Much has changed in the hunting world over the last 40 or 50 years. Hunting seasons have become broader from Deer, duck, small game ---> spring turkey, spring goose, Archery deer, duck, small game, muzzleloader, deer, late archery, late muzzleloader, etc.

I contend that while the percentage of disposable income devoted to hunting gear the average participant spends hasn't changed all that much, the spectrum of discipline specific gear has exploded! No-tox shot for waterfowl, special turkey guns, and inline muzzleloaders didn't exist even 30 years ago... On top of all that, add in the gear from deer calls to the 30 different camo patterns to laser rangefinders and now hunting crossbows, that didn't exist in 1980 when I started hunting.

I mention this because it's important to understand where in the outdoor spectrum muzzleloaders exist. I put forth the "average" (-1 to +1 SD) hunter buys his muzzleloader simply as an instrument to tag a deer a week or two before rifle season. He's not a gun crank( like most here) per se, (s)he is just after another crack at the deer (often before general firearms season). When taken in total, he's looking to spend less(% of income) on a gun than ever before. Where he might have paid 2 weeks wages for a model 700 "deer rifle", scope, and mounts in 1980, he now has less than 2 days wages in his MLer.

Given the above, The bulk of the market has become the low to middle price muzzleloaders. It is similar to 1987 when, if you were fiscally challenged, but wanted a new car, you could buy a brand new Hyundai excel for $2999, lower price imports always flood the shallow end of the pool. Thankfully, advances in technology, have made the shallow end less murky (no more CVA pipe bombs). I bet Traditions and CVA sell 10 $149 blister pack, pellet eater guns to every one $400 rifle that they, T/C, or Knight sells.

However, when you get to $400 rifles, the "value advantage" that the imports enjoy in the $149 slot, disappears.

YMMV