While the Lyman GPR is a good rifle, my GPR and my Cabela's hawken are made by the same Italian company. The Cabelas is about $100 cheaper. Also check out the offerings from Dixie Gunworks.

If you can locate one, Traditions makes a sidelock .50 cal with a polymer stock for around $70...but you do get what you pay for!

Dixe Gun Works has one of everything it seems, and a lot of kit guns to choose from.

My .45 Traditions 209 Tracker was $129, but it shoots as well as I can. My feelings are that a person should start out with something they won't feel bad about screwing up, because Black Powder isn't very forgiving.



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p.s. Love the Zoidberg pic.

The Lyman Great Plains Rifle is very good, so too is the Hawken rifle from Thompson/Center Arms.

I recommend .54 caliber if you intend to hunt elk with patched ball.

I also recommend starting out with percussion, then moving on to a flintlock rifle after you have mastered the percussion rifle.

You should send $5 for the catalog from Dixie Gun Works. They have a great selection.

http://dixiegun.com/

Besides the rifle, you will need a powder horn, powder measure, possibles bag, and other accoutrements.

Thank you kindly for all the suggestions. I think I will check out Dixie Gun Works a bit closer, and plan on spending a bit more than the 100 bucks I was initially hoping for...don't really feel like buying junk.

Matt,

The above suggestions are good, but I'd get something like on this link: http://www.tcarms.com/mlrifles/renhunter/index.php

I have two T/C New Englanders (.50 cal, .54 cal, and a 12 gauge shotgun barrel for the .54-its easy and quick to switch barrels), which are older versions and apparently not sold anymore. I put a short, tang peep on the .50 and it is my favorite muzzleloader for deer. They are a compromise twist of 1:48 inch, so they don't shoot round balls well at top velocity unless REALLY tightly patched (twist too fast/good at mod vel)and they don't accurately shoot the longest/heaviest conical bullets as well as faster twists, but they shoot med. and light weight conicals well. I like the 430 grain T/C Maxi Balls in my .54 and the 410 grain Buffalo Bullet in my .50.
They are really well-made guns (you won't get them for $100 ), but you should start out with a quality gun. The single trigger is very important to me because there is no set trigger to fool with or make that "click" when a trophy is standing 10 feet from you. The large trigger guard is also "glove friendly" and a cap lock is weather friendly compared to a flint lock. Ya just gotta have a blue barrel and wood stock because its... well its just the right thing to do!!

Beware, however, as this muzzleloader will not be your last. I have 7 caplock rifles/carbines (one is a double barrel), three caplock shotguns (one is a double), two caplock single-shot pistols, two revolvers, and three flint lock rifles. I'm seriously looking at a match lock, and I have not fired my cannon since the fourth of July.

One of my goals this year is to kill a deer with my Mortimer .54 cal flintlock and round ball during our muzzleloader season (when NOBODY else is in the deer woods). I can't see the rear sight too good (old) so wish me luck!

Thank you so much Boreal. I appreciate it.

http://www.octobercountry.com/products.php Check these folks out, Matt. While they do have kits (some) they are most handy for supplies and gadgets. Good folks.

The afternoon spent with a muzzleloader can be enjoyable indeed.