Right now I'm still sorting mine out. Took the barrel out today and bedded it. I'm going to try to shoot it later. If I could find one reasonable, a 1858 Parker Hale would be my first choice. They are the creme de la creme in the military muzzleloader target crowd as far as I can tell.
I've been researching these for a while and apparently getting a bullet that fits your barrel is paramount to accuracy. I'm shooting a Lee "original" minie...I'm looking for a Lyman 575213 or the Lyman 57213PH (parker hale) to replace it with. I've shot three different loads with the Lee, none of which have been spectacular (pie plate size at 50yds), but then the barrel wasn't bedded. The breech wasn't resting on anything, the barrel was being supported by the tang. I smoked the barrel over my tiki torch then put it back in the stock to see where the carbon would be deposited, and it was just touching sporadically on the little ridge in the middle of the stock.
I put a thin walnut shim in under the breech and put it back in the stock and it left a carbon mark down the middle...the breech is bedded on it. Had to try a couple of thin shims I cut yesterday to find one that fit. Then I removed the ridge except where the bands are. We'll see if there is any improvement. They said on the other forum it would string shots across the target if it wasn't bedded good which is exactly what it was doing. Some matches don't allow "modern" (glass) bedding if that is an interest to you. That's why I went with the walnut shim. We'll see.
Check out that forum...those guys are all about these kinds of rifles.
Good luck!
