I am looking into a muzzleloader for deer season this year.  I need a gun for a novice, I was looking at an Omega Z5 specifically. I have never shot a muzzleloader and dont know too much about them.  

They load from the muzzle right?  J/K.

Get a Thompson or a Knight and don't look back.

Yes, they load from the muzzle.

What type of muzzleloader or smokepole you get, may be determined by the hunting regs in your state.

Some states will not let you use the shotgun primer for ignition. IIRC.

Also what caliber do you want or can hunt with?

How much do you want to spend?

Do you want a reciver that can also accept a rifle and shotgun barrel, if so you will need a FFL to hand;e that sale.
If not then in most states a blackpowder rifle and handgun can be bought over teh counter, no paper work involved, BUT check your state regs just to be sure.

Quoted: Get a Thompson or a Knight and don't look back.

excellent choices or www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/horizontal-item.jsp;jsessionid=2CBUCOMZIB1GBTQSNOHCCOWOCJVZCIWE?id=0028404215527a&navCount=0&cmCat=srchdx&cm_ven=srchdx&cm_ite=srchdx&CM_REF=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cabelas.com%2Fproducts%2FCpod0028404.jsp&_requestid=35890
for a Pedersoli muzzleloader your getting a heck of a gun at $250
though i got one of those for $139 new in box

The Thompson Omega is a great rifle!!!!

I bought one last year, put  a Nikon 2-7X on it with QD Leopold base/rings.

I shot the the Hornady 250 gr SST with 2 pellets behind it.

Took a nice 9pt that grossed 117 or so 4 days after I bought the rifle.

I'd get a 2-band Civil War style rifle musket in .58 cal.  Why?  Those minie guns are accurate out to 500 yards.  Death from Afar and those big minies drop things.

If you're a raw bone rookie, get a decent muzzleloader, read somewhere online what someone else is using, drop 2 or 3 pyrodex pellets (depends on your gun and load!!!!!) and cram some bullet over it, or sabot round.

You should really find someone that has one for them to teach you how to load and fire it and stuff.  But you can learn online.  

My friend swears by Knight.  Synthetic, scoped, with sabots.  We're probably sighting it in tomorrow.
Others I know swear by traditional style sidehammer muzzleloaders with round balls.  

Some states only allow sidehammer guns for hunting I think.

Either can be MUCH MORE accurate than you would think.  Its all in how consistently you load it.  They will easily outshoot an AK, I wouldn't want to do any MOUT with a smokepole though.

Inlines will be more weather proof, especially if they are 209 primer fired instead of percussion cap fired.  

There is something to be said about a big, heavy, slow moving piece of soft lead hitting a deer.  A roundball will do a lot more damage than most people think.  

Yer best bet, pardner, is to scoot over to the armoury.  The BP forum has some nice knowledgable people in it.  Front-stuffers all.

I have a Thompson/Center Renegade .50 that is probably 20 yrs old. It has taken a bunch of deer since it was new.
Go to a good dealer that knows a bunch about b/p guns and ask around and heft a few rifles. Try to get a few shots in at a range if you can. You will be hooked when you try one.

Please don't think that more powder is good. Seem some new rifles destroyed because of the "more is better" mentality.

the last time I went to the range with a black powder rifle, it was hilarious.

guy in the position next to me apparently came to the range at lunch time to try out his new S&W revolver. Dressed in his shirt & tie he fired off a fews rounds until I let a .50 cal black powder ball loose.

after the smoke cleared, he seen the spattering of bullet grease all over his dress shirt & packed up and left. Laughed my ass off.

First decide if you want to go modern or traditional. If you decide on modern then check your regs and see if they allow shotgun primers and scopes.  If not that the state has chosen for you to go traditional.

If you go the modern route, the TC Omega is a great gun. You will not make a mistake buying one.  You can load Powerbelts or Sabots. My Omega and many others don't like bore diameter lead projectiles (a.k.a conicals).  Powerbelts have a great reputation but are expensive.

I shoot the Hornady 300 grain 45 caliber XPT (not the magnum version) in a Nosler Sabot with 85 grains of loose 777 (about the same power as 2 50 grain pellets). This load will better than 2" at 100 yards.

Get a .50 caliber. Not only is it a good caliber but since everyone else choose this caliber you'll have no problem finding accessories and ammo.

If you go traditional you should still go 50. Patched round balls (prb) are enough for deer but conical bullets are better from a 50.  The 54 cal. is a good second choice.54 cal pbr is as great deer round but you won't it at walmart.  54 conicals are made for moose and elk.


Also unlike smokes powder, blackpower and all of its substitutes are corrosive. You must clean your rifle after shooting it. What I do I is file the laundry room sink with hot soaping water and run a cleaning patch through with one end of the barrel in the water. This flushes out all the crud.

You also should run a wet patch and 2 dry patches down the bore between shots.

I have a garment bag that put my dirty patches in and wash them so I don't have to buy new all the time.

Quoted: the last time I went to the range with a black powder rifle, it was hilarious. guy in the position next to me apparently came to the range at lunch time to try out his new S&W revolver. Dressed in his shirt & tie he fired off a fews rounds until I let a .50 cal black powder ball loose. after the smoke cleared, he seen the spattering of bullet grease all over his dress shirt & packed up and left. Laughed my ass off.

Oh yeah, that was hillarious