One thing to keep in mind is if the person this is for is more of a traditional rifle person, do not over look the T/C Hawkins Big Bore Rifles. http://www.foxridgeoutfitters.com/section.cfm?section=16 Foxridge outfitters sells them. I would suggest for someone starting out, a T/C Hawkins in .58 caliber in a percussion cap model only because the flintlock takes a great deal of time and patience to figure out all the little quirks. Not that it can not be done, because it can. This .58 caliber Big Bore would limit the over all range of the the shooter since people seldom mount a scope on such a fine rifle, but they are more then able to take a deer out to 100 yards or spend the day on the target range punching larger holes in paper then a man should be able to enjoy.

With the selection of this caliber, even shooting a simple roundball, there is nothing safe in North America from a good shot.

They are also a beautiful rifle to display somewhere in the home.