mo_bowhunter,do yourself a big favor and go ahead and buy the Savage 10ML-II. If you purchase another muzzleloader and then have the opportunity to shoot a Savage, you'll wish you had bought it first! They are fantastic shooters with 250-300 saboted bullets. It comes standard with the awesome Accutrigger. With smokeless powder, you'll have no sight obscuring smoke after the shot enabling you to keep your eyes on the game you have taken. There is no immediate need to cleanthe Savageafter shooting it as with Pyrodex/Triple Se7en, which isa bonusafter a long days hunt. You can get higher velocities with the Savagewith heavier bullets than you can with magnum charges of Pyrodex/Triple Se7en and lighter bullets. For example, a T/C Omega .50 w/ 28" barrelshooting 3 Pyrodex pellets and a T/C 200 gr. Shockwave will get you approximately 2300 fps. A Savage 10ML-II .50 w/ 24" barrel shooting 42 grs. Vihtavouri N110 and a Hornady 250 gr. SST (which is a Savage recommended load)will get you the same 2300 fps with a 50 gr. heavier bullet. The laminated stainless Savage is a great gun, nothing out there better IMO. I own one plus a stainless Omega .50. Although the Omega is a super nice gun also, if I had to choose between one, the Omega would definitely be the one to go.