloader season here. i dont want anything fancy just something to get the job done. any suggestions?

Sure CVA makes some good ones and your already familiar with them. My favorite was a stainless 54 caliber Remington 700 ML, but Idaho has made them illegal to hunt the muzzle loading season with. Here you can only use swing hammer guns. I don't know where you live, but check your muzzle loading hunting regs to see what's legal where you want to hunt before you invest in equipment.

Also, given the likelihood that some more states are likely to rethink what a legal muzzle loader is, you may want to think about it a bit more before you invest in it. A traditional style "capped" sidelock will always be legal in primitive seasons (except in a few flint only areas).

A .54 caliber roundball rifle with a 1:66 to 1:70 twist rate is all you really need for deer. I have gone full circle looking objectively for the best choice in a deer rifle and finally came to that conclusion. Just my 2 cents but there was alot of thought behind it, believe me. A nice properly tuned flintlock with a sharp flint is just as reliable as a caplock. Who wants to hunt in the rain anyway? Keep it simple and fun bud.

I bought a CVA Wolf .50 cal. a couple of years ago in a clearance sale for the lordly sum of $50. Nothing fancy, surely nothig great to look at, but handy, and easily shoots into 2" or a bit less at 50 yards using a Powerbelt bullet, 100 gr. (2 pellets) of Triple7, and a Winchester 209 primer. No idea of the regular retail price, but they're definitely "entry level".

I bought a CVA Wolf .50 cal. a couple of years ago in a clearance sale for the lordly sum of $50. Nothing fancy, surely nothig great to look at, but handy, and easily shoots into 2" or a bit less at 50 yards using a Powerbelt bullet, 100 gr. (2 pellets) of Triple7, and a Winchester 209 primer. No idea of the regular retail price, but they're definitely "entry level".

This past December,it was 140 dollars,here in New York State.
I checked out all the in lines at the store,without inquiring about the cost of any.I liked the Wolf because it was the lightest and handiest that they had in stock.It turned out to be a lot less expensive then any of the others.I bought it.
Since then,I replaced the firebrand sights;I did not like them,at all.
I also feel that the trigger is not as good as I would like.I may try my hand at "smithing" it.Otherwise the gun is top notch,for woodland hunting.I get 1 inch groups at 50 yards with Hornady 240 grain bullets and 100 grains of Pyrodex(loose).
Frank

A .54 caliber roundball rifle with a 1:66 to 1:70 twist rate is all you really need for deer. I have gone full circle looking objectively for the best choice in a deer rifle and finally came to that conclusion. Just my 2 cents but there was alot of thought behind it, believe me. A nice properly tuned flintlock with a sharp flint is just as reliable as a caplock. Who wants to hunt in the rain anyway? Keep it simple and fun bud.

A 54 RB is VERY effective on deer at any reasonable range you can score a hit. Under 100 yards it is deadly on even bigger game. People that have never used a larger caliber RB do not really know how effective it can be. Paper ballistics do not tell the whole story here. Both 54's and 58's RB's defy paper ballistics and both are very serious rounds. The 54 shoots a little flatter because you can generally launch it a bit faster and the 58 hits a bit harder down range. I have hunted with a 54 RB for about 30 years and it has never failed or left me wanting.

At one point I was looking at the White Muzzleloading M98. He used to sell kits with Myrtle wood stocks that were inexpensive. "Doc" White also sells an English Sporter sidehammer rifle. It does not matter what kind of ignition the rifle has. It's the barrel that matters. Take a look at the Pedersoli Jaeger rifle. Just search using the name Davide Pedersoli. It has a fast twist barrel for shooting sabots but has flintlock ignition. I can see that loss of pressure thru a venthole could be a factor to consider but maybe a longer barrel might compensate some. Anyway, these White rifles use "slip- fit " non- paper patched bullets. They could also use saboted bullets. I was trying to figure out how much trouble it would be to make a rifle from scratch that would shoot non- paper patched, non- saboted bullets. There are custom bullet moulds you can buy or have made but I abandoned the thought thinking it would be a huge hassle. It might take several tries to get right. You could look up the site to see what I am talking about. "Doc" White has his own site separate. It's full of info and charts and pictures of rifles for sale. I'm not recommending any White products, just pointing out some things i've thought about. Pedersoli makes the Dixie Cub that would be right for younsters who want to shoot maxi-ball or Buffalo Bullet type conicals. The twist rate is 1:34 which is what it should be for that type of bullet. Here's an article about .54 caliber rifles. http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/article.cfm?tocid=301&magid=23 Here's another one. http://www.chuckhawks.com/54_caliber_muzzleloader.htm They confirm that a .54 caliber roundball is an excellent choice for deer. The only problem I see is that it might be too much recoil for a youngster but stock design could help somewhat. A heavier stock might be a problem too but you could choose a style that uses a gun sling like a German Jaeger maybe. Just my thoughts here.

i have been muzzleloader hunting for about 2 years with a CVA ridgeline flinktlock and it is about the most fun hunting i have ever done. but now that i am not applicable for a junior liscence i would like to look into a inline for the early muzzleloader season here. i dont want anything fancy just something to get the job done. any suggestions?
Tiny, log on to this site, Sportsmansguide.com, and check out their inline selection. You'll find the best prices on guns to fit your need. They even have a Knight rolling block for only 250 dollars, and they have CVA inlines from 90.00 to maybe 200.00, if you find something that catches your eye, anyone one of the more experienced folks on this site will be glad to answer any questions you have about it. I bought a 45cal CVA Kodiak for 119 from them, and it is one sweet accurate shooting gun. It's capable of taking any deer that lives with the right load, out to 200yds. Check them out.

I thought that the Rolling Blocks were made by Pedersoli. I read about them before and it seems they are a bargain. Keep in mind that 1:24 twist rate will require slightly different saboted bullets than a 1:28 twist that is most popular. There are also 1:26 twist rate rifles on the market. .45 caliber rifles with 1:18 to 1:20 twist rates are meant for elongated unsaboted rifle bullets similar to the one on the Beartooth logo. These are usually paper patched. The 1:28 twist rate is very popular and there are lots of saboted pistol bullets to choose from because of that. Since the projectile is what brings home dinner I would first decide the bullets you want to use and buy a rifle based on that.

I thought that the Rolling Blocks were made by Pedersoli. I read about them before and it seems they are a bargain. Keep in mind that 1:24 twist rate will require slightly different saboted bullets than a 1:28 twist that is most popular. There are also 1:26 twist rate rifles on the market. .45 caliber rifles with 1:18 to 1:20 twist rates are meant for elongated unsaboted rifle bullets similar to the one on the Beartooth logo. These are usually paper patched. The 1:28 twist rate is very popular and there are lots of saboted pistol bullets to choose from because of that. Since the projectile is what brings home dinner I would first decide the bullets you want to use and buy a rifle based on that. Yes Perdesoli does make a rolling block, but a few years back now, Knight came out with one. You can get it as a straight muzzleloader, and they have another similar rifle that you can swap barrels and go from muzzleloader to 22, 243, 30-06 etc. It's a great rifle, like all Knight guns.

NEF Huntsman. Excellent muzzleloader for the money.

I know the writers of some articles are getting money from what companies they write about but sometimes it makes sense. Here's an article I read a long time ago and came across again. It might be of interest I don't know.


http://www.chuckhawks.com/45_muzzle_loaders.htm

Yeah I read the article before. Bottom line, with all the powders, and amazing bullets available to the muzzleloaders, any gun from 45 to 58 caliber can be made to kill way better and at much longer distances than ever before. But if you don't practice, practice, practice, all the bells and whistles that the gun maker claims, don't mean squat. I too was once against using a 45cal for deer, until I saw a dozen or so killed with a 45cal CVA Kodiak, using the Barnes 195gr copper bullet. No bullet was ever recovered and the deer were shot from 20yds to 165 lazered yds. The load was 100grs, of loose 777, and a Win primer, and none of them went more than 50 feet before dropping dead, most just dropped dead when that bullet tore through their lungs and out the other side. How much killing do you need for a deer??? I would not hesitate to shoot an elk, out to 150yds, through the lungs with that same bullet stepped up to 120grs of 777.

Tiny my friend go to sportsmansguide.com, and check out all the inlines he sells. You won't find a better price on them anywhere. I have bought CVA's and Knights from them with no problems, and I paid about 1/3 what they cost in stores.