« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: What's a good lightweight rifle?  (Read 876 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline farmplinker

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 10
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?
Logged

Offline savageT

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1594
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.
Logged
savageT........Have you hugged a '99 lately?

Of all the things I've lost in my life, I miss my mind the most.

Offline Buckshotliam

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 45
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
Logged

Offline Mad Dog

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 481
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
Logged
Mad Dog

Offline tranders

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 41
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.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »