I've never understood the aversion either. Cleaning black powder is no big deal. The same goes for wiping the bore between shots. A ten second "chore"?

Dave that is a very nice rifle. And a .54 to boot. I'm dying to get out an shoot but I have a million and one things to do around the house before I get ready for hunting season.
On those production rifles like the Lymans and the T/Cs I've noticed that there are differences in lock time. I have a Rene that is so fast (like your custom) that it seems like its a CF rifle. My other not so fast. I just wonder if I replace the spring would that improve the time?
And as for the cleaning of BP rifles and swabbing between shots - I don't mind it either. The cleaning is a form of relaxation for me and swabbing between shots allows me to think about the last shot and to keep the barrel cool. Plus IMO it provided for more consistency of the barrel.

I was thinking about this: I sit down all day at work hunched over a computer. Getting up to swab between shots is a good way to stretch and just move around a bit.