In a traditional rifle if you want to hunt with a roundball, the .54 caliber is just a superior ball to hunt with. Very little can take a hit from them and I personally feel the .54 is more accurate then the other calibers.

If you're going to shoot #11 then Pyrodex RS will work just fine. Although if you like a lot of smoke, a big stink, and just a lot of fun, black powder is sure hard to beat. I like shooting black powder. It is no more dirty then Pyrodex RS to clean up and it ignites much easier then Pyrodex or any other powder for that matter.

If you get a T/C watch the auction sites. A Hawkins or Renegade are great rifles. Plus you can get Green Mountain drop in barrels for the stock as well. I really like Renegades. They are kind of a no frills bread and butter rifle, but they sure shoot well and are made good and heavy.