Pro Hunter or Disc Extreme?

Meander · May 11, 2006

I've never owned a muzzleloader before, nor have I hunted with one. But I'd like to.

I have friends that own both Thomson and Knight 50 cal inline muzzleloaders, and each of them swear their rifles are the best. So I'm looking for additional feedback from muzzleloader worshippers on this forum.

The Knight Disc Extreme sounds and looks good. I like the fact that the trigger can be adjusted, and that it can shoot decent groups. The trigger thing is a big deal to me. I can't shoot a 7 lb trigger and like it. And the price isn't to bad.

The Thompson Pro Hunter sounds and looks absolutely wicked to me. There's all kinds of cool stuff you can do with it. The Pro Hunter has caught my eye big time. Nothing is mentioned about accuracy. Maybe because it's like anything else, the shooter needs to spend time developing a load for it. Nor is there any mention of being able to adjust the trigger. The price is a premium... I'm willing to pay If I can adjust the trigger to my liking, and accuracy can be achieved.

So, I'm hoping we can get into an old time Ford vs Chevy type discussion here so I have a bit more information to help me make a decision which to buy.

OIFvet · May 11, 2006

Thumbs-up for Ford....Ohh sorry!
Don't know to much about in-lines but I'm sure there's alot of people here to help you out. Good luck. My matto.."You get what you pay for" (most of the time)

nvlonghunter · May 11, 2006

I own a knight and a TC they are both good mauzzleloaders.Then a purchased a Savage 10ML-II and i like it the best. The accutrigger is a very nice feature you can set it to your desired lbs from 2.5 to 6 lbs..You can also shoot black powder or smokeless powder and I have found that the savage does not kick as much as my other muzzleloaders.

www.savagearms.com

Hoosierbuck · May 18, 2006

The Pro-Hunter version of the Encore is brand spankin' new, so you will have people tell you that their Encore's are good, but this is a slightly different monkey. I really like the idea of the 90-degree breech bolt removal feature. T/C makes a pretty good product, IMO, and they are modular. I have a 12 ga. rifled Pro-Hunter on order thru their hunter education instructor program, which allows me to buy one gun or barrel per year at distributor price.
I have 3 Knight inlines, and love them for shooting. My baby is the .45 Disc Extreme with SS fluted barrel and thumbhole stock. Shoots really well with Powerbelts and full house 3x50 Pyrodex loads. Knight also sells direct at a discount for hunter ed instructors, BTW.
I think you are in a win/win dilemma.
HB

Meander · May 26, 2006

My T/C Pro Hunter 209x50 arrived UPS today... just in time for the long weekend. I think it's going to be a fun new technology to learn.

Omega · Jun 3, 2006

This is one of 7 critters my wife Sandi and I have shot this spring with our new Pro Hunter 209x50 cal. We give it a big thumbs up!

ELKabong · Jun 8, 2006

I have bin a traditional BP type of guy 'til last year, when a few freinds started shooting in-lines. I was so impressed with accuracy 'an easy loading, I had to have one.
They shoot Thompson Encores, 'an I liked the break-open style, so I started looking at options.
I settled for the Traditions Pursuit Pro .50 cal.
It's stainless/synthetic/camo w/fluted barrel.
It's action is smooth, reprimering is a snap, the sights are excelant!
This is a cool gun!!
I would recomend checking one out before you purchase.

Meander · Jun 12, 2006

Omega,

Thanks for the post. That's a beautiful stag your wife is displaying... congratulations. The Pro Hunter is also a beautiful piece of simple technology. So far I've only put 10 rounds through it, but look forward to shooting more when I get it back from the T/C customer service group. The trigger was way to heavy for me. Depending on the trigger scale being used it would break between 5.5 and 6.0 pounds. Nearly impossible for me to obtain any type of accuracy with a trigger that heavy. I found that T/C has a very professional customer support group. I was routed to one of their gunsmiths who told me to send it back in. He informed me the trigger should break around 3 pounds. If they can give me a crisp trigger at 3 pounds I would be a happy camper.

As a matter of interest, what loads have you and your wife been shooting to successfully take your critters? I've been shooting the 240 grain T/C cheap shots in front of 100 grains of Pyrodex pellets just to break in and season the barrel. I've put a little bore butter on the outside of the sabot before pushing it down the barrel. I thought I would shoot about 20 rounds using this configuration before attempting to work up a load for a good sturdy hunting bullet.

Since Barnes Bullets is part of the community I live in I was going to give them a try first using the 50 and 30 grain Triple Seven powder pellets. Barnes has a 250 and 290 grain polymer tipped bullet (Spit-Fire TMZ) that's suppose to be the greatest thing since food itself. We'll see how they print on paper, and what numbers they produce on the chronograph. I have a trophy bull elk hunt booked for this fall and want to make sure I'm carrying the right equipment into the field. If I can get the trigger acceptable, and a decent load worked out I should be set. Your load data and experiences with them would be apprecaited. Thanks in advance.