Some of the repro muskets do have less than the best sights for hunting, but thats easily fixed. My brother has been hunting with a Zouave repro for about thirty years. He has never needed a modern " magnum" . I also have a buddy who shoots 575 rb out of his 1858 remington at over 1700fps very accurately. I shoot a couple of deer every year with my 1803 Harpers ferry too. Nothing short about muskets for hunting if you really want to thump something hard. We typically use balls around here on deer, but if you wanted to shoot an elk or moose I think the minne bullets would get the attention of a bull right now.