That doesn't mean the gun is sighted in, it just means they test fired it and checked to see what the groups were, maybe. They do it with the Ultras and they don't even have sights on them, just a scope rail. NEVER assume a gun is sighted in from the factory.

As far as being cheaper, it depends on what slugs you are shooting I guess. No way in heck is it cheaper if you are shooting modern sabot slugs. I can darn near get a whole can of powder for what 5 rounds of premium sabots cost for a slug gun. And the guns fall in the same price ranges depending on what you want. You can get either for a decent price or spend a lot more if you want. In my area though I think you could get a ML cheaper than a slug gun. And there is no background check because it isn't considered a firearm. Just walk in and buy it. A decent slug gun is going to cost around 200-300 dollars around here, I am talking the single shot H&R's. I have seen whole muzzle loader kits for under 100 bucks before. Probably wouldn't be my choice, but they are out there. If I were to get another ML right now I would get one of the savages that can shoot smokeless powder as well. They are not too cheap though.

Lets base it on a the most common load for both weapons. Shooting a 20 ga modern slug gun is very similar to shooting an inline. They shoot pretty much the same bullet at close to the same velocities. An XTP type bullet in a sabot in either 45 or 50 caliber in the 300 to 400 grn range at between 1500 and 1800 fps. For a muzzle loader it breaks down to about a dollar shot, maybe a bit more maybe a bit less depending on the products you buy. For a shotgun shooitng the same ammo you are talking between 3 and 4 dollars per shot! That gets pretty pricey quick, especially if you are looking for a load your gun likes and trying different brands of ammo, been there done that. Even if you were shooting regular lead saboted slugs you are talking 2 dollars or so a shot. Rifled slugs are more comparable in price, but not in performance.

For me my ML after I worked up a good load for it was more accurate and had less recoil than my shotgun did, and my shotgun weighed like 10 lbs fully rigged. If you tested 3 different brands of ammo in your shotgun at 15 dollars a box it would cost you almost 100 dollars, and that only gives you two 5 shot groups with each type of ammo. I don't think I have bought more than 90 dollars worth of supplies for my ML in the 5 years I have owned it. And I shoot expensive bullets and powder, not standard XTP's and pyrodex.

From an ease stand point though if you have a good shotgun and find a load it likes they are hard to beat. Just shoot them, run a swab down the barrel and put them away for the most part. That was the appeal of it to me. My ML is a bit of a pain to clean, but some of the new designs are much better than mine. But my remington 700 ML will group better at 150 yards than most slug guns will at 75-100. And for deer sized game it's point blank shooting out to 150 yards. Meaning that if I hold the cross hairs in the center of of the vitals from 20 to 150 yards the bullet won't drop or rise enough to miss the vitals so I don't have to compensate for range.

I'm not saying you can't achieve this with a slug gun, but it's not the norm, I know that for sure. And you sure won't be doing it for a buck a shot. Where as with most muzzle loaders getting 1 inch groups at 100 yards should be doable with a day or two of range time. Most if it is just finding the bullet weight and powder charge your particular gun likes.

This has been my experience anyway.

Paul