I did a little bit of fondling, and decided to go with a Traditions Vortek Northwest Magnum, specifically designed to be legal in Oregon, Idaho, and, well, Washington.
It's break action instead of the slightly more traditional 'in-line bolt action', but I kind of like that. I figured it would be easier to clean, and it makes it a bit lighter. The model I went with has a 24" barrel instead of a 28", but after shouldering one of each, I thought it just felt better.
The downside of the shorter barrel are the same for a muzzle loader as for a normal rifle...gonna lose some FPS out of the muzzle. I'm not sure if there is a whole lot of difference between 1500FPS and 1400FPS...my max shot is 100 yards, maybe 120 on a perfectly stationary elk. Trajectory isn't a big deal to me. It's still a 300gr half-inch projectile. If I do my job of putting it in the right place, the animal isn't walking away.
I think it looks kind of sharp, and very all weather too.
If you like how it worked for you, 100 fps isn't more than a bragging right? I'll be watching for when you get to test it. I simply believe, for the most part and save very specific applications, that the gun should fit you, not the other way around. I love the notion of longer barrels, I too just don't like the feel so generally go shorter when there is an option and after comparing. Congrats on the new rifle! It always feels like counting political coupe to get one, to me.
ReplyDeleteHow much meat would a typical doe elk put in your freezer? I don't know, with my limits, if I could ever do that. But it's on my mind. Well, and lips and stomach. I love me some venison, doe in particular.