New to muzzleloader hunting

[Soda]

I am considering trying my hand at muzzle loading but really have no clue where to begin. Could someone recommend a good gun that is Idaho legal?

Thanks!
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[lowe-185]

are you looking at Traditional or going with In-line ?
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[Soda]

Thinking in-line just because of ease of maintenance. I like the looks of the CVA Accura NW but it seems a little spendy.
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[AverysAdventure]

Muzzleloading is a hoot! When I got into ML's 30 plus years ago (before in-lines became the rage) a old timer told me the only thing I needed to know was not to buy a CVA. I took his word and now have several traditional ML's by Lyman, Traditions and T/C. They all go "bang" and put meat on the ground.
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[AverysAdventure]

Bang
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[hooknhunter]

Nice job Rod!
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[Stickhorse]

Can you hunt with an in-line in Idaho?
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[lowe-185]

yes, as long as the cap is exposed to the elements.
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[idahoron]

[quote Soda]Thinking in-line just because of ease of maintenance. I like the looks of the CVA Accura NW but it seems a little spendy.[/quote]

To be honest I have both inlines and traditional. I have Idaho legal inlines and I got to tell you that my traditional guns are WAY easier to clean WAY WAY easier to clean. The threads on the on the inline are not easy to clean. I can clean my traditional guns with a soup can full of water. I can't do that with a inline.

I like Knight rifles. I prefer MK85's that are stainless steel. They are older guns and I bought two for under 250 dollars. One was new in box.
This one is Idaho legal.



This is one of my traditional guns, this one is my 45. My traditional guns are more accurate than the inlines . This one is accurate out to 300 yards.



Putting together a rifle like my 45 is expensive. The Knight is almost as accurate but way less money. And if you are wanting a do it all ML I would say only look at a 50 cal. There is a better bullet selection.
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[Soda]

What bullet and propellant to you prefer?
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[idahoron]

I like Pyrodex P
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[AverysAdventure]

[quote Soda]What bullet and propellant to you prefer?[/quote]

Sorry for the late reply Soda but I don't get on BF as much as I should anymore.
I run Pyrodex RS because I shoot 54's most of the time. Ron runs with P because he's shooting 45's.
Each of my guns are setup for different game and hunts. Patch and ball, Powerbelts, and conical. I use to be T/C maxi hunter guy but they no longer make then so I've switched to the 425g Hornady Great Plains bullets. They seem to group well.
Did you ever buy a ML and what did you end up getting?
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[idahoron]

I use Pyrodex P in my 50's too.
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[AverysAdventure]

Sure, and I run RS in my 45. But as you know the general rule is RS for the larger calibers and P for the smaller ones.
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[idahoron]

That is a pretty loose rule to be honest. If a guy backs off the charge a bit the P is actually better than RS for a couple reasons. First it is a bit hotter so it fires faster and it also flows better into the snail or drum reducing the chance of hang fires. If I were shooting a CVA with a drum I might not use P but in green mountain, Lyman, and TC barrels it is fine at least to 80 grains.
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