Very happy with my Optima! The fit and finish is on par with other high dollar muzzleloaders. It is lightweight and easy to carry however, the recoil isn't too intense. The recoil pad does a great job of absorbing the shock and saving your shoulder. The trigger is very light and definitely surprises you when shooting. The removable plug makes cleaning much easier than other muzzleloaders. I'm using a bore snake for a 20ga shotgun and that seems to do the trick. The palm saver ramrod is very helpful. The fluting on the barrel is minimal, but the nitride finish seems like it'll be able to withstand being in the field for extended periods of time. The polymer stock is also very sturdy. I used triple seven pellets and they seemed to foul up the barrel kinda quickly. I'm going to keep shooting to see what combinations of powder and bullets works best in my gun. I would definitely recommend.