I might start muzzle loader but I'm not sure. If so, I will be shooting a tompson 54cal. I need suggestions on stuff I'll need. Like powder and stuff like that. If decide to shoot muzzle loader I will hunt Elk for my 1st year. All suggestions are welcome. Thanks

Muzzleoading is a little complicated until you have all the essentials at the range & fire a few shots. Then it starts to become simpler. I would need to fill this whole page with information to begin helping you -- so instead I'll send you to a place to read first.......

..... Muzzleloading 101

The best thing I could suggest would be to find someone who has used a ML in the past and knows how to do it. See if they will show you what they have and take you on a shooting session or two.

You need: A powder measure
FFg black powder or the equivalent in a substitute, such as Pyrodex RS or Triple 7 FFg
Caps
bullets or balls
Patching material & patch lube, or pre-cut, pre-lubed patches if you plan using round balls
A couple of hickory loading rods and a couple of hickory cleaning rods
A "short starter"
Cleaning jags
Cleaning patches

If you hunt elk with the .54, try to limit your shots to 80 yards or less with round balls, and 125 yards or less with big conical bullets. I don't know where you plan to hunt elk, but sabotted bullets are illegal in Colorado. However, you can use Power Belt bullets there. I like them, but would choose a bullet of at least 400 grains for elk in the .54 if shooting conicals. The round ball will take elk OK, but is best used on broadside shots behind the shoulder where massive bones don't have to be penetrated to get to the vitals. Round balls shed velocity very fast, so are best confined to shorter range shots. if you are hunting dark timber, then the RB is OK!

I need to know how far I could shoot at an Elk with what bullet or ball. Like how many yards max could I shoot with this ball or this bullet and still take the Elk down pretty good.

i drove these guys nuts trying to figure out how to muzzleload......but eventually i bought everything i thought i might need....and my dads friend(my friend too i guess...just older then a normal friend..but hes always been good to me...) said hed take me to the range the first time and show me the ropes and get me started...that helped ALOT...i learned the basics of flinting and saftey with muzzleloaders...thats the best way to learn to muzzleload.....it seems like its hard to do and its complicated and people say the guns are unreliable(atleast the people in PA that dont muzzleload because we have a flintlock only season....) but its not bad at all....i love hunting with the flintlock now...its like warping back in time carrying around a flintlock and a bag full of all kinds of tools of the trade....i hope the first day of deer season is nice out...i will make people jaws drop seeing a 17yr old boy carrying a flinter....dragging a deer out too..i hope! lol....good luck...about the range.....its all about HOW you can shoot the gun....some of the new fancy inlines and such can shoot amazingly far and accuratly...and theres alot of good bullets out there that can perform out there too...but some states have certain laws on ignition systems, bullets, ect that you need to find out first.....