I saw last year where a lot of people came around asking about guns that they should buy to get into muzzleloading. I figured I would share my experiences to date with the TC impact I bought for use this hunting season.
The trigger sensitivity on this gun was the first thing that impressed me. I have shot muzzleloaders before that it seemed you had to hit the trigger with a ball peen hammer to get them to go off. Not this gun, the trigger is just how I like it: about the time you feel the the pressure it goes off. not too heavy, and no travel.
The impact is a break open, which can be released equally easily by a right or left handed shooter. It has a standard breech plug, which requires a tool to remove. Then again, the speed breach concept doesn't really appeal to me. How often are we going to have a race to see how quickly we can clean our guns in the field? It comes with a generic black synthetic stock (I don't know if others are available)
With my old standby load configuration ( 2 50 grain 777 pellets, 230 gr 50 caliber powerbelt hollow point and federal 209 primers) I was able to shoot consistent 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. I don't know about you, but that is good enough for me.
I killed 4 deer ( 3 does and a 6 pt) with this gun this year, at ranges from 5 to 120 yards. The gun/bullet combination gave me excellent results: all but one of them went down within 50 yards, two of them less than 20 (the buck was down in 5). I know their are different schools of thought on this, but I like a bullet that doesn't exit. and this combination usually doesn't. But when you open them up...lets just say don't hit near anything you want to eat...cause you won't want to afterward.
I only have 2 criticisms of this gun: 1. The stock is a little on the short side. I am a fairly big guy (6'1", long arms) and I find the stock length to be less than ideal, even with the extension in. Its not really a hinderance, but less than ideal for me. But if you have shorter arms or are buying for a young hunter or a lady, then it should be just about perfect.
2. The hammer is such that it is inconvenient to manipulate with heavy gloves on. I can see you cocking it with little problem, but the "spur" on the hammer is so small, I cannot conceive of lowering the hammer again without removing your glove. Not a major thing, but something to consider. You might be able to get an attachment to make it easier to manipulate with gloves, I haven't checked.
In my opinion, the 50 caliber Impact is an excellent weapon for the beginner, or the more cost conscious hunter. The Impact offers an excellent trigger, good weight and balance, accuracy, reliability and a youth friendly length for a retail price of around 250.
I hope this is helpful for anyone who may be looking for advice on their first
(or next) muzzleloader. If I had it to do again, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Impact. And just fyi, I don't sell these things, nor do I stand to profit from this "review" at all. just trying to help the community. I hope someone finds this useful.
The trigger sensitivity on this gun was the first thing that impressed me. I have shot muzzleloaders before that it seemed you had to hit the trigger with a ball peen hammer to get them to go off. Not this gun, the trigger is just how I like it: about the time you feel the the pressure it goes off. not too heavy, and no travel.
The impact is a break open, which can be released equally easily by a right or left handed shooter. It has a standard breech plug, which requires a tool to remove. Then again, the speed breach concept doesn't really appeal to me. How often are we going to have a race to see how quickly we can clean our guns in the field? It comes with a generic black synthetic stock (I don't know if others are available)
With my old standby load configuration ( 2 50 grain 777 pellets, 230 gr 50 caliber powerbelt hollow point and federal 209 primers) I was able to shoot consistent 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. I don't know about you, but that is good enough for me.
I killed 4 deer ( 3 does and a 6 pt) with this gun this year, at ranges from 5 to 120 yards. The gun/bullet combination gave me excellent results: all but one of them went down within 50 yards, two of them less than 20 (the buck was down in 5). I know their are different schools of thought on this, but I like a bullet that doesn't exit. and this combination usually doesn't. But when you open them up...lets just say don't hit near anything you want to eat...cause you won't want to afterward.
I only have 2 criticisms of this gun: 1. The stock is a little on the short side. I am a fairly big guy (6'1", long arms) and I find the stock length to be less than ideal, even with the extension in. Its not really a hinderance, but less than ideal for me. But if you have shorter arms or are buying for a young hunter or a lady, then it should be just about perfect.
2. The hammer is such that it is inconvenient to manipulate with heavy gloves on. I can see you cocking it with little problem, but the "spur" on the hammer is so small, I cannot conceive of lowering the hammer again without removing your glove. Not a major thing, but something to consider. You might be able to get an attachment to make it easier to manipulate with gloves, I haven't checked.
In my opinion, the 50 caliber Impact is an excellent weapon for the beginner, or the more cost conscious hunter. The Impact offers an excellent trigger, good weight and balance, accuracy, reliability and a youth friendly length for a retail price of around 250.
I hope this is helpful for anyone who may be looking for advice on their first
(or next) muzzleloader. If I had it to do again, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Impact. And just fyi, I don't sell these things, nor do I stand to profit from this "review" at all. just trying to help the community. I hope someone finds this useful.
Last edited: