How happy are you with your savage muzzleloader?

[Wild Bill Bucks]

I have the Thumbhole SS Savage, and an Encore. I am selling my Encore.
Comparing these two rifles is apples and oranges. The Savage is superior in every respect.
The only complaints I ever found in the Savage were the rifleings were rough out of the box, and a little time with some polish and a bore cloth was a quick remedy. I also did not care for the accu-trigger, as it was difficult to get my small hands completely square with the trigger, leading to several  trigger pulls with no bang. A competition trigger was a quick remedy for that problem also.

The accuracy at any range is better than any other muzzle loader I have ever owned.
I will add that if a barrel puts a 1" group together, at any time, then there is nothing wrong with the rifle. The point of impact will not change unless something changes in the shooter, loading, or sights.

When I go to the range I always allow about 20 minutes between shots, and if I do my part as far as loading, and shooting, then the rifle will shoot in the same spot every time. If I hurry the shots, I will get a spread after the 3rd shot, due to overheating the sabot.

I can shoot 10 or 12 shots in a day at the range, and my rifle will shoot 1" groups all day, and when I get home it is a simple clean up in about 5 minutes.

I shoot MMP sabots with Hornady 250 grain  and Vit#110 at 42 grains with a CCI primer with a Nikon 4X14 scope with A/O.

Won't be going back to any kind of smoke type powder, Blackhorn or otherwise.

[teddy12b]

I got out my encore the other night and looked it over.  It's nasty inside and all over.  I had cleaned the heck out of it after the last trip to the range, but it still got crud in some places.  I bought some blackhorn today just to try out.  If the blackhorn doesn't work I'll likely sell my 209x50 setup before next season and buy a savage.  I just hate having a dirty gun.

[jpdown]

I went through the Encore phase and had a lot of fun with them. Loved the switch barrel concept and I didn't know about the Savage. Brought home many deer and 1 elk with the Encore 209x50 muzzleloader. I bedded them, used forend hangers, Bellm oversized pin, trigger springs and trigger jobs to squeeze out sub MOA accuracy. Felt confident taking deer out to 200 yards with Triple 7 and 250 gr TC Shockwaves.

Several years ago I bought my first Savage rifle and then a Savage 10ML. Sold all of my Encores except the one I gave my son as his first rifle. As already mentioned, the Savage and smokeless powder are superior in all aspects. I did like the smoke. Savage accuracy and performance out to 300 yd is limited only by the shooters abilities.  I don't miss trying to get that Encore muzzleloader clean, even when using Triple 7. Barrel heat will destroy accuracy in both the Encore and Savage and make you crazy while trying to develop new loads should you ignore the advice to let the barrel cool completely. I just bought my son a used 209x50 barrel for his Encore. Only reason is because he's a lefty and likes his Encore. Plus all the good things I've read about the new Blackhorn 209 powder. Otherwise, my advice would be to get a Savage 10ML-II, work up a 300 yard load with Barnes Original Bullet and tight fitting sabot. And don't look back, cause you ain't missing much by passing on black powder and its substitutes.

[teddy12b]

I always told myself that I'd never sell a gun that I've taken game with.  I don't mind getting rid of guns that are range toys, but the guns that have a story to them have to be kept for the next generation.  That's why I can't just flat out sell my encore because I took my first deer with the 30-06 barrel.  That setup has to stay, but the 209x50 will get dropped like a toilet seat if the Blackhorn 209x50 doesn't make life easier.  Selling the 209x50 setup should get me close enough to a 10ML that it shouldn't be a painful purchase.

[doegirl]

I always told myself that I'd never sell a gun that I've taken game with.  I don't mind getting rid of guns that are range toys, but the guns that have a story to them have to be kept for the next generation.  That's why I can't just flat out sell my encore because I took my first deer with the 30-06 barrel.  That setup has to stay, but the 209x50 will get dropped like a toilet seat if the Blackhorn 209x50 doesn't make life easier.  Selling the 209x50 setup should get me close enough to a 10ML that it shouldn't be a painful purchase.

My first deer with a muzzleloader was from an Encore.  I loved that gun, but clearly the Savage is superior.  The accutrigger, less recoil, better performance and safety, and accuracy made the Savage a no-brainer.  T/C Encore's are very good muzzies, but Savages are just that much better

[D hunter]

I am very pleased with mine but it took a while to get there.  I started with mine using Wal-mart bullets and sabots.  Couldn't get them down the barrel, no ignition.   Got that fixed with MMP black sabots.   Tried several locally available bullets.  Couldn't get it to stay on paper at 100 yards with power points nor barnes spit fire TMZ's.  Then went to 250 gr XTP's with 44 gr of 5744 and accuracy and consistency was there.  That combo worked great in my gun.  The 300gr and N 120 also worked well.

As to the gun itself, Right out of the box it was a bit rough.  Most "right out of the box" guns are.  This one was a bit more than usual. After 4 years of use the rough has been mostly polished by use.  Plastic stock seems a bit stamped out.  The trigger is excellent. I like the position of the safety. It is right where you need  it.   It is great not to have to clean it after every range session.  You MUST(at least on my rifle) clean out the breach plug after 15-30 rounds or it gets full of carbon. This can affect accuracy. A drill bit (5/32) is the right size.  It is pretty quick and easy to do with the breach plug out for cleaning the rifle.  Usually I clean it before and after the season or if I have a particularly long range session.    My gun is a SS/S. I have had it out in several frog stranglers.  I did wipe it down on returning to camp, however the trigger guard corroded to a surprising amount. Slight amount of tinged rust on the outside of the barrel.  It will get a coat of paint after  this hunting season.   

It may seem like I am giving lots of negative on this rifle. I am picky.  I am used to custom and semi custom rifles that are just that.  Custom.  Overall this is the best ML rifle I have used.  Once dialed in it is as accurate as I could ask for.  I will not be buying another ML rifle.  This is the one.   "D"

[Turkey68]

After purchasing my Savage I tried several different loads. Some factory recommended loads, some not so recommended. The first coupe of times at the shooting bench had me wondering if I had made a good purchase or not. Then I started taking everyones advice and letting it cool. I only let mine cool a few minutes after every 2nd shot. I have found a load that my gun shoots extremely well. It is consistently shooting 0.5 - 0.75 groups at 100yrd. The last trip to the local shooting range I was busting water filled 2ltr and milk jugs out to 300yrds. I have shot about 3lbs of powder through my Savage and have only cleaned it 6 times. Try that with Triple 7 or any other substitute. There is no comparison on the price per shot. Pellets are very expensive per shot. It is actually cheaper for me to shoot my 300 Win Mag than you can shoot a standard muzzleloader. I cant wait to shoot a deer with this gun to see the on game performance. I know it is **** on a milk jug. I highly recommend the Savage. All things considered, there is NO COMPARISON.