The Triumph is available only in .50 caliber, and according to the owner's manual, it is built to handle up to three 50-grain Pyrodex Pellets behind the 250- and 300-grain Shock Wave saboted bullets.

Layne had no problem achieving excellent accuracy with Triple Seven pellets, Triple Seven primers, and 250-grain Shock Wave saboted bullets.

Its fully adjustable sights have fiber-optic inserts, and the barrel is drilled and tapped for scope mounting. Barrel length is 28 inches, and overall rifle length is 44.75 inches. Barrel diameter is .810 inch, compared to respective diameters of .870 and .880 inch for the Encore 209x50 and Omega barrels. My postal scale says the rifle weighs 6.75 pounds, which means around eight pounds with a scope of reasonable size and a carrying sling.

The synthetic buttstock is Monte Carlo style without a cheekrest. The buttstock and the forearm have quick-detachable sling-swivel posts. Three variations are available: black stock and blued barrel, black stock and Weather Shield finish barrel, and Realtree AP/HD camouflage stock and Weather Shield finish barrel.

The aluminum receivers on all models have a natural finish. All models also have the Quick Load Accurizor (QLA) at the muzzle, making them quicker and easier to load under pressure than muzzleloaders that do not have it. The QLA also eliminates the need for a bullet starter.

SPECIFICATIONS T/C Triumph In-Line Muzzleloader
Manufacturer:	Thompson/Center
Operation:	Toggle-lock action; tip-up barrel
Caliber:	.50
Barrel Length:	28 inches
Overall Length:	44.75 inches
Weight, empty	6.75 pounds
Safety:	Automatic hammer block
Sights:	Fully adjustable fiber optic
Stock:	Synthetic
Rifling:	1:28-inch twist
Finish:	Blued or Weather Shield
Price:	$457-$575

Shooting The Triumph
At the range, I tried four different bullets in the Triumph--T/C 200-grain Shock Wave, T/C 240-grain Cheap Shot, T/C 250-grain Shock Wave, and T/C 300-grain Mag Express. The worst averaged 5.00 inches at 100 yards for three shots, but the most accurate one, the 250-grain Shock Wave, averaged 3.00 inches with three 50-grain Triple Seven pellets. When I dropped back to two pellets, that bullet averaged darned close to two inches.

The Triumph shot that way not only because of its accuracy capability, but because the excellent quality of its trigger allowed me to squeeze off shots without disturbing its position atop the sandbags. The trigger broke consistently at 4.5 pounds, and while a bit of overtravel was present, it was completely free of takeup.

The quick-remove Speed Breech did a good job of sealing off propellant gas, but as is typical of any in-line rifle, light fouling did make its way through the flashhole and began to build up on the standing breech of the receiver. During final cleaning, the fouling was easily removed without removing the barrel from the receiver.

I really like the way this new muzzleloader from Thompson/Center handles and feels. I appreciate the fact that even though it is relatively lightweight at eight pounds (with scope), the shape of its buttstock and the extremely efficient Sims recoil pad make it quite comfortable to shoot, even when bullets as heavy as 300 grains are pushed along by 150 grains of Hodgdon's Triple Seven propellant.

So here I go again. Do I continue hunting with my Encore 209x50, or do I switch to the new Triumph? Well, rather than losing sleep over that question, I've decided I'll do what I did many years ago when trying to decide between the Seneca and the Cherokee. I'll keep both.