Brassonbrass,

If you want to come up to the Everett area sometime and try out a couple inlines, I can meet you at the Everett Sportsmen Club range just outside Everett. I have a CVA Eclipse that I've tricked out a bit and a Knight Wolverine II that I just got this year, but I've got it almost to what I call perfect. You might get HBP (his location is shown as Everett) to show up and bring his gun, too, and we can have some fun making smoke. I might even bring my Hawken and flintlock to play with, too.

From my experience an extra 2" of barrel on a muzzleloader is lucky to give you half that much extra speed, and even then it will probably only do it if you are shooting a fairly lightweight (by muzzleloader standards) projectile. I've tried longer barreled muzzleloaders and now I'm back to using the 22" barreled Wolverine II. The shorter barrel gives the gun lighter weight, better balance, and it's a lot easier to maneuver through any thick stuff you may hunt in.

I've been into muzzleloaders pretty seriously for the last few years and would be happy to show you what you need and what you don't, as well as letting you try actually shooting some guns and giving you tips on making them work the best they can for you. Let me know if you're interested.