Lightning Strikes Twice

Having learned a good lesson on being prepared for springtime opportunities, the Knight muzzleloader was still onboard when Lady Luck smiled on me once again, just two days after christening the new rifle. While traveling home from work on the higher route I spotted another coyote near the 9300 foot summit of the snow covered plateau that separates my home in Pinetop-Lakeside from Round Valley, near the New Mexico border in the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona. This big dog was busy trying to make a living on the wind swept plain; scent checking and listening for rodent activity, then leaping in the air to pound the crusty white blanket with his front paws trying to break through. The show was entertaining, but I grabbed the muzzleloader, rangefinder and Bog Pod and using the snow drift fencing for cover, sneaked in as close as possible.

The shot was 144 yards – a pretty good poke with open sights, particularly in a 15-20 mph crosswind – and the rest was solid on the tripod from a kneeling position. A slow exhale, a squeeze, a bang, a puff of smoke, and another dead elk calf killer had fallen to the new muzzleloader.

Knight calls this new rifle the “Mountaineer” but “Lightning Bolt” would be equally appropriate based on my experience, as it certainly delivers a deadly jolt. The accuracy and handling characteristics have been impressive so far, and I have a dozen different muzzleloaders for comparison (don’t tell the wife!). This beautiful, handcrafted gun is 100% American Made, sports a Green Mountain barrel with DynaTek bore coating, available in .45, .50 and .52 caliber (mine is the .50), with bare primer or DISC ignition (I chose DISC, which is virtually weatherproof), adjustable trigger, and it’s guaranteed to deliver 4-inch 3-shot groups at 200 yards. I have no doubt that it will, and I’m anxious to mount a scope and begin extended range testing for my trip to South Africa for plains game in May. Stay tuned!