A bullet puller. Not for me of course. But for my buddies who 'dry ball' every once in a while. A nipple/flash hole pick. And definately the new black powder cleaning solvents that have been developed. A lot less messier than the old hot soapy water and hot water rinse.
Then there are the bullet/sabot combos. Flatter trajectory and better accuracy.

9# onion skin paper. I can't hunt without it. Ron

I have two must haves!

#1 Patience - Sure I could load up the 22 and burn through a couple hundred rounds in very short order. I could load up the Win 94 and relive the old Rifleman series. Or pump a bunch of 45-70 downrange in one heck of a hurry. But I find myself more and more often reaching for the flintlocks. Occasionaly the one caplock I have or the Omega. There is just something about one shot, make it count, that really appeals to me. It's almost Zen like shooting the flinters. I rate patience as #1.

#2 A Sense of Humour - Why? Because if you don't have one you would be wrapping barrels around tree trunks in very short order. Sometimes absolutely nothing comes together. Why no one knows. It's just the world of muzzleloading. On those days when the world goes to sheite, you just have to laugh, clean them up and head out another day for some more.

My must haves.

HA

WOW, got some great input. Thanks to those who posted. People new to the sport can definitely benefit from your experience.

I agree, some great tips here. Right now in my life, I don't do nearly as much shooting with my guns as I do hunting. I hope to change that.

For hunting, fully open speed loaders that I can push through, and a palm saver make my life much easier. (I personally just drilled a hole in the side of my ball starter, rather than buying something else that I would have to carry. Works perfectly.)

This is gonna soung funny, but I really like having my wifes teapot around. The kind you fill with water and boil on the stove. Make it so much easier to pour down the barrel when cleaning.

And TC cleaning patching for swabbing at the range.

Another vote for a good solid range rod. I currently have the CVA Lifetime Range Rod, which is pretty solid. If I was looking right now, I would definitely pick up the Knight Rod, especially at its current price. May get one anyway.

After considering all of the tools, goodies and gadgets I have for shooting, cleaning and maintaining a variety of sidelocks and inlines, I have to give the nod to the Knight Ultimate Range Rod as the top item on my "must have" list. Actually, you must have two - one for swabbing the full depth of the bore between shots, and one with the stop collar set for seating the bullet.

My favorite item is a leather rifle holster or gun cradle to rest the rifle's buttstock in when walking through the woods.
It's made of leather, and is similar to a shallow pouch that fits on a belt worn outside my jacket.
I rest the buttpad inside that pouch and the gun is supported in an upright position with just one hand.
Then I can walk though the woods or maneuver through the brush with at least one hand free at all times.
It allows me to tilt the gun into different positions, while only supporting a fraction of the gun's weight with my arm. The arm muscles won't be as fatigued when it's time to hold the rifle steady to fire it.

One of the things that I wouldn't want to be without is Lightning Loaders made by Butler Creek. Although not a traditional muzzleloading Item they allow me to carry pre loaded patch ball and powder and allow me to reload in just a few seconds when hunting. I carry several of them when I hunt instead of powder horn and loose balls.