Odds are the gun is not the limiting factor, but you are. No knock on you, just that the ballistics of modern muzzleloaders have taken their effective range past the effective range of most shooters.
NOTE: What I am about to share is not something I am telling you that you should do, you probably shouldn't. A good shooting buddy was over looking at my target I kept from shooting a ML 500 yards and noting that I was probably one of half a dozen people in the COUNTRY who do that.
I had a Traditions gun of similar quality and setup to yours. I took deer to 300 yards. I carried a drop chart with wind drift for 25yd increments out past that range.
I now shoot a TC Omega specifically accurized and set up for long range. I have taken deer to 338 yds, pretty close to the max range I trust the bullet I use to open, and targets to 500 yds with a different load.
If you can't shoot MOA off the bench at X range (1 inch per 100 yds out to whatever range, so 3 inches for 300 yds) you shouldn't be considering it. If you can't shoot 1.5 MOA groups from field position or under 5-6in group no matter what the range, you should stick to closer shots. And this is under the worst wind conditions where you would take the shot.
When I shot 338 yds to take a deer, there was zero wind. I have passed on closer shots with more wind. I have also army-crawled 1/4 mile to turn a 350yd shot into a 20 yd shot, I take long shots when it is necessary but convert to close shots when possible.
I have never missed a deer over 125 yards that I used a laser rangefinder on. I had NEVER missed one over 125 yards until I got stupid last year and took a shot at one that had me pinned down without access to my rangefinder and missed. Years past I have screwed up my share of closer shots, I attribute that to never taking a long shot without a ton of thought and preparation but taking things for granted on some shorter "easy" shots.
Last edited by spaniel; 10-12-2009 at 02:02 PM.