Best Muzzleloaders (2026): Inline & Traditional Rifles Tested

The best muzzleloaders of 2026 get you into the woods early, when the deer have not been pressured and the rifle hunters are still at home sighting in. Muzzleloader season is one of the best deals in hunting. In many states you get extra days, sometimes an extra tag, and a lot fewer people. The price of admission is a single shot, some fouling, and the discipline to make that one shot count.

I like muzzleloaders because they force you to hunt instead of shoot. You cannot fix a bad first shot with a fast follow-up. You have to get closer, wait for a better angle, and know your rifle cold. Modern inline guns with 209 primers, removable breech plugs, and scopes (where legal) have made it much easier, but the traditional sidelocks are still out there, and they are still a blast to shoot.

If you are new to this, start with our explainer, Muzzleloaders: Still a Thing?, then come back here. Every rifle on this list has a GunsAmerica Digest review behind it, and the groups, trigger weights, and prices come from those tests. I will be straight with you: several of these reviews are years old, prices are from the time of review, and manufacturers’ lineups have changed since, so check what is currently available before you fall in love with a model.

Also check your state’s regulations before you buy. Rules on optics, ignition type, powder form, and projectiles vary a lot, and a rifle that is legal in one state’s muzzleloader season may not be legal in the next. Now let’s get into how to choose one and the eight best muzzleloaders we have tested.

Buyer’s Guide: How To Choose The Best Muzzleloaders In 2026

Muzzleloaders all do the same basic job, but the details make a huge difference in the field and at the cleaning bench.

Inline Or Traditional

Modern inlines put the ignition directly behind the powder charge and usually use 209 shotgun primers. They are more reliable in bad weather and easier to scope. Traditional sidelocks, in percussion or flintlock, are slower and fussier but deliver the real black powder experience. Some states have special seasons or rules for traditional guns.

Action Type

Break actions open like a single-shot shotgun for easy priming. Bolt actions and hammer-fired designs work too. Striker-fired systems do away with the external hammer and allow a lower scope mount.

Breech Plug

The breech plug is where muzzleloaders get cranky. Look for a plug that removes quickly by hand or with few turns. Fouling and corrosion on plug threads cause more headaches than anything else.

Twist Rate And Projectiles

Fast twists, like 1:28, stabilize saboted bullets and conicals for modern inline hunting. Slow twists, like 1:48 or 1:66, favor patched round balls. Match your projectile to your barrel.

Powder

Pellets are easy and consistent. Loose powder and substitutes like Blackhorn 209 or Triple Se7en let you tune your load. Real black powder is traditional but corrosive, so clean promptly.

Weight And Sights

A light rifle carries easily but kicks more with heavy charges. Fiber optic iron sights are great where scopes are not allowed. If optics are legal, a basic 3-9x scope is all you need for most muzzleloader ranges.

Best Muzzleloaders Ranked: 2026 Product Roundup

Thompson/Center Strike: Best for Overall Modern Inline (2026)

The T/C Strike is the most thoughtful modern muzzleloader we have tested. Its Adapt breech system puts the plug threads on the outside of the ignition site, fixing what our reviewer called “that damnable breech plug” problem where internal threads corrode and jam. Two primer adapters come with it, one for pellets and one for loose powder. The Stealth Striker is an ambidextrous cocking device, so the rifle stays inert until you push it forward. The trigger broke at an average of 2 pounds, 14 ounces with little creep. With T/C Shockwave 250-grain bullets, three-shot groups hung around 2.5 inches at 100 yards at 1,875 fps. He did find the trigger guard ugly and the safety stiff for weak hands. The review dates to 2017, and T/C’s lineup may have changed since, so check current availability.

Read our full Thompson/Center Strike review here.

Key Specs

• Caliber: .50
• Barrel: 24 in, Armornite finish
• Weight: 7 lb 8 oz
• Length of Pull: 13.5 in
• Trigger: 2 lb 14 oz as tested
• Sights: Green fiber optic front, adjustable red fiber optic rear
• Price: Starting at $499 MSRP at time of review

Pros

• Adapt breech keeps threads clean
• Inert until cocked
• Excellent trigger

Cons

• Stiff safety
• Odd-looking trigger guard
• 2017 review; check availability

🛒 Check Current Price for Thompson/Center Strike on GunsAmerica

Traditions Pursuit G4 Ultralight: Best for Lightweight Hunting (2026)

The Pursuit line is some of the lightest muzzleloaders on the market, and the base rifle weighs only 5.75 pounds. The G4 Ultralight our reviewer tested has a 26-inch tapered, fluted chromoly barrel with Cerakote, a 1:28 twist, an Accelerator Breech Plug, a dual safety system, Williams fiber optic sights, and a factory-mounted scope. With Triple Se7en pellets and Traditions 300-grain Smackdown sabots at about 1,900 fps, it was dialed in right out of the box: four of five shots touched at 100 yards, and he blamed the one flier on himself. Light weight does add felt recoil, but you are not shooting 100 rounds a day. The review dates to 2016.

Read our full Traditions Pursuit G4 and Buckstalker review here.

Key Specs

• Caliber: .50
• Barrel: 26 in tapered, fluted chromoly, Cerakote
• Twist: 1:28 in
• Weight: 5.75 lb (base rifle)
• Ignition: 209 shotgun primer
• Price: About $340 base, about $460 as reviewed at time of review

Pros

• Very light to carry
• Four of five touching at 100 yards out of the box
• Scope combo ready to hunt

Cons

• More felt recoil
• Basic scope glass
• 2016 review

🛒 Check Current Price for Traditions Pursuit G4 on GunsAmerica

Thompson/Center Impact: Best for Budget Inline (2026)

At a $263 MSRP when we tested it, the T/C Impact packed a lot of rifle into a low price. It has a 26-inch barrel, an external hammer big enough to grab with gloves, fiber optic sights, and a stock with a spacer that adjusts length of pull from 12.5 to 13.5 inches, handy for smaller shooters. The breech plug comes out in five turns with the included wrench. The trigger broke crisply at 3 pounds, 1 ounce. With iron sights at 65 yards, our reviewer kept three shots in 3 inches with one Pyrodex pellet and 2.5 inches with two, which he called right where it should be. Three pellets, the max load, kicked hard and opened groups to 4 inches. It fouled fast, so keep a cleaning brush handy. The review dates to 2017; check current availability.

Read our full Thompson/Center Impact review here.

Key Specs

• Caliber: .50
• Barrel: 26 in
• Weight: 6 lb 8 oz
• Length of Pull: 12.5 to 13.5 in adjustable
• Trigger: 3 lb 1 oz as tested
• Max Load: 150 grains (three 50-grain pellets)
• Price: $263 MSRP at time of review

Pros

• Very affordable
• Adjustable length of pull
• Quick breech plug removal

Cons

• Fouls quickly
• Heavy recoil at max load
• Trigger a little heavy

🛒 Check Current Price for Thompson/Center Impact on GunsAmerica

Traditions Vortek StrikerFire: Best for Low Scope Mount (2026)

The Vortek StrikerFire is a break action with a striker instead of an external hammer. You slide a lever up to make it ready, and without a hammer in the way the scope mounts impressively low. Our reviewer’s rifle had a 30-inch fluted barrel with a 1:28 twist, a factory-mounted Traditions 3-9×40 scope, and 209 primer ignition, and it weighed about 7 pounds scoped. The trigger broke very cleanly at just over 2 pounds, and the trigger can be unset, which old set triggers could not easily do. The removable breech plug makes cleaning easy. Getting on paper at 100 yards took time, but once dialed in he said he would pull the trigger confidently. The review dates to 2014.

Read our full Traditions Vortek review here.

Key Specs

• Caliber: .50
• Barrel: 30 in fluted (28 in on some models)
• Twist: 1:28 in
• Weight: About 7 lb with scope
• Trigger: Just over 2 lb as tested
• Price: $650 MSRP at time of review

Pros

• Low scope mount
• Great trigger
• Easy breech plug cleaning

Cons

• Slow to sight in
• Lever harder to set when fouled
• 2014 review

🛒 Check Current Price for Traditions Vortek StrikerFire on GunsAmerica

Traditions Buckstalker: Best for Entry-Level Budget (2026)

The Buckstalker is Traditions’ budget line, starting at just over $200 with iron sights, and the scope combo does not add much. It has a 24-inch Cerakote barrel with a 1:28 twist, an Accelerator Breech Plug, an extended ambidextrous hammer spur to clear the optic, a dual safety, and a factory bore-sighted scope. Our reviewer’s first three shots at 100 yards were high and left, and after a scope adjustment the next three were good on windage but a bit low, which he blamed on over-adjusting. He called the Traditions-branded scopes basic but clear for the price, and they held up to recoil. The muzzle is tapped for iron sights if your state bans optics. The review dates to 2016.

Read our full Traditions Buckstalker review here.

Key Specs

• Caliber: .50
• Barrel: 24 in, Cerakote
• Twist: 1:28 in
• Frame: LT-1 alloy
• Ignition: 209 shotgun primer
• Price: Just over $200 base at time of review

Pros

• Cheap way into muzzleloading
• Extended hammer spur
• Scope combo available

Cons

• Needed adjustment out of the box
• Basic scope
• 2016 review

🛒 Check Current Price for Traditions Buckstalker on GunsAmerica

CVA Optima: Best for Easy Breech Plug (2026)

We bought a CVA Optima off the shelf at Walmart for $296 to see if a big-box muzzleloader could hunt. It is a break action like a single-barrel shotgun, came with a DuraSight ring and base combination, and its strongest feature is a breech plug you can remove with your fingers. With T/C Shockwave sabots and 150 grains of Triple Se7en, it averaged about 1.5 inches at 50 yards, with two shots often in a ragged hole. The T/C Omega we tested beside it grouped a little tighter, but our reviewer said the CVA’s biggest selling point is that unique breech plug. This review dates to 2012, so the current Optima may differ; check listings.

Read our full CVA Optima review here.

Key Specs

• Caliber: .50
• Action: Break action
• Breech Plug: Finger removable
• Mounts: DuraSight rings and base included
• Price: $296 at time of review (2012)

Pros

• Tool-free breech plug
• About 1.5 in at 50 yards
• Widely available

Cons

• More breechface fouling than the T/C
• Oldest review on this list
• Specs not listed in our review

🛒 Check Current Price for CVA Optima on GunsAmerica

Traditions Kentucky Rifle: Best for Traditional Percussion (2026)

The Traditions Kentucky Rifle is one of the few mass-produced Kentucky-style muzzleloaders on the market, and it comes in percussion, flintlock, and kit form. Our reviewer tested the deluxe percussion model with a 33-inch hexagonal barrel and a slow 1:66 twist, so it wants patched round balls, not sabots. The double set trigger is phenomenal: set the rear and the front breaks at just under a pound with no take-up. He shot a 2-inch group at 30 yards with open sights, cast round balls, and hand-measured powder, then killed a doe at about 30 yards on a three-day hunt. The walnut-finished hardwood stock is beautiful, but the curved butt plate jabs your chest. This 2024 review is the newest on the list.

Read our full Traditions Kentucky Rifle review here.

Key Specs

• Caliber: .50
• Barrel: 33 in hexagonal
• Twist: 1:66 in (round ball)
• Trigger: Double set, front breaks under 1 lb
• Sights: Notch rear, brass blade front, dovetailed
• Price: $550 finished, about $400 kit at time of review

Pros

• Beautiful traditional rifle
• Superb set trigger
• Kit version available

Cons

• Uncomfortable butt plate
• No elevation adjustment on sights
• Round ball only for best results

🛒 Check Current Price for Traditions Kentucky Rifle on GunsAmerica

Traditions Mountain Rifle: Best for Hawken-Style Sidelock (2026)

The Traditions Mountain Rifle is a Hawken-style sidelock with a 1:48 twist meant to handle both conicals and round balls. Our reviewer admitted his conical testing failed because he did not lube the bore and got tumbling bullets. With round balls, though, he called it a champ, including shots at 100 yards, and clocked a 178-grain ball at almost 1,100 fps. He said the fit and finish were superb, far better than his older Traditions flintlock, with a double tenon design, brown Cerakote, clean inletting, and a patch box. The tall brass front blade is meant to be filed to your load. The review dates to 2016, and pricing then was $519.99 finished or $429.99 unfinished.

Read our full Traditions Mountain Rifle review here.

Key Specs

• Type: Hawken-style sidelock
• Twist: 1:48 in
• Stock: Double tenon design, patch box
• Finish: Brown Cerakote
• Price: $519.99 finished, $429.99 unfinished at time of review

Pros

• Superb fit and finish
• Great with round balls
• Unfinished kit option

Cons

• Conicals need a lubed bore
• Front sight must be filed to your load
• Short 2016 review

🛒 Check Current Price for Traditions Mountain Rifle on GunsAmerica

Final Thoughts On The Best Muzzleloaders Of 2026

If you want the best modern inline we have tested, the Thompson/Center Strike and its Adapt breech are hard to beat, assuming you can find one. The Traditions Pursuit G4 Ultralight is the pick for hunters who walk a lot, the T/C Impact and Traditions Buckstalker keep the cost down, the Vortek StrikerFire puts the scope down low, and the CVA Optima’s tool-free breech plug makes cleanup painless.

If you want the old way, the Traditions Kentucky Rifle and Mountain Rifle are beautiful, accurate sidelocks that make every shot feel earned. Whatever you pick, check your state’s rules, find the load your barrel likes, and clean it the same day you shoot it.

You can find new and used muzzleloaders from sellers all over the country at GunsAmerica.com. Train hard, shoot straight, and stay dangerous.