New Mexico bans the use of scopes
- Thread starter FrontierGander
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Weird, I've never "seen the hit" except with archery so I don't understand what that has to do with finding the shot animal. I haven't lost an animal with a firearm. Wish I could say that with a bow.
As far as no blood trail, there's a lot of factors to that none of which requires a scope.
del2les
Well-Known Member
While I own an inline with scope mounted, it is almost completely used for target, gongs and similar shooting.
My hunting muzzle loaders (primitive weapons) are all side hammer versions, and some are with traditional adjustible sights and others wear longer range adjustable tangs. Once one learns how to use a good tang/vernier, consistent longer range hits/kills are very doable. Not really any different than using similar sights with a BP cartridge rifle like a Sharps or similar.
My hunting muzzle loaders (primitive weapons) are all side hammer versions, and some are with traditional adjustible sights and others wear longer range adjustable tangs. Once one learns how to use a good tang/vernier, consistent longer range hits/kills are very doable. Not really any different than using similar sights with a BP cartridge rifle like a Sharps or similar.
Whitworth rifle - Wikipedia
jbur13
Well-Known Member
Idaho has never allowed scoped ML's. I look at that season as a last chance effort for Idahoans, just in case you couldn't get one with a rifle.
Presumably a scoped muzzle loader would still be legal to use during the general rifle season? Maybe a good option for those folks that don't want to use primitive gear during the special muzzle loading season. I have a couple of muzzle loading rifles but since I'm not to confident at longer ranges, I'll probably pass on hunting with them.
It ought to be limited to exposed nipple percussion or flintlock. Max 1x scope or re dot if you need an accommodation.
All the inlines, especially the smokeless safe actions, are akin to ebikes. A way to make money through skirting rules and ignoring the spirit of the pursuit.
Scopes, although in existence 150 years ago, were not that common on MLs.
All the inlines, especially the smokeless safe actions, are akin to ebikes. A way to make money through skirting rules and ignoring the spirit of the pursuit.
Scopes, although in existence 150 years ago, were not that common on MLs.
I have been saying for years that this was eventually going to come up. When you shoot 500-800 yards with a new muzzleloader and scope with unbelievable precision and then boast about it on social media and video platforms for everyone to see, you had to know it was bound to happen. Very sad but understandable.
DakotaFire101
Well-Known Member
Separate muzzleloader and archery seasons were put in place in many cases as a way for hunters to spend more time in the woods doing what they love, while also understanding that their weapons will be limited in terms of efficiency. It was a decision made (again in many cases) with more consideration given to the wants and needs of the hunter and less consideration given to the wildlife populations as a whole because as I mentioned before the weapons allowed in those seasons were limited in their efficiency. To clarify muzzleloader seasons are not a management tool in most states. When muzzleoaders start getting so advanced that a high end smokeless muzzleloader will hang right in there with my 28 nosler I'm sorry but there is an issue. We are no longer using vastly different weapons, we are now playing the same sport in the same league you're just using a different brand of bat. The rules need to be adjusted so that the effects that this new technology has on wildlife does not have a negative impact on population levels. If you've taken the time to read through my soap box speech I'll end this by saying I do not think this is a scope problem, I believe it's a smokeless problem. I think that by taking away a device to aid in the precise placement of a shot at reasonable muzzleloader distances will lead to an increase in wound loss of game. Especially for those hunters who aren't blessed with decent enough vision to line up iron sights on an animal.
I think it's awesome myself and should be implemented nationwide, there's nothing primitive about primitive weapons anymore
Ucsdryder
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So you're comparing a flint lock to an inline smokeless ML with modern day optics?!!! Not to mention you're picking out the most sophisticated weapon of the era, not the common hunting rifle that a normal hunter would possess and use. Come on…Whitworth rifle - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
That's a gun and bullet issue, not a scope issue, I can mount a Nightforce to a caplock and while it would help me more accurately place shots it isn't going to extend my range by a whole ton compared to smokeless powders and high BC bullets. Removing the scope somewhat limits those Gunwerks rifles from say 800 to 3 or 400 yards but it also severely impacts the guy trying to pick up the elk past his iron sights in dark heavy timber possibly leading to a worse shot than if he had just been allowed to use a scope.
Just look at the chart below, the flattest is a full pressure smokeless MZ, the second is my savage prefit smokeless MZ, the third is a normal inline shooting 250gr sabots and the final one is a .50 cal shooting heavy conicals.
As you can see the rifle makes far more of a difference than the sights, heck there is a 30 ft difference in drop between the smokeless and a cap lock at 500 yards, a scope isn't correcting that. If they wanted it to be more primitive then they should have limited the rifles and projectiles or went full bore like they did here in PA, flintlocks only and up until recently only allowed patched round ball or lead conical. Instead of limiting the problem people that were too effectively taking their game they made everybody shoot worse and screwed the guys that can't use iron sights.
