I started with a Traditions 50 cal. Then I went to a Lyman Deerstalker 54 cal. Then I bought a Lyman Great Plains 54 cal. My observations.....learn your gun's quirks. Each one is a little different. You don't need to load up on powder. You'll reach a point of diminishing returns where you won't get any more umph....you'll just be making more smoke. I've killed a deer every year that I've gone out in Pennsylvania's flintlock deer season. The advantages are that the season is after Christmas so there's a better chance of snow for tracking. It's cold enough that the deer herd up for the winter and it's the last season in Pa so there are very few hunters to contend with. My money gun for putting meat on the table is the Deerstalker. And last but not least......anything other than a patched roundball is sacriledge IMO.