ORIGINAL: wahunterinrok I would prefer to keep it semi-traditional, but still be effective, so I have been wanting to use conical bulets instead of ball. I have read that my rifle doesn't have the twist to shoot sabots, but what about conicals? And if so, what conicals do you guys recommend.
I started hunting with a muzzleloader in 1968, with a Hawken .50 with a "round ball twist". It shot very accurately with the RB, but I, like you thought that a conical would be much more effective for deer hunting. I tried the 370-grain TC Maxi-ball with a heavy charge of powder, and, lo and belhold!! despite the slow twist the rifle would keep these things inside 3" @ 100 yards! I subsequently killed deer with both the round balls and with the Maxi-balls, and discovered that there is no useful difference in killing power with the Maxi ball over the round ball, at least not within 125 yards!!
I suggest you shoot several different kinds of bullets, including the round ball, and use whatever your rifle shoots most accurately with. I think the Maxi-Hunter bullets are short enough to shoot well in nearly all RB twist barrels! My .50 has a 1/72" twist, and shoots both full weight Maxi balls as well as the Maxi-hunter slugs very well. It also likes 295-grain Power Belts. I use 120 grains of FFg powder or the equivalent in a substitute like Pyrodex with round balls, and up to 135 grains of FFg with the heavier bullets. My rifle has a custom barrel made from modern barrel steel, and will stand such charges. I don't know if the Traditions is strong enough for such a lot of powder behind a conical bullet. But even an 80-grain load of FFg with a 370-grain Maxi-ball will go through a deer from one end to the other!