Hot Pursuit: Traditions XLT Extreme

Guns Magazine, August, 2008 by Holt Bodinson

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There are any number of break, open, inline muzzleloaders on the market, but no model is as updated or incorporates as many useful features as Traditions' latest offering, the Pursuit XLT Extreme. The Pursuit is not just a 50-caliber inline. It's a complete shooting system designed to minimize felt recoil with the heaviest hunting loads normally stuffed down a muzzle.

Torching off 150 grains of black powder or its modern equivalent behind a 250-grain or heavier 50-caliber bullet is not normally the most pleasant of shooting experiences with your average lightweight inline. Just think of the recoil generated on the butt end of the gun in terms of some classic 50-caliber black powder cartridges and their respective charges of black powder like the .50-70 Gov't, .50-90 Sharps and even the .50-110 Sharps. Loaded to the max, the modern inline is a .50-150! That spells "Ouch!" in any language.

What has Traditions cooked up to tame a .50-150 or even a .50-100? I've used it before on a pistol-gripped, tactical shotgun where it permitted me to shoot 12-gauge buckshot loads with one hand. Incorporating it into their latest inline muzzlestuffer is a stroke of genius on Traditions' part. It's the Knoxx Compstock, and it works wonders.

Dressed in Realtree Hardwoods camo, the Pursuit XLT Extreme hides its secrets very well. In fact, if it weren't for the factory label wrapped around the butt of their overmolded "Soft Touch" stock, Traditions' addition of the Knoxx recoil reduction system might go unnoticed, that is, until you've sat down at the shooting bench and begun sending 1/2" chunks of lead downrange.

The Knoxx recoil reduction system works around a cam-activated spring hidden inside the buttstock tensioned and then relaxed back into battery as the butt of the CompStock moves to the rear and compresses under the forces of recoil. The system slows down the recoil cycle and moderates the peak recoil period. The action takes place so quickly and smoothly you don't notice it at the moment of firing.

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Traditions' has also added another feature to further reduce felt recoil. The last 5/8" of the barrel at the muzzle is bored smooth to facilitate loading and centering a 50-caliber projectile. Traditions calls it their Projectile Alignment System (PAS). It works, but also notice that there are 8 gas relief ports encircling the PAS section of the barrel. They, too, reduce felt recoil and as well as moderate muzzle jump.

Traditions claims their overall recoil reduction system consisting of the Knoxx CompStock and the barrel porting reduces felt recoil from 50 to 70 percent. After working with the Pursuit XLT Extreme, I can't speak in percentages, but felt recoil is radically reduced.

Other features of the Pursuit XLT Extreme include a 28" nickel plated and fluted, 1:28" twist barrel ideal for stabilizing sabot and conical projectiles in a tactile, overmolded stock with a readily accessible breech plug facilitating loading and unloading 209 primers. The crisp trigger measured 2 pounds, 14 ounces on my Lyman electronic scale and it is readily adaptable to scope sights, being factory drilled and tapped. It is field ready with factory mounted sling swivel studs, a stout aluminum ramrod and its fast break open action system. It s a well thought out Traditions package.

While the Pursuit comes fitted with a nice set of open fiber optic sights, I favor a scope when it comes to wringing out the best modern inlines have to offer. Traditions fields a complete line of very reasonably priced 3-9x40 scopes in traditional as well as camouflage finishes under their "Silver Hunter Series" label.

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You can see how well their camouflaged finished scope, retailing for only $84, and rings look on the Pursuit. You will need high tings when scoping the Pursuit, though.

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Before shooting the Pursuit for the first time, I flushed the bore with boiling water to remove any factory preservatives and then swabbed the bore with Traditions pre-lubed Wonderlube patches to season it. That's an important first step.

Traditions sent me samples of their All-Purpose Bullet (APB) 100 and 200 sabot projectiles. The APB 100 is a 250-grain polymer-tipped bullet with an air cavity sealed under the tip. The APB 200 is a 250-grain lead-tipped bullet. Both bullets were fitted with a new, three petal sabot much easier to seat in the bore than four petal designs. Out of curiosity, I also included the Hornady's sabot patched Hard Balls in the test.

For a propellant, I shot Hodgdon's pre-formed Triple Seven 100-grain equivalent pellets (50/50) and pre- measured 150-grain equivalent charges of loose Triple Seven carried in Cunard's glass powder vials. Triple Seven is measured by volume, and Triple Seven charges are reduced by 15 percent over black powder equivalents.

For example, converting a 150-grain charge of FFG black powder into an equivalent load of Triple Seven, you must decrease the volume of the charge by 15 percent (127.5 grains). Then set the volume measure you normally use for black powder to 127 grains. Traditions lists 130 grains of Triple Seven as absolute maximum in their gun. Hodgdon lists 100 grains of Triple Seven as a maximum charge with 50-caliber sabots in the average inline.