For the previous 10 years or so, right up untill last year, I did all of my deer hunting with a .50 cal. Thompson Center Hawkins. I would normally harvest an average of 3 deer every year. One year the total was 6, some time before that, 5. Those were my 2 best years. The reason was that I had knocked the open sights, on my 12 guage pump off target, and instead of resighting it in , I just started using the Hawkins all the time. The summer before last deer season I decided to mount a scope on the old 12 guage pump and give it a try. I wound up taking all three deer with it and took nothing home with a muzzleloader last year. Shooting a rifled barrel shotgun is close to equal to shooting a muzzleloader but you get 5 shots before reloading instead of 1. Anyway, I went with the muzzleloader handicap for about 10 years and it is quite challenging and very rewarding. But the advantages of using a modern firearm are great and I plan to use them. But be certain that I will still be out there when you can only use a muzzleloader. The challenge and thrill of a one shot kill will always keep me coming back for more. And if you have ever reloaded a muzzleloader and shot the other deer that was standing near by, before it was spooked away, wow, now that's the cat's meow. My next endeavor is to harvest a deer with a muzzleloading pistol.