I have a .50NewEnglander I bought several years ago. A lot of muzzleloaders have passed through my gun rack since then, but the NewEnglander remains. Matter of fact, it has even multiplied!
I bought a 12ga accessory barrel for it, picked up a camo stock, converted an old lock to fitby changing the hammer, and now have a NewEnglander .50 and a NewEnglander 12ga in the rack. [&:]
As said it's a "meat and potatoes" type rifle (or shotgun). It isn't fancy, it isn't really traditional looking with the synthetic stock (walnut was available, too, but mine's synthetic), but it handles a variety of loads and projectiles well and is easy to clean & maintain. I recently tried .458 cast bullets in MMP sabots and was pleasantly suprised by getting a very good group at 50 yards.