Wow, somebody pretty much stole that rifle.
Yes, these are very enjoyable guns to shoot. I find the pace of it all pretty relaxing. I first got into muzzle loaders as no more than a way to extend my hunting seasons, way back in the late 1970's, and have grown to really like the whole thing in its own right. I now spend more time at the range with muzzle loaders than any other type of firearm.
Here are my three "Hawkens", which actually serve to show a bit of a progression through this sport. Top is my first one, a Thompson Center, that I built in the late 1970's purely to hunt deer and elk. It shoots a heavy charge with a "Maxi Ball", an elongated bullet of some 460 grains. At the time, the "wimpy little round ball" (as I viewed it back then) couldn't possibly be adequate for western big game. Or so I thought.
The bottom one is my Lymann, rifled to shoot round ball only, and a much more accurate reproduction than the T/C. It shoots the round ball very accurately, is quite light (maybe nine pounds), and has proven to be a wonderful hunting rifle. But, well, not quite a 100% faithful reproduction.
In the center is my Hawken, whose build i documented here last spring. I would call it the most correct "reproduction" of the three but, well, it isn't. A "reproduction", that is. It's a
continuation, a real Hawken from the real Hawken shop. Another round ball only shooter.
All three are delightful rifles to play with. As Hickok45 says, they really do transport us back in time. I would recommend any of them to any shooter even mildly interested in this. They are kind of addicting...
