There are a few different flavors of Muzzleloaders (Flint and percussion sidelocks and inlines). All of which can be exceptionally accurate with practice and patience.

As for the range, with open sights you will find about the same with a centerfire = 100 yards or so or less.

If you elect to go with optics, then you are likely wanting an inline and then out to 200 yards or sowith the right load and a great deal of practice is possible.

As far as .45 or .50 caliber the range is fairly comperable in my view. I believe that a .45 will have a flatter trajectory due to reduced projectile weight so you may have a bit longer range capability.

As for a recommendation, the only thing I would suggest at this pointis a 50 caliber. You can hunt squirrels on up to elk with a 50 cal. A 45 might be a bit on the light side for larger game. Plus there is a much wider variety of projectiles available for 50 cal.

What sort of ML are you interested in (modern or traditional)? Knowing some of your basic interests will help folks make some suggestions for you to take a look at and consider.

On a side note, a flintlockand a patched roundballin a pair of capable and practiced hands and the right load is both accurate and lethal out to several hundered yards...

Tahquamenon