RE: Best ML for the Money?
$200.00 and the best muzzleloader you can find.. I'd look at a NEF Sidekick. They have excellent out of the box accuracy, all reports are very good triggers, their flaw is the ramrod could be better, but it can be replaced. I seldom ever shoot a factory ramrod anyway.
There is none of this barrel quality issue, although with good reason thousands of shooters ignore this aspect concerning Spanish Barrels, and the company (parent company is Marlin Rifle Co.) has been around building this style rifle for many years. Their design is simple and time tested.
The other way to go is with a BPI rifle like the Wolf. Traditions makes a rifle called the Yukon. All of them I am sure will do the job for a few extra days of hunting in the woods to an nice afternoon on the target range.