[Jeff Higgins]

Thompson / Center builds quality, American made caplock rifles that will fill your needs with aplomb. They have traditional blued steel and wood models all the way up through stainless steel and composite camoflaged models. They make in-lines as well, if that is what you want. Personally, I believe the modern shotgun primer (209 primer) fired, sealed breach in-lines should be illegal for muzzle loader seasons, as should jacketed pistol bullets in plastic sabots and any sort of optics. I don't want to get into a philosophical discussion about that (and you probably don't either), so suffice to say these bonus black powder, aka muzzle loader seasons, were originally meant to be "primitive weapons" seasons. But, alas, like so many things in life, the folks seeking every advantage started pushing the letter of the rules rather than the spirit of the rules. Some states are pushing back - read the game regs very carefully before purchasing anything. Washington, for example, does not allow plastic sabots and pistol bullets, optics, sealed breaches, or 209 primers. Pennsylvania is flint lock and round ball only. Other states vary widely.

The most popular caliber for deer hunting is by far the .50. That sounds big, but it really isn't in muzzle loader terms. It's kind of the ubiquitous ".30-'06" of muzzle loading. It has the most available in the way of bullet styles and weights, support equipment (loading and cleaning), and plenty of power for white tails.

There are three common genres of projectile for the muzzle loader. The most traditional is the round ball, loaded with a lubricated cloth patch around it. They are wonderfully accurate and provide the highest velocities, lowest recoil, and flattest trajectories, but they shed velocity like a badmitton birdie. The .50 caliber only weighs something like 185 grains. They kill surprisingly well, moreso than their "paper ballistics" would indicate.

Next up (chronologically) is the elongated bullet. Many modern versions are available, with the T/C Maxi Ball being the one that started it all in the modern age. Heavy for caliber, these provide the most punch, but also the most recoil. The .50 caliber weighs 370 grains. It will shoot through any white tail, from any angle, at any range from which you can hit it. I've hunted with the larger .54 version of this since I was in my teens, killing more game with it than all of my other rifles and handguns combined, and have never recovered a bullet.

Lastly, we have the saboted pistol bullet. Essentially, you take a jacketed bullet meant for something like the .44 mag and put it in a plastic sabot to take up the windage in a .50 or .54 barrel. The muzzle loader drives these bullets to velocities never envisioned by the bullet designers. Failures are common, with hollow points blowing up like varmint bullets on the near side hide, leaving nasty wounds and escaped deer in their path. They should be outlawed for that reason alone.

There are a huge variety of suitable powders available today as well, not just black powder. There are many modern substitutes. Some work well, some don't. Some states allow them, some don't - again, check the regs. I prefer the real deal - black powder. Some say it's too messy, too corrosive, yadda yadda yadda... It does require fairly immediate clean up after use, but so do most of the substitutes. It does start to foul the gun fairly quickly, making it difficult to load after just a couple or three shots, but you're hunting, right? This is only an issue at the range when sighting it in and testing loads. It's available in two common flavors, "FFg" and "FFFg", otherwise known as "double F" and "triple F". FFg is appropriate for the .50. 100 grains of the stuff under a Maxi Ball makes for an excellent load.

A word about rifling twists: Traditional round ball twists in the .50 run 1 in 66" or 72". Pretty darn slow - too slow to stabilize anything longer, like a Maxi Ball. T/C uses a 1 in 48" twist as a compromise that will shoot both round and Maxi Balls well. They also have a 1 in 28" twist meant specifically for Maxi Balls. I've used the 1 in 48" with perfect satisfaction, hunting with Maxi Balls and plinking with round balls. The plastic sabot / pistol bullet combo works best in the faster twist.

Lastly, there are a large number of imported caplock guns available from outfits like Cabella's. They are imported by CVA, Traditions, and others. Some are quality guns, most are not. They are not that much cheaper than a quality, American made T/C. Don't waste your time with them.