It's a state-by-state thing. Some state DNR's have bent to the "traditionalist" lobby and disallowed the use of smokeless powders in a ML for hunting. I personally believe that these guys are elitists who want to keep "their" ML seasons exclusive to them, them being those who choose to hunt with open-sighted sidelocks with round or maxi-balls. They want the woods to themselves and fear that inlines, scopes, sabot bullets and, God forbid, smokeless powder, might make ML'ing attractive to a new generation of hunters raised with shotguns or CF rifles. Of course, these would be the same guys who would lament the destruction of hunting rights due to decreased numbers of young hunters to fight the militant anti-gun and animal rights lobbies. My opinion is that, if it stuffs from the front, it's really no different than any other ML. Smokeless offers little advantage performance wise over 150gr "magnum" loads because of the limitations of sabot strength. The primary advantages are economic (smokeless is MUCH cheaper to shoot) and in terms of housekeeping (MUCH cleaner, and totally non-corrosive). Unfortunately, a lot of DNR bureaucrats have bought into the false rumors and fear-mongering about smokeless powder propagated by the above traditionalists and by the BP industry (Knight, T/C, CVA, and Hodgdon [the makers of T7 and Pyrodex]), that see the Savage as a serious threat to their market shares.

Check your DNR regs to see if smokeless powder is legal to hunt with in your state. Some state don't allow smokeless at all in a ML, some restrict the use of smokeless ML's to the CF rifle season, and some states (like Iowa, where I live) don't restrict it at all. But like I said before, even if Iowa said I couldn't hunt with smokeless powder, I'd still hunt with my Savage (using Goex BP probably, as I've learned to despise the T7 crud ring).

Mike

As a side note, before I get a bunch of flack from guys who shoot sidelocks or roundballs...I'm NOT saying that all people who choose to use a more traditional rifle are as described above. I just think that those who are among that group create tension and division when we can afford none. You can bet that the anti-hunting crowd loves to see any style or method of hunting restricted or banned and any number of potential hunters turned away from the sport by these restrictions imposed by the very hunters themselves. I say come-as-you-are, and bring a friend/spouse/child. The more of us there are now, the more likely our sport will survive for the next generation.