Can you use smokeless powder in them? SURE that is why they are called "smokeless muzzleloaders". I am on my second season with my ML 10 II and wouldn't have it anyother way. I had a fit with it this summer but it was my fault. I had it loaded WAY to hot (48grns ofN110, no sub-baseswith 300SSTs atop it all)and in the summer heat it was blowing sabots before they left the barrel. Surprisingly that load shot fine last fall when I bought the gun and hunted with it. But I never shot it in temps above 60 degrees until this year.

I backed the charge down (42.7grns) and dropped down too the 250SSTs and she is once again layin em in there nice and tight. Sighted 3" high at 100yds the SST strikes only 3" low @ 200yds and 18" low @ 300yds. YES it will kill like a bolt from the blue at that range, if you know how to make the bullet hit there. I FULLY recommend a mil-dot setup on these guns.

I have alot of customers who hunt shotgun only states and I ask them why they don't take magnum muzzleloaders instead of hopped up bird guns with them? Most of them aren't willing to give up a quick second shot but some of them (who obviously have confidence in their own shooting abilities) now take muzzleloaders with them and leave the dove guns at home. As for me, if I ever go to Iowa, Ohio, Illinois ect you can bet my Savage will be going with me instead of ANY of my shotguns. I understand several of those states don't allow the Savage (some not even ANY 209 gun) during their actual muzzleloader seasons but as far as I know all of them allow MLs during their shotgun seasons.

Another neat feature is you don't have to clean the guns that often. The only residue you get is plastic fouling from the Sabot (which you get in ANY ML shooting sabots). A quick shot or two of brake cleaner, a brass brush and some clean patches and you are DONE! No more stinky, greasy mess and you can leave the dishwater for your wife to use after supper!

I wouldn't dare go back too a BP gun as long as the Savage is an option,
RA