I won't suggest the kind of gun you want, but I can tell you about Colorado laws if you decide to come here for elk.

No pellets, but you don't want to use those anyway. You also can't use sabots, or a scope. It sounds like you won't like Colorado with a ML.

More elk for me.

Muley - why don't you take me out for elk? I'll bring my .54 and my big balls....

throw me into the group as well. I'll even wear my capote as its warm and comfy. I might use a REAL though as all my sidelocks are 50s and no 54 yet

Well, "best" is subjective, most accurate out of the box, there are several that come to mind. In no particular order, here is a list of muzzys that either have a reputation for being very accurate out of the box or ones that I have shot or owned and can confirm that they are indeed accurate out of the box:

-TC Triumph
-Knight Vision
-Knight Disc Extreme or Elite
-CVA Accura
-CVA Optima

There are more that I'm forgetting, I'm sure, but this should at least get you started looking. And if I'm not mistaken, you should be able to find all of these NIB in the $200 - $550 price range.

I may get some hate mail for this, but the only muzzy that I would NOT recommend if you are looking for accurate out of the box is the TC Encore. Don't get me wrong, the Encore is a nice rifle, it just has the reputation for needing some tweaking to get the best accuracy out of it. That and it is overpriced IMO.

Come on out. My plans are different next year. I'm going over the mountain to the west slope. (unit 55) I plan on camping the whole 9 days of the hunt. Me and the pooch. Who will guard the camp and Jeep while i'm hunting.

I'm looking at tents. Anybody have an Eureka Timberline? Reviews look good so far.

Does no sabots mean round ball only then? or is there something else besides round ball and sabots?

Is Colorado no scopes? or no magnification? ie can you use a 1x scope?

The TC Omega caught my eye,
http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/muzzleloaders.php

the northwest explorer looks to meet the OR,WA,ID regs... #11 w/ exposed breech.

You can use conicals in Colorado. Such as Thors, Powerbelts, Hornady FPB etc. They have to be bore size.

No scopes at all. Open or peep sights only.

My pooch tends to try to eat other big pooches. Might have an issue here LOL

No problem. I'm used to doing it alone.

Rather than trying to find one rifle that meets all the different rules, I would consider buying a VERY modern inline - speed breech (no tools needed to remove), Buckhorn 209 powder compatible (not all are), scope mounts, etc. And then when you decide to hunt in a more primitive season, buy another rifle - maybe a traditional style, like Hawkins. You were expecting a higher price any way, right? By the way you were talking about wanting a quick follow up shot. The Buckhorn 209 powder will help you get there. Other powders require swabbing (generally) between shots to maintain accuracy. Buckhorn does not.