Well let's see
Dig4gold; traditional - unscoped - deer, elk & bear - long range (but how long?). Here are my rambling thoughts.
First off, long range means a good quality peep sight like the Lyman 57 or a one of the Vernier style tang mounted ladder sights.
I would think
long range +
elk =
at least 50 caliber. It would also exclude balls unless your "long range" thoughts are something in the 150 yard range (in which case a .54 or .58 ball may do the job).
Now, you included sabots in the equation. Sabots give you a wider range of options. I would think a quality .452 diameter 300 grain bullet in a sabot will reach out to 300 yards with the accuracy and power needed for your game.
But a barrel with a rate of twist suitable for large powder charges under a round ball won't be worth a hoot with long bullets in a sabot. So you'll need to decide which way you're going to go with the bullet.
OK, let's say you want a ball shooter good for game out to around 150 yards, and target shooting well beyond that. I would be looking for a Thompson Center Renegade or Hawken and a Green Mountain "replacement barrel" in .54 or .58 caliber barrel with a 1:70 twist. Other options might be the .54 Lyman Great plains or the Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken.
Now if you decide a sabot shooter is the thing, you should be looking for a .50 caliber sidelock with a 1:28 rate of twist. Once again you will be likely be seeking something with a Green Mountain replacement barrel in that twist.
Other more exotic options might be paper patched bullets in a .50 caliber, if you willing to spend a lot of range time finding the right load combination, or even a .58 Minnie ball shooter which again would take a lot of tuning to get an accurate long range load.
And I've only scratched the surface of possibilities. Ain't muzzleloading fun??
