Justin.. If I did not own a single muzzlelaoder ( which is not the case) and I wanted to hunt I would go for a good quality rifle that would last me a life time. Again this is taking for granted that inline, 209, sabot shooting rifles are legal, that can wear scopes.

I would get the T/C Triumph. I would then (depending on how much I had left) get a good quality scope. Probably a Nikon or Leupold. I would get some loose Pyrodex RS, a volume measure, and some 250 grain Shockwaves. Of course there are other things you're going to need.

If scopes were not legal, and I wanted to hunt and shoot, I would get a T/C Hawkins .50 caliber 1-48 twist flintlock or cap lock. Since I am new to the sport, probably a cap lock. Again, I'd get some Pyrodex RS and some roundball. Then I could go out and shoot and have a lot of fun, and still have a rifle to hunt with for anything under 100 yards.

If money is real tight and you just want a rifle that will shoot and work just fine, a CVA Buckhorn Magnum is not a bad rifle. They seem to have really made some nice improvements to the old CVA Staghorn Magnum that it replaced. I have a Staghorn Magnum. It is a very good shooter.