The Traditional muzzleloaders are very under rated by many people. What makes you think that if you really tuned your load and practiced, and used the same optics as a modern inline that you too could not make the same shots with a traditional hawkins rifle?

If you take the scopes off the inline muzzleloaders, they are really have no more advantage then the traditional rifles without the scopes. People that doubt this need to watch some of these old timers with their hawkins sporting peep sights shoot steel targets at 200 yards. It is amazing to say the least.

As for ignition. Modern inlines with 209 primers have an advantage in wet weather, but anyone who has shot traditional rifles for any length of time, really does not get all that concerned about a rain, sleet, or snow day when hunting. Why? They know how to weatherize the rifle. If you take care of the traditional, even those #11 caps will fire and so will the flintlocks. It is all a matter of how well you know your rifles, and their limitations. If you know your sport, you can make a traditional shoot as dependable as an inline.

The one advantage of the modern inline is the improved barrels with the faster twist and the projectiles that can be used out of them. Lets face it, sabots with a hot load and a fast twist seem to fly better at longer ranges. Yet, I can order a drop in barrel from Green Mountain Barrel Company for my T/C Hawkins or Renegade, that will also shoot sabots and big conicals, and you would never know I had it if you looked at the rifle.

Also I have some 1:70 twist rifles that shooting roundball do a very impressive job for open sights at 100 yards. I never considered a muzzleloader a long range rifle. The longest shot I have ever made with a muzzleloader was about 90 yards give or take a yard. And that was with a .54 caliber T/C Renegade.

Personally I do not see inlines as much of an advantage. I do see them as a way for those that do not have the time or desire to devote to the sport of traditional black powder shooting, an oppertunity to take an easier approach to black powder shooting and still get some extra hunting and range time in. They can buy an inline, work up an acceptable load and then hunt or target shoot without learning all the little things that to me make muzzleloading so much fun.

I own three modern inlines and love to shoot them. I find it a challenge to see how accurate I can get with a rifle at a given distance. And yes, some of them will shoot impressive groups. But the two that are not scoped are no more impressive then some of my Hawkin rifles with open sights.

Inlines are just that... a different kind of rifle. I do not see them as a threat to the black powder sport. I do not see them as taking over the black powder sport. There will always be traditional shooters....

I also see them as a way to increase our numbers in the black powder field of sports, a way to increase out hunting and shooting voice to those that make our laws, and also an open door. By this I mean they have experienced the smell and boom of the muzzleloader, then they get around some traditional shooter, maybe even try a rifle or two. Next thing you know, they are buying a traditional rifle and learning all the little secrets of the sport....