Knight Rifles

dingmo

Been thinking about getting a blackpowder rifle for awhile to extend deer season. I live in Iowa where we normally only hunt deer with shotgun for one week a year. An auction next weekend has several new Knight rifles for sale (Wolverine 209 in .50cal, American Knight in .50cal & Disc Rifles in .45&.50cal). Since I've never shot one of these before and intend to use it only for deer hunting, what advice would you give me on model/design choice? Is Knight a good brand? Any other accessories that I would need to get started? Any guidance appreciated. Thanks!

KX500

Most will agree that Knight is one of the best brands out there. I'd say you are on the right track by staying with one of the better brands.

I have a Disc and a Wolverine. The Wolverine is a very good gun. It feels smaller/lighter than the Disc and is shorter. The Wolverine is one of Knights older designs - there is really only one thing I don't like about these - the breech plug can't be removed without taking the gun all the way apart. I'm not sure if the Wolverine is made to handle 150 grain powder charges either. I think the American knight is very similar to the Wolverine.

The Disc is longer, heavier and made to handle the 150 grain charges. It does have a breech plug that can be removed easily with minimal effort. That is a very nice feature when you come in from shooting a deer and don't feel like spending much time messing with your muzzleloader.

Both guns have nice adjustable triggers (another huge positive).

You can't really go wrong with either. I prefer my Disc just because of the breech plug thing and it does appear to be a little more weather proof.

I bought my first muzzleloader for the same reason as you. Go for it. Try the Triple 7 powder & don't feel like you have to use 150 grains of powder - I've settled on 120 which I've found to be a little more accurate and quite a bit less recoil. Put a good scope on, practice and you've got a good 150 yard (at least) gun - just make the first shot count.

mrmike08075

what about the WIN MODEL 70 / REM MODEL 700 in line and muzzle loading options???

how does the new SAVAGE smokeless powder IL / ML stack up???

best regards, mike.

What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.
email me at the shop at waltsgun@aol.com if you need to contact me. best regards, mike.

Randy Smith

Mr. Mike: There is no Winchester Model 70 inline. The inlines with the Winchester brand are imports whose owners have bought the brand name. The Remington 700 muzzleloader is a nice enough rifle with good balance. Ruger also makes a 77/50 muzzleloader that handles like their mid-size bolt rifles. I believe that either of these rifles (Remington and Ruger) are in the same general league as the Knight DISC and probably better balanced for an adult than a Wolverine. The Knight, however, was specifically designed for muzzleloading while the other two are cartridge designs altered for muzzleloading.

eastwood44mag

Dingmo,

I just bought a CVA inline about 3 weeks ago for the exact same reason. Here's what I can tell you: Knight is a good maker, but you pay for it. I bought my .50 with a stainless barrel and mossy oak stock for $170 (NIB). A Knight will run you at least $200, and may run up to $400 or more (I've seen some go for $600). Definitely get an inline for 209's, and get a stainless barrel. All propellants but triple 7 are corrosive, and will rust anything you put them through, but stainless cleans up easier. I'm gonna try it this fall using pyrodex pellets, probably with 100 grains. If you are new muzzleloading, pellets are a good idea, since it makes everything easier and faster. Also, spend the extra money for triple 7, since clean-up is so much easier, but load according to what they tell you, as it performs differently. As far as accessories go, buy a complete kit--it will have bullet starters, bore brushes, nipple picks, and the rest. When all was said and done, I got my rifle, 3-9x scope, rings, bases, and everything to shoot it (less primers) for less than $300, and that includes pyrodex and bullets. Other than that, I would tell you to get a .50 with magnum capability, since it will give you more versatility. A .45 has a flatter trajectory, but won't be of use for much of anything other than whitetail. E-mail me if you have any other questions.

If you know of any good locations, please let me know. Thanks.

Contender Man

Knight disc rifles are good, and easier to clean than earlier versions. And price wise they can be considered "mid-range".

Every rifle has a pet load and for any given bullet there will be a load level that the bullet performs best at. Usually these levels are below the maximum load.

Black powder substitutes (Triple 7, Pyrodex, Cleanshot, etc.) have about 10% more power than equivalent volume loads of BP. So if your using them start with a lower charge.

Personally I think the "Savage Smokeless" concept is an accident waiting to happen, and while I am sure that some folks may strongly disagree with me ... that is not a direction I would recommend to anyone starting out, in fact I've been shooting BP for years and it's not a direction that even I want to go in.



If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!