"I have been doing a little impromtu research into ballistic comparisons between the cappabilities of different loadings within groups of hunting weapons but have only a few that I have personally tested. Other information I have been using is published info from the manufacturers. Basically what I'm trying to determine is how much difference in range there is within a given catagory, i.e. from slow CF to fast CF or slow ML to fast ML or slow arrow to fast arrow. I'm having the most trouble finding comparisons for archery."

The effective range difference depends more on the shooter than the gun - how good is the shooter at estimating range, and how well does the shooter know the trajectory of his/her weapon ?? (I guess the same would apply to archery as well.) Up to perhaps 150 yards, most muzzleloaders canmake killing hits on deer-size game without too much "Kentucky Elevation" being required. Beyond that, even the fastest ones will need some hold over. A round ball of .54 caliber or above, loaded with 1/2 the weight of the ball in loose powder, will kill deer-size game out to at least 200 yards, if placed correctly. The Hawken, in the early 19th Century, was considered effectiveon large game out to 200 yards.

"so far I find that none are comparable to a CF in terms of Point Blank Range unless you compare them to the 30-30 or 35 Rem. Even many sidelocks compare to those two calibers when shooting something other than a PRB at typical hunting velocities."

Your conclusions here are valid ones!! When the day comes when ML are equal to CF rifles, we will see a lot more restrictions. Most of these claims are advertising hype, and many of the "experts" are in cahoots with the gun peddlers! But as nchawkeye points out, you cannot compare the killing power of a big, fat, soft, round ball to a modern bullet - they kill in entirely different ways!