My question is this: For my first muzzleloader, what kind of action do you suggest? a sidelock(flint), caplock, or inline.

I am led to believe that inlines are significantly more expensive, and I have no problems with sidelocks and their historical/ traditional aspect.

I would also like some suggestions on the brand or exact gun that you like, as long as its not THAT expensive.

Because of the relatively higher interest in the more modern type of inline rifles they are actually less expensive than most new sidelock rifles of equal quality. I would ask that you first consider where you are going to hunt and what the restrictions for that area are. Many states have specific restrictions on what is allowed. Afer you sort that out figure out what type of rifle seems the best or easiest for you to use. If you are used to a single shot shotgun you may like the break action muzzleloaders like NEF, CVA Accura, Traditions Pursuit etc. If you like bolt actions there are many in that design but you give up barrel length for equal length of rifle over the break action ones. Drop action like the Omega gives equal length to the break action. Try to find a selection at a local store that you can shoulder and see what feels good to you. Some stocks on some rifles do not work well with iron sights and are set up more for scope mounting. Some will not shoot the new Blackhorn 209 powder well if that is a concern. Personally I do not have one yet but the CVA Accura is high on my list of rifles to consider. All the Thompson Center inlines have tight barrels and can be difficult to find commercial bullet/sabot combinations that will go down the barrel. They may or may not shoot solid lead conical bullets well either. I have an Omega and it is a problem in those areas. Start here and when you have narrowed down the field come back and ask more questions.

As far as I can tell, there are no restrictions on muzzleloaders in Virginia.
Action-wise, I prefer the drop action rifles.
I've been looking at the CVA Wolf and the Optima, the Optima looks/sounds better to me personally.

You might want to check the Optima for the barrel manufacturer. I know the Accura and the Optima Elite have Bergara barrels which are top of the line. If the standard Optima (not the ELITE which also takes centerfire barrels)does not have the Bergara barrel I would look at the Accura. If it is a Bergara barrel it will say so on the back side of the barrel.

I'll try to check that out, thanks.

Alright,
The Optima does not come with a Bergara barrel, the Accura does. The Accura is also significantly more expensive, and by significantly I mean it is double the price.

More expensive yes but the prices I found on R&R Arms are Accura $283.18 and Optima $183.48 which is not close to double. I am sure you would do OK with the Optima however I am reading a lot of very positive results with the Accura.

The prices I found were on CVA's website and it said the Optima was around $180 and the Accura was around $400. But the prices you found are much more reasonable, I'll check out that site.

You must ask yourself, am I using a muzzle loader because I want a crack at another hunting season or do I want the feel of a traditional muzzle loader that would have been used by my fore fathers? If the answer is just another hunting season than there is but one choice (provided its legal in your area)the rifle is a Savage MLII its as accurate as many of my center fire rifles and there is NONE better and if any of these AR dudes tell you other wise they have not tried one! If you want a more traditional gun I reccomend a Thompson Center they are a little more money than some of the others but I feel the difference in quality. I have a 50 cal hawken and a 58 caliber Big Bore. Also FYI I have owned or helped friends with most of the other muzzle loaders brands out there. Sorry one more Lyman makes a very nice traditional model as well.

I have to agree the Savage is a real good choice if you can use smokeless. Unfortunately in Arizona it is not legal for muzzleloading hunting. The rifle is a little expensive and a little heavier than some and a little more picky as to what and how you load it (smokeless is a little less forgiving for mistakes but that is not a big thing). If smokeless was legal here I probably would have one to add to the collection of others, T/C .54 Hawken, .50 CVA Optima Elite-.270 combination, Lyman Flinter, White .504 Thunderbolt, White .504 97 Whitetail Hunter, White .451 97 Whitetail Hunter,.50 NEF Huntsman and a .50 Knight KRB7 Rolling Block.

Dangerous Dave- My answer to you is: both. I would love to have another hunting season open to me besides bird seasons, and rifle and bow seasons(all of which I participate in). I also appreciate the historic quality of muzzleloaders.

I looked at the Savage, is it the $700 one? If so, then it isn't in my price range. If not, can you give me a link where I can find it?

MLKeith- I notice you have a lot of White muzzleloaders. Are they particularly expensive or just very good quality. I will look them up myself but I would like your opinion.

The White muzzleloaders are out of production and the business is basically shut down although there is some capability of getting some parts and accessories still. They are unique and of very high quality. They will shoot heavy conical bullets better than any other rifle and were really the first long range muzzleloader that could be relied on for delivering a hard punch at longer ranges with decent accuracy. They also allow multiple shots in a row without a swab between shots which is quite unique using the older Pyrodex powder. White rifles have become somewhat of a collectable and are really well made. They were made in Utah and Doc White was the originator of the rifle. They run oversize in the bore compared with other typical rifles.

It's been a while since I've looked around here, but I'll just add a + 1 for the Thompson Center. In my case a .54 Renegade with new stock and furniture to convert to a Hawken look alike.

It shoots round balls well, but really shines with the .54 Minié by Lyman. I've shot it with 120 gr of FFg GOEX, but the brass crescent butt plate took too much of the fun out, so I backed off to 100 to 110 gr.

At 200 it would put 10 into a "Baby Moon" hub cap (~ 9"). That's sitting and shooting over X sticks, not offhand.

This is what I did and have enjoyed the heck out of my gun.

Went on Gunbroker and bought a used .54 T/C Hawken. (A Renegade will work also as they are all 1" flat guns)

Then I bought a .58 caliber Drop in bbl from Green Mountain. (Either do to GM site or get one from track of the wolf)

If the .54 used bbl is in good shape well that is just a bonus, i wanted the stock and action.

What I wound up with is a .58 roundball Hawken. It is one heck of a roundball gun! 32" bbl with 1 x 72 twist. It is some kind of accurate!

270gr rb @ 1800fps

This worked for me. As an added bonus I recently found a GM .62 caliber drop in bbl for the Hawken. It started life as a smooth bore but Ed Rayl rifled it 1 x 72 for the rounballs.
320gr rb @ 1700fps.

Make sure the T/C hawken is .54 because it will have 1" flats, the .50 and less has 7/8" flats and the GM .58 will not fit.

If you decide to shoot elongated bullets, GM makes them in 1x28 twist, but recoil is severe in the bigger calibers.

The basic T/C Hawken or Renegade frame is very versatile with the GM bbls.

Hope my experiences help.

If you "appreciate the historic quality of muzzleloaders" then you'll want something other than a inline which has no historic qualities much before the mid-1970s. Unless you want to shoot military style muskets and rifles most off the shelf sidelock muzzleloaders are not all that historically accurate either. The Lymans and T/Cs aren't bad but they're not really repros (and FWIW I wouldn't buy a sidelock that cost less). If you're serious about history and hunting with a muzzleloader because you like the idea that it used to be difficult I recommend a flintlock smoothbore such as those made by http://www.northstarwest.com/ or http://www.avsia.com/tvm/ or http://www.jackiebrownmuzzleloaders.com/Products.aspx If you want a rifle a Hopkins & Allen underhammer caplock (if you can find one) is traditional and shares the primary advantage with inlines - direct ignition. Good hunting!