What muzzle rifle would you recommend for elk?

[Westelker - W. Colorado]

I have been thinking about getting a good muzzle rifle for years for Colorado elk and for 2021 I think I'm going to do it. With so many styles and brands and particular rules in Colorado, I'm a little perplexed about what make to purchase. I think I could use the 1x optic to my advantage...other than that could anyone out there point me in the right direction re a good reliable muzzle rifle for elk. Thanks

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

.50 cal
open sites
no sabots
no pelletized powder
no smokeless powder
must actually be a muzzleloader...

 

[Dougfirtree]

In Colorado, it's more about "what components?" than it is about "what rifle?" I have a CVA Optima that was inexpensive and works very well. You can definitely get them with just open sights.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

In Colorado, it's more about "what components?" than it is about "what rifle?" I have a CVA Optima that was inexpensive and works very well. You can definitely get them with just open sights.

I have a Knight, works well but I would go with a CVA as the breech plug on the knight is a bit of a PITA.

 

[Gunner46]

IMHO Colorado (& California) has got to the point that the political legislature is in total disconnect with professional wildlife management. Centralized Yuppies trying to be Lords of the wilderness, from within their glass houses overlooking spacious skies and pristine landscapes.......Go hunt WY, NM, ID, AZ, or NV.

 

[nrpate05]

I think I'm gonna try ML in Colorado next year. I think I've settled on the CVA Optima. Looks like a great balance of cost/performance.

 

[ZBB]

Also, I’ll point out so you don’t feel like a dummy...like I did. To hunt elk with a 50 cal it needs to be a conical. 54 is the minimum for round ball. Bullet e.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

IMHO Colorado (& California) has got to the point that the political legislature is in total disconnect with professional wildlife management. Centralized Yuppies trying to be Lords of the wilderness, from within their glass houses overlooking spacious skies and pristine landscapes.......Go hunt WY, NM, ID, AZ, or NV.

5 o’clock somewhere I guess

 

[Wallow]

In Colorado, it's more about "what components?" than it is about "what rifle?" I have a CVA Optima that was inexpensive and works very well. You can definitely get them with just open sights.

What CO legal powder and bullets have you found to shoot well out of the Optima? Thanks.

 

[Dougfirtree]

What CO legal powder and bullets have you found to shoot well out of the Optima? Thanks.

I have not. So far, I've only used pellets and sabots in it. But if I was going to hunt CO with it, I'd start with Thor bullets and I'd probably start with BH 209.

 

[elkduds]

Westelker, PM sent

 

[utah400elk]

I have a knight disc extreme that shoots a 460 grns no excuse bullet over 75 grns BH209 very well. I can shoot a 3-4 inch group at 100 with a peep sight and right about MOA with a scope. This is my Colorado elk set up…with the peepsight.

 

[stk]

I have not. So far, I've only used pellets and sabots in it. But if I was going to hunt CO with it, I'd start with Thor bullets and I'd probably start with BH 209.

That was my exact setup when I lived in Colorado and hunted MZ season. Got an Optima and traded out the rear sight for a peep. Had it sighted in for 150 yards and could hold about 4 inch groups out to there. I would’ve been comfortable on elk out to 200. Took this antelope at 150, dropped like a rock.

 

[Don Fischer]

I though he was talking about muzzle loader's. I don't know squat about them but read or saw at one time that in the muzzle loader days the most highly desired one was a 50 cal. Probably for the caliber of the bullet. Something I found in my 308 shooting cast bullet's, the heavier bullet's seem to shoot better and hit harder. I'm guessing in a muzzle loader a heavier bullet will also hit harder.

 

[T.R.]

I toppled a 4 X 5 bull in Idaho a few years ago shooting a CVA Optima. This is a well made rifle imported from Spain that shoots quite accurately, indeed.

TR

 

[hank4elk]

Taken several with a TC Omega.

 

[EKYHunter]

Taken several with a TC Omega.

Very nice muzzleloader. I’ve got an Encore but would love to add an Omega as well. It’s a shame that TC quit making them.

 

[Wallow]

I have 4 White Whitetails in 50 caliber and really like them. They are no longer made but can found used online albeit at premium prices. They shoot conicals very well and are lightweight and easy to carry. A quick Google search will reveal a lot of good info on the White brand and the various models.

 

[Westelker - W. Colorado]

.50 cal
open sites
no sabots
no pelletized powder
no smokeless powder
must actually be a muzzleloader...

Just read the reg. it's all starting to make sense now, new terms etc... Thanks

 

[David58]

I though he was talking about muzzle loader's. I don't know squat about them but read or saw at one time that in the muzzle loader days the most highly desired one was a 50 cal. Probably for the caliber of the bullet. Something I found in my 308 shooting cast bullet's, the heavier bullet's seem to shoot better and hit harder. I'm guessing in a muzzle loader a heavier bullet will also hit harder.

I am not much on modern muzzleloaders, having never even touched one, nor ever used Pyrodex or shot a bullet from one of my front stuffers. Along with never having played golf, or worn wingtip shoes, one of the things I take a modicum of pride in. That said...

I would not hunt elk with a .50 patched round ball. If I did, I would shoot a two-ball load. It seems, from my friends' experiences, that .54 is about the sweet spot for mass and velocity when it comes to hunting elk. I have a .62, but it flat gets painful to sight in with hunting loads and has a rainbow trajectory that the .54 outdoes. All of the above is patched round ball, not bullets. Heavens, I can't imagine the recoil from a hunting load in a .62 behind a bullet...

I am not versed in the ballistics of the newfangled rifles. I tend to think that they are oversold and overbragged a touch, but I'll not find out because I have other funner stuff to shoot. But if you are hunting with open sights, my money is on you being able to shoot effectively at about the same range with either the modern or traditional approach. It is possible to find very nice traditional rifles that would be ideal for elk hunting, at a decent price, both new and used. I like the satisfaction of shooting the old way, using balls I have cast and shot in a rifle that I built.

I am not trying to be preachy - just saying you can consider an alternative. But you can find new in-lines cheaper than traditional rifles, and they are by-golly accurate. Which ever brings you the fun you seek - you have lots of choices. And if they can be kilt with a bow and arrow....