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I've been kicking around the purchase of a muzzleloader rifle for a couple years. Nothing serious, just put it on my "want to buy list", and have casually been looking at them online and I came up with the Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken in 54 cal.with maple stock. Cabelas sells this rifle normally for like $1330.00 but I hear they sometimes go on sale around Christmas.

A little history about me, I built a muzzleloader from a kit years ago while in the Navy. At the time, it was to increase my odds of getting g drawn in arizona to hunt. The rifle doesn't look like much and really isn't much, and at this stage in my life, I'd really like something nicer to shoot and play with than it. I'm 56 next month, eyesight is going bad and only going to get worse as time marches on. I can shoot a 30-30 with open sights and hit a piece of paper at 100 yards, but need to wear my readers to see the sights on the rifle and the target is a blur.

So, in a nutshell, I (we..as in me and you guys that know some stuff about things) have until then to figure out if I'm on the right track or wasting my time and children's inheritance.
Also as an aside, I can't just go look at it in the store or ill buy it on the spot. Trust me. I know me. There ain't no "Goin an jes lookin"! I'm weak about these things. In my defense, there's worse things to be weak at, so don't judge.

Primary use: Target and possibly hunting, with nostalgic ownership.
I intend to target shoot primarily to start with, if I can hit the broad side of a barn with it, I will continue practicing until I get better and feel confident to hunt with it, or my eyesight gets so bad I have to hang it on the wall. It'll be a sad day but on the bright side it'll go over the top of my TV so ill see it allot...

Pro's: from what I can tell on the internet it looks to be quality craftsmanship, visually appealing to me, semi hassle free availability,

Cons: eyesight fading so it might end up a wall hanger long before it's time, cost$1330.00 which is a huge chunk of cabbage all at once for something I might not get to use much. Hence the wait to buy on sale and skeedaddle outta there before something else catches my eye...

Note: I'm not at all interested in those newfangled black powder rifles, cheap or cheesy rifles, etc. Had my share of all the above, it's time for something nice but not opposed to it being nice and nice on my wallet.

I really probably can't go wrong with this, but those in the know would be able to tell me if I was... somethin like "Hey knucklehead, you need a .50 cuz blah, blah"... or I know this guy who makes em and he'd prolly take one look at you and donate you the rifle and write it off on his taxes as charity...( A guy can dream, right?)

I realize there's a whole lotta kit that goes along with a smoke pole, but let's just focus on getting one of these in my hands at a good price, and I can tackle the kit later... baby steps. No need to gettin me all worked up and in a frenzy here! My wallet will thank you!
 
Pedersoli makes a fine rifle for sure....
As for sights...the as issued ones are a "Buckhorn" rear and a sliver blade for a front sight...
IF
they don't work for you...you can swap 'em out with sights from Track of the Wolf , The GunWorks or Dixie's Gunworks...
They are just dovetailed into the barrel...easy fix.
My eyes ain't what they used to be either...so my rear sight is a Buckhorn with a wide notch cut in the slot...makes it fast and easy to pick up.

.54 is a excellent all around caliber and that .530 round ball will take care of most anything with the appropriate charge of 2F Black Powder.
My favorite rifle is in .54 caliber and I have taken deer , black bear , elk and grouse ( head shots ) with this rifle.
Andy
 
Listen to Andy on the sights. He lives the genre
Nothing like the giant slot to give failing eyes the allusion they aren't so bad. The old lyman peep on my 99 notwithstanding, the black powder rifle sights are the only other iron sight I can shoot effectively any more, and with surprising accuracy all things considered.

genre
 
Comes down to the question, do you want to hunt, or do you want to style. I have been hunting black powder since 1980. Been around the horn with several forms of rifles. Started with a kit made by Thompson center in fifty caliber. Put it together and then customized it by adding different sights. Chose adjustable sights reminiscent of S&W revolver sights. Thats when I started cutting meat with each shot. Like you, time marched on. I am 70 now and still prowling the woods. However, my oldest son has manipulated my old Thompson away from me and I am confident it will service his needs well after I am gone. Today I have moved to the KISS principle and hunt with an inline with bright day glow sights, red front and ghost ring green back. Within a hundred yards works for me. While I do not require glasses yet, other than reading, I am proficient and capable with my firearms collection.
Just a matter of what your require. For hunting, or styling, or both. For me just getting away into the woods with friends and family is all I need.
 
The only correct answer is "I want it all!"
LMAO!!
And certainly whether I deserve it or not, is irrelevant, in my life, and at my age, it's time to start making less concessions where I can afford to do so.
 
My all around Black Powder rifle is a Thonpson Center Black Diamond in .50 caliber! Where I hunt we cannot use round ball, we must use a hollow point solid lead bullet, so this rifle is the one best suited to those needs! Its also based on a Bergera Barrel, so besides the fast twist, it can take a YUGE powder charge under a really heavy bullet and that makes for a very powerful combo. It has basic sights on it, but they are easy to see and use, and fast as I require! This rifle is not a traditional flinter or percussion lock rifle, but it does the job quite well and is very accurate to longer ranges then I would normally ever need!
 
Last Edited:
I'm just happy if the target doesn't come after me after I shoot it. Face bigsmyl.gif
 
I've been kicking around the purchase of a muzzleloader rifle for a couple years. Nothing serious, just put it on my "want to buy list", and have casually been looking at them online and I came up with the Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken in 54 cal.with maple stock. Cabelas sells this rifle normally for like $1330.00 but I hear they sometimes go on sale around Christmas.

A little history about me, I built a muzzleloader from a kit years ago while in the Navy. At the time, it was to increase my odds of getting g drawn in arizona to hunt. The rifle doesn't look like much and really isn't much, and at this stage in my life, I'd really like something nicer to shoot and play with than it. I'm 56 next month, eyesight is going bad and only going to get worse as time marches on. I can shoot a 30-30 with open sights and hit a piece of paper at 100 yards, but need to wear my readers to see the sights on the rifle and the target is a blur.

So, in a nutshell, I (we..as in me and you guys that know some stuff about things) have until then to figure out if I'm on the right track or wasting my time and children's inheritance.
Also as an aside, I can't just go look at it in the store or ill buy it on the spot. Trust me. I know me. There ain't no "Goin an jes lookin"! I'm weak about these things. In my defense, there's worse things to be weak at, so don't judge.

Primary use: Target and possibly hunting, with nostalgic ownership.
I intend to target shoot primarily to start with, if I can hit the broad side of a barn with it, I will continue practicing until I get better and feel confident to hunt with it, or my eyesight gets so bad I have to hang it on the wall. It'll be a sad day but on the bright side it'll go over the top of my TV so ill see it allot...

Pro's: from what I can tell on the internet it looks to be quality craftsmanship, visually appealing to me, semi hassle free availability,

Cons: eyesight fading so it might end up a wall hanger long before it's time, cost$1330.00 which is a huge chunk of cabbage all at once for something I might not get to use much. Hence the wait to buy on sale and skeedaddle outta there before something else catches my eye...

Note: I'm not at all interested in those newfangled black powder rifles, cheap or cheesy rifles, etc. Had my share of all the above, it's time for something nice but not opposed to it being nice and nice on my wallet.

I really probably can't go wrong with this, but those in the know would be able to tell me if I was... somethin like "Hey knucklehead, you need a .50 cuz blah, blah"... or I know this guy who makes em and he'd prolly take one look at you and donate you the rifle and write it off on his taxes as charity...( A guy can dream, right?)

I realize there's a whole lotta kit that goes along with a smoke pole, but let's just focus on getting one of these in my hands at a good price, and I can tackle the kit later... baby steps. No need to gettin me all worked up and in a frenzy here! My wallet will thank you!
I'm 80 and had cataracts removed,20/15 now
 
I've been kicking around the purchase of a muzzleloader rifle for a couple years. Nothing serious, just put it on my "want to buy list", and have casually been looking at them online and I came up with the Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken in 54 cal.with maple stock. Cabelas sells this rifle normally for like $1330.00 but I hear they sometimes go on sale around Christmas.

A little history about me, I built a muzzleloader from a kit years ago while in the Navy. At the time, it was to increase my odds of getting g drawn in arizona to hunt. The rifle doesn't look like much and really isn't much, and at this stage in my life, I'd really like something nicer to shoot and play with than it. I'm 56 next month, eyesight is going bad and only going to get worse as time marches on. I can shoot a 30-30 with open sights and hit a piece of paper at 100 yards, but need to wear my readers to see the sights on the rifle and the target is a blur.

So, in a nutshell, I (we..as in me and you guys that know some stuff about things) have until then to figure out if I'm on the right track or wasting my time and children's inheritance.
Also as an aside, I can't just go look at it in the store or ill buy it on the spot. Trust me. I know me. There ain't no "Goin an jes lookin"! I'm weak about these things. In my defense, there's worse things to be weak at, so don't judge.

Primary use: Target and possibly hunting, with nostalgic ownership.
I intend to target shoot primarily to start with, if I can hit the broad side of a barn with it, I will continue practicing until I get better and feel confident to hunt with it, or my eyesight gets so bad I have to hang it on the wall. It'll be a sad day but on the bright side it'll go over the top of my TV so ill see it allot...

Pro's: from what I can tell on the internet it looks to be quality craftsmanship, visually appealing to me, semi hassle free availability,

Cons: eyesight fading so it might end up a wall hanger long before it's time, cost$1330.00 which is a huge chunk of cabbage all at once for something I might not get to use much. Hence the wait to buy on sale and skeedaddle outta there before something else catches my eye...

Note: I'm not at all interested in those newfangled black powder rifles, cheap or cheesy rifles, etc. Had my share of all the above, it's time for something nice but not opposed to it being nice and nice on my wallet.

I really probably can't go wrong with this, but those in the know would be able to tell me if I was... somethin like "Hey knucklehead, you need a .50 cuz blah, blah"... or I know this guy who makes em and he'd prolly take one look at you and donate you the rifle and write it off on his taxes as charity...( A guy can dream, right?)

I realize there's a whole lotta kit that goes along with a smoke pole, but let's just focus on getting one of these in my hands at a good price, and I can tackle the kit later... baby steps. No need to gettin me all worked up and in a frenzy here! My wallet will thank you!

I've been kicking around the purchase of a muzzleloader rifle for a couple years. Nothing serious, just put it on my "want to buy list", and have casually been looking at them online and I came up with the Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken in 54 cal.with maple stock. Cabelas sells this rifle normally for like $1330.00 but I hear they sometimes go on sale around Christmas.

A little history about me, I built a muzzleloader from a kit years ago while in the Navy. At the time, it was to increase my odds of getting g drawn in arizona to hunt. The rifle doesn't look like much and really isn't much, and at this stage in my life, I'd really like something nicer to shoot and play with than it. I'm 56 next month, eyesight is going bad and only going to get worse as time marches on. I can shoot a 30-30 with open sights and hit a piece of paper at 100 yards, but need to wear my readers to see the sights on the rifle and the target is a blur.

So, in a nutshell, I (we..as in me and you guys that know some stuff about things) have until then to figure out if I'm on the right track or wasting my time and children's inheritance.
Also as an aside, I can't just go look at it in the store or ill buy it on the spot. Trust me. I know me. There ain't no "Goin an jes lookin"! I'm weak about these things. In my defense, there's worse things to be weak at, so don't judge.

Primary use: Target and possibly hunting, with nostalgic ownership.
I intend to target shoot primarily to start with, if I can hit the broad side of a barn with it, I will continue practicing until I get better and feel confident to hunt with it, or my eyesight gets so bad I have to hang it on the wall. It'll be a sad day but on the bright side it'll go over the top of my TV so ill see it allot...

Pro's: from what I can tell on the internet it looks to be quality craftsmanship, visually appealing to me, semi hassle free availability,

Cons: eyesight fading so it might end up a wall hanger long before it's time, cost$1330.00 which is a huge chunk of cabbage all at once for something I might not get to use much. Hence the wait to buy on sale and skeedaddle outta there before something else catches my eye...

Note: I'm not at all interested in those newfangled black powder rifles, cheap or cheesy rifles, etc. Had my share of all the above, it's time for something nice but not opposed to it being nice and nice on my wallet.

I really probably can't go wrong with this, but those in the know would be able to tell me if I was... somethin like "Hey knucklehead, you need a .50 cuz blah, blah"... or I know this guy who makes em and he'd prolly take one look at you and donate you the rifle and write it off on his taxes as charity...( A guy can dream, right?)

I realize there's a whole lotta kit that goes along with a smoke pole, but let's just focus on getting one of these in my hands at a good price, and I can tackle the kit later... baby steps. No need to gettin me all worked up and in a frenzy here! My wallet will thank you!
I just saw your post and was wondering if you ever found the muzzleloader you were looking for. I'm looking to sell my 50 Cal T/C Muzzleloader with a 45 Cal interchangeable barrel. If you are still looking, I can respond with photos and price. Thank you
 

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