Borrow or buy or?

[Western Traveler1]

I drew Colorado Muzzleloader elk. My hunting partner is coming along to assist, as he has no tag. We have hunted nearly every year for the last 17/18 years and are close like brothers. I'm covering all costs of the trip along with the entire wall tent set-up and driving (He has been helping fence at my place this Spring) so it is a balanced deal.
He is offering to lend me his TC Omega .50cal. We need to remove the scope and he has never upgraded or shot with the iron sights.
I have a early Knight LK-93. Shot maybe 20 rounds through it years ago. At the time I shot patch and ball and blew up a few watermelons at 50 yards no problem.
I'm not really digging the thought of buying another muzzleloader but hate the idea of ever borrowing anything (though I've lent rifles and shotguns to people in the past for their hunts).
Questions;
(A) Should I just upgrade the LK-93 and can I expect good results? (I have killed bulls with my bow in the past).
(B) Borrow his rifle (Figure if i mess it up he gets a new one) and if so do I need to change anything out on it?
(C) Buy a new gun and if so what can I expect to spend to be better off than the other two choices? (Don't know if I will ever do another muzzy hunt).

 

[WyoDoug]

Personally, my pride would make me borrow or steal to get me a new gun.

 

[JohnCushman]

Personally, my pride would make me borrow or steal to get me a new gun.

Same here. You never know when you're going to hunt CO again and need it.

 

[noharleyyet]

I’ve thought of this very situation often. Fortunately I’ve a couple of close buds who’ve offered their brand new stuffers that’ve never been in the field. If I ever had the opportunity to secure a good tag I wouldn’t hesitate to accept.

 

[NEWHunter]

I would use what you have or borrow your buddy’s. No shame in either, especially borrowing from a good buddy like that. That Knight is good enough to get the job done too. If this year goes well and your going to do it again then maybe I’d look at a new if you feel it’s needed.

 

[Greyman]

If you buy a used rifle and take good care of it, you can likely sell it after the hunt for what you paid for it.

 

[madtom]

Practice and tinker with the two you have access to and use the one that shoots better. I wouldn’t buy a new one when you already have access to two and don’t know if you’ll hunt with one again.

 

[JoltnJoe]

Shoot the LK 93. If the rifling is in good shape, it will shoot bore size conicals as good, if not better than anything out there! Get your preferred load dialed in and shoot every couple weeks. It will pay off in dividends if everything works out the way you plan! I shoot one with a parker productions hydra con and 120 grains of triple seven. Try to do the initial sight in with a lead sled, your shoulder will thank you later.

 

[JoltnJoe]

If you can hit a pie pan consistently at 100 yards, you can kill a bull.

 

[NEWHunter]

I would use what you have or borrow your buddy’s. No shame in either, especially borrowing from a good buddy like that. That Knight is good enough to get the job done too. If this year goes well.

 

[Muskeez]

I'm with Madtom, try em both out more than once and see which one you feel the most confident with. I have an Omega and it shoots great but it is a heavy gun with the laminated stock. Another option would be to find a used gun. I bought a TC Impact, cheap little gun with poly stock and iron sights. It isn't anything to look at and it's super light for hiking all day and it is unbelievably accurate. When I get that ML elk tag in CO I will be taking that instead of the Omega that is MUCH heavier.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I would try yours first and then your buddies if you can't get good enough accuracy from yours.

 

[LopeHunter]

I hate selling or trading off guns I have hunted with so my advice would be to try and find a way to get a newer muzzleloader that you then set up for CO.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I suck at shooting with iron sights and keep my shots under 100 yards, agree with above if you can keep a 3-5 shot group on a pie plate at 100 yards you are good to go IMHO.

 

[pojoaque40]

I've got a buddy who never borrows anything. He'll buy new what i've just offered him for free. It's frustrating because i'm a big believer in borrowing and letting others borrow. It feels like i can never pay him back for his kindness. I buy my gear to be used, and to me it doesn't matter if i'm using it or someone else.

I guess the point i'm trying to make is that sometimes letting someone loan you something is an act of kindness. It feels good to be generous. Allow him the chance to be generous.

 

[Western Traveler1]

Thank you all for your well thought out responses! You pretty much covered everything I had been "feeling" except that this rifle was adequate for the hunt. Receiving the feedback I got caused me to dig deeper into it. A lot of guys like them. I bought it as a closeout for around $80 new so ruled it out as being anything more than a gun to make smoke with. It is a five digit serial number (before they called them Wolverine perhaps?). Stainless with a very basic synthetic stock that is recessed and has Knight molded into it. No recoil pad, no fiber optics on very basic ramped sights. A bit of creep in the trigger. My thought now is looking at upgrading the sights, Seeing if this has an adjustable trigger, staying with a #11 cap and finding how well it will shoot off my lead sled. Any feedback on sights, loads with type of powder, charge, type of bullets and weight would be appreciated (JoltinJoe if you can elaborate it would be appreciated).
pojoaque40 Point taken, I'm that guy that buys and never borrows. That was the point of the post. I do believe he really does want to repay me for favors of the past.
I'm going to see how this LK-93 shoots and if I can dial it in it will be my first choice with his as a practiced backup. If his shoots better then I will use it with mine as a backup....

 

[JoltnJoe]

Sounds like my exact same gun. I run my LK 93 with Williams fiber optic sights and a parker productions 440 grain hydra con with 120 grains of triple seven behind it. I also ordered the conversion kit to shoot 209 primers which you might look into. It’s a big bullet, and kicks like a mule, but just imagine the kick on the other end. I have my sights almost beyond maxed out to be zeroed at 100 yards, but it is a deadly set up nonetheless. The elk in my profile picture was taken with this system. I shot him at 125 yards and he ran about the same distance before keeling over. I’ll never forget the growling final moan he gave as he succumbed to his injuries.

 

[JoltnJoe]

Here’s a link to the bullet I run. If your having any questions/concerns getting sighted in you can give Bob Parker a call directly. His knowledge and customer service are second to none!

50 Cal./440 gr. Bore Size Hydra-Con | 10-Pack

50 Cal./440 gr. Bore Size Hydra-Con.10/Pkg.

parker-productions-llc.myshopify.com

 

[Western Traveler1]

Sounds like my exact same gun. I run my LK 93 with Williams fiber optic sights and a parker productions 440 grain hydra con with 120 grains of triple seven behind it. I also ordered the conversion kit to shoot 209 primers which you might look into. It’s a big bullet, and kicks like a mule, but just imagine the kick on the other end. I have my sights almost beyond maxed out to be zeroed at 100 yards, but it is a deadly set up nonetheless. The elk in my profile picture was taken with this system. I shot him at 125 yards and he ran about the same distance before keeling over. I’ll never forget the growling final moan he gave as he succumbed to his injuries.

Nice bull!
Thank you for the information. I will start there. It seems to be a split opinion on whether to stay with the #11's or upgrade to 209 primers but with that load and the short barrel I can see the benefit among other things. It doesn't appear you added a recoil pad or changed out your stock. Please correct me if I'm mistaken. The gun shoulders well with these iron sights at the moment.

 

[JoltnJoe]

You are correct, I’ve left the gun as is in the interest of keeping it as light as possible. I’ve never noticed recoil unless I’m getting sighted in. Honestly with that set up I can’t lean into it on the bench for more than three or four shots without starting to flinch. The lead sled is a must for getting dialed in. Also I forgot to mention I use SPG bullet lubricant. It’s not quite as creamy and more temperature stable than bore butter .