Perhaps new participants in the sport of muzzleloading should be made to start with a build it yourself kit of a poorly done traditional? They would need assemble and finish it themselves, cut their own patch, find and shape their own flints, cast their own balls, make their own accessories including chew-softened hide clothing, and only be allowed to shoot Goex. When they can deliver a one inch group at 100 yards using that iron-sighted rifle and those home-grown loads, while also passing a comprehensive test on rifle history, machoism, and physical endurance...they would then be ALLOWED to shoot the muzzleloader of their choosing, exempt from degrading remarks.

Sounds about right to me.

Choose the rifle you think you will have the most fun using and suits your practical purposes best. Just try to buy the best quality you can from the get-go, go slow and safe in learning to use the piece, and have fun while you are at it.