The World's SAFEST Muzzleloaders
I've lamented the lack of standards present in the muzzleloading world, which has the effect of driving bullet, sabot, and accessory manufacturers a bit daft. There are no universal quality or safety standards, and I've spent too much time in lawyer's offices around the country looking at what defective product has done in this uncontrolled, non-regulated environment. It can be some pretty nasty stuff. However, the best safety remains between our ears, and any gun can be misused or destroyed if we fail to take upon the responsibility that comes with being a "muzzleloading reloader." There are muzzleloading rifles out there that have distinguished themselves by being markedly safer to own, operate, and hunt with than the rest. I believe they deserve some accolades, and I'll mention them right now-and tell you the basis for their respective citations; this is not by sheer happenstance. So here we go, in alphabetical order:
Knight Bolt Action Muzzleloaders (Disc Elite and Disc Extreme)
The Knight bolt action frontloaders are fundamentally superb quality rifles, with established quality Green Mountain barrels from American steel. The red plastic jackets that house 209 primers make it easy to tell at a glance if the rifle could possibly be "live capped" or not. Removal of the red plastic jacket renders the rifle inert. Also, we have redundant safeties-both the thumb safety and the traditional "Tony Knight Secondary Safety" that when screwed down positively prevents bolt travel. Well-tested at Knight's own facilities by a company of shooters, evolved over the years, Knight bolt action rifles are a proven high standard in muzzleloading safety today. They are as safe as you allow them to be. They are worthy heirs to the throne of the MK-85, the Tony Knight rifle that has created a new industry some twenty years ago.
Savage 10ML-II Accu-Trigger
It was only a few years ago, when in the process of testing a pack of rifles for a video production that a conversation that I had with Brian Herrick, Savage Arms Vice-President, took place. The subject became barrel proofing, and Brian nonchalantly mentioned that, "All of our 10ML-II muzzleloaders are proof-tested." I was surprised, and perhaps a bit stunned. I asked Brian, "What do you mean by "ALL" of them?" Brian replied, "Sure, all of them are individually proof-tested and function-tested before they leave our plant. That's the way we do things around here. Doesn't everybody?"
Well, the answer of course is that NO muzzleloading manufacturer takes the effort to 100% proof test their barrels except Savage Arms. In many cases, the very first time your gun sees any pressure at all is when YOU fire it for the first time. This is an industry first and only, the tremendous level of quality control it affords being obvious.
The current 10ML-II Accu-Trigger has so many safety features, it surprises most people. Now we have the remarkable Accu-Trigger that can survive a twenty-foot drop in "safety off" position without firing. The bolt on the 10ML-II cannot be closed if the breechplug is out of battery. The gun has been tested to pressures exceeding 129,000 PSI (300% + of any Savage recommended load). In preparation for this brief article, I checked with the Savage brass as of June, 2005. After six years of extensive testing and production, with thousands of rifles in daily use, regardless of abuse and misuse, no Savage 10ML-II breechplug has ever failed. Most people overlook the dual gas vent ports on both sides of the 10ML-II receiver that would vent gases away from the shooter if theoretically hot gas could indeed bypass the redundant sealing array of shoulders, tight tolerances, and the breechplug threads that handily exceed all known design standards. I've logged thousands of shots through several 10ML-II's myself by now, and have never detected a wisp of hot gas through those vents. No Savage shooter has ever reported this. I can't say they are even necessary as no other muzzleloader made has superfluous gas vents like this. But, the erring on the side of caution and safety is self-evident in this firearm. All this, and the use of the much safer to handle, non-corrosive propellants this gun was designed for puts the Savage 10ML-II in a superior safety class all its own. If there is a better built or safer muzzleloader, I have yet to see it.
Thompson Break Actions (Encore and Contender G2)
The Thompson Encore and Contender G2 rifles are superbly crafted rifles. They are built just like "real guns," for that is what they are: Form 4473 modern smokeless-action single shot firearms. When an already well established line of modern single shot rifles and pistols and rifles is married to "blackpowder only" barrels, the result can be (not always) a superb line of muzzleloaders. That is the result with Thompson / Center Arms break action frontloaders. Thompson builds their guns from start to finish in Rochester, New Hampshire. They have their own barrel line, make their guns from American steel, and do their own shooting and load development.
The actions are strong, have hammer-block safeties, and in the case of the new Contender G2, the hammer can even be out in "neutral" position-as the Contender is a dual rimfire and centerfire action. Like my days shooting the race games with shotguns, a break action is a literal snap to disable for all to see-just drop the action open, and the gun is inert. By comparison, the Thompsons make the "other" break actions on the market look uniformly sad. The Thompsons have dedicated slip-fit hinge pins on their barrels, and the barrels are locked down securely to their respective actions by beefy, dual spring-loaded locking lugs. All this boils down to confidence-inspiring equipment from a quality minded company.
That's my view of the safest muzzleloaders you can buy today, for the reasons cited. I believe that all three are not "expert-only" muzzleloaders, but muzzleloaders that should be considered carefully by the newcomer to muzzleloading. If you start with a quality muzzleloader, you are far more likely to enjoy muzzleloading than fighting with a cheap pile of pot-metal. Muzzleloading may never have any universal quality standards, but at least here we have manufacturers who have taken the lead in providing quality without enforcement or regulation.
One thing often overlooked when considering a new muzzleloader is lasting value, and total cost of ownership. All the muzzleloaders cited here hold their value better than the el cheapo imports, and all of these companies deserve to be lauded for making muzzleloading a better place to be. They are not just safe, they are safe investments. I've successfully hunted with all the above, and one shot, one kill was the common result-though there was a "two-fer" involved along the way. These rifles also lead the field in customer satisfaction; it seems that safety really is no accident.
Email: randymagic@aol.com
© 2005 by Randy Wakeman
