Lee

I am really glad that you can justify paying that much for a gun or supplies - I and some of us certainly can not. When you have a fixed income or raising a family $'s seem to mean more, especially when the prices in the market place are not fixed.

Do you reload centerfire much anymore? If you were, would you pay $30 for 10 ounces powder or $22 for 16oz bottles? Even a 16oz bottle of IMR---- which is constructed exactly the same as BH is only in the $20 area and you get 16 oz. BH is gauging the consumer.

One other point some of us do have to budget and also weigh what we might spend recreationally and what we might need to really spend the extra $ on. So - often we have to make do with what we have. I price everthing against the market.

Hope this makes some sense to you. I still drive Fords..

My best and most expensive guns won't even shoot bh209. I am having the time of my life shooting goex, 777, and pyrodex. In fact ifn I was having any more fun you would need a plastic surgeon to wipe the smile off my face.
I have nine muzzleloaders and only one, my disc elite, can shoot the stuff. I honestly haven't spent a lot of time with it but I know it shoots real well. As far as cleaning, I spent more time trying to clean my bolt, reciever and breech plug after shooting it than I usually would spend on the whole rifle.
Now that is just me. I surely don't care what anybody else shoots, just don't put me down for the powders I prefer.
Art

My best and most expensive guns won't even shoot bh209. I am having the time of my life shooting goex, 777, and pyrodex. In fact ifn I was having any more fun you would need a plastic surgeon to wipe the smile off my face.
I have nine muzzleloaders and only one, my disc elite, can shoot the stuff. I honestly haven't spent a lot of time with it but I know it shoots real well. As far as cleaning, I spent more time trying to clean my bolt, reciever and breech plug after shooting it than I usually would spend on the whole rifle.
Now that is just me. I surely don't care what anybody else shoots, just don't put me down for the powders I prefer.
Art
Above is a quote
Well I do not mean to put any body down, I use about as much Pyrodex as I do BH its just that I think its is worth the price and all my guns except the Traditional use it fine but I kind of lean to TC guns and they never have a problem with it.
Mike, I have been on a fixed income since 1991 when I retired; and it sure does not go as far as it used to, on top of that my new wife likes to travel and we have been all over the US and 8 countries in Europe in the last 5 years. I worked for John Deere for 35 years and they give me a little pension and SS and my wife was a teacher and has a very small pension and SS so its not the amount but what we spend it on of course I came out a bit ahead on the Archery and Muzzle loading shop I owned half of to. I am 73 years old in its my experience that no one I know has been able to take it with them so might as well enjoy it while we are here.Lately the doctor and hospital bills have been awful to.

I know I do not have nearly your experience Lee and I do value your opinion although mine might differ.
I think with muzzleloading the kind of rifle you shoot and how you shoot it is very much an individual thing. The idea that more velocity is better or that cleaner is better is a matter of opinion. In my mind, if speed and clean is what you want, you might as well be shooting a centerfire rifle.
Most of my inlines are old, and are what I consider classic rifles. My mk-85's, my gonic, my white rifles are outdated in some peoples opinion but in my opinion they are gems from an age of inline rifles when quality was more important than it is now.
Now if I am shooting large conicals I may have a lot of drop at 200 yards but it is a repeatable pattern. Also those big chunks of lead maintain a lot of energy out there that the lighter bullets don't.
What I am trying to say is "to each their own", we all make our own decisions based on our own desires. In my opinion a guy can have as much fun and great hunting accuracy shooting conicals or balls with goex or a substitute as you do only at a fraction of the cost.
Art

Here in Casper, WY the cost is $29.99.