Thompson Center Encore Pro Hunter XT Katahdin 50 Cal 20" Muzzleloader

The Encore Pro Hunter XT Katahdin is the short barrel muzzleloader in the Thompson Center line, built for thick timber and close shots where a long tube is more gun than the woods allow. Twenty inches keeps the whole rifle handy in a stand or a ground blind. The break open Encore action is about as simple as a hunting gun gets: drop the lever, load, close it, shoot. Ignition runs off a 209 primer, which lights in cold and damp weather when other systems get fussy.

Three features do most of the work. The Quick Load Accurizor muzzle uses a false muzzle with a counterbored crown, so the bullet starts straight and seating takes less effort. The Speed Breech 3 plug comes out by hand with a partial turn thanks to a triple lead thread, which turns end of day cleaning into a short job instead of a wrestling match. The Power Rod is a solid aluminum ramrod with a pivoting T handle that folds flat and gives you real leverage on a tight load. The stock is black composite with FlexTech recoil reduction built into it, and that matters once you start working up heavy 50 caliber charges. Capacity is one round, the way muzzleloading has always been.