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Author Topic: What's a good lightweight rifle?  (Read 875 times)

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Offline farmplinker

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What's a good lightweight rifle?
« on: January 23, 2003, 03:01:51 AM »
I plan to start deer hunting with a muzzleloader next fall. I have a thing about carrying a heavy gun around, though, and much prefer a lighter gun.  

What are good choices for an easy-to-carry light muzzleloader for hunting deer? I don't care about style, and would consider guns that look primitive, modern or in-between.

I live in PA, where we have an early season where you can use any type of muzzleloader and a late season where you can only use a flintlock. I am mainly interested in the early season, so an inline or percussion cap would be fine. But if I could find a nice short, lightweight flintlock that would allow me to use it for both seasons.

I don't want to spend a fortune, but I also don't want to buy junk. I'm thinking that $200 to $400 sounds about right. Any suggestions?
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Offline savageT

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What's a good lightweight rifle?
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2003, 04:22:51 AM »
farmplinker,
I would look for an inline for a reasonably light weight early-season gun.  You will not find any muzzle loaders to be very "light weight" as you requested.  If you need a flint-lock then look for a Hawkins with a shorter barrel, but understand that a muzzle loader by nature either 45, 50, or 54 cal. thick-walled barrels weigh a considerable amount.
Look up the Thompson Center, Traditions, Lyman, Knight, Cabela's online sites and check them out.  I believe that the weights on most wil be given in the catalogs.  Usually places like Dick's Sporting, Wal-Mart will have packaged inlines that you can pick up and evaluate and are reasonable.
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savageT........Have you hugged a '99 lately?

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Offline Buckshotliam

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What's a good lightweight rifle?
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2003, 06:50:45 AM »
Whoa up a bit fella's.  If I'm not mistaken PA has some very specific requirements for muzzleloaders used in hunting.  Better check with the PA Game and Fish first.

Buckshot Liam
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Offline Mad Dog

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What's a good lightweight rifle?
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2003, 07:03:00 AM »
Hey Buckshot, he is right, you can use anything in their early season, just flinters in the late ML season in Pa.

Now for a light weight[relatively], easy to clean, accurate, and economical muzzleloader.......H&R/NEF .50 cal huntsman.  I got one last spring.  Of all the ML I have owned over the years, this is the slickest little rig for deer hunting I have ever had.  It has 4 basic parts to breakdown when cleaning.  I use 90 gr. of 777 powder in mine, in front of a 295 gr. powerbelt bullet.  It puts 5 shots under 1 1/4" at 50 yds. off a rest.  I killed a nice doe with mine in gun season, here in Indiana.  Best of all, it only cost me $139.50.  Hardest part will be finding one, because they became popular real quick, and the factory is behind on orders.  I did however see on the H&R talk forum, somebody posted that Jay's sporting goods in Michigan have some for sale.

Mad Dog
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Mad Dog

Offline tranders

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What's a good lightweight rifle?
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2003, 09:46:53 AM »
Hey Mad Dog,                      
                    How does the ram rod work on that Huntsman? I've heard of few bad things about it.
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