disecting your question, you say you prefer the .45.. if its deer on your menu at one time or another, i would not pick the .36.. my opinion only.. ive heard expert shots argue the worth of a .40 on neck shots on deer, but they are expert. as balls get smaller diameter, thier mass decreases exponentially.. .50cal 172 gr, 45 cal 124 gr, 36 cal 65 grn, 32 cal 43 grains...aprox.. notice the difference between the .45 and the.36 is about half the bullet weight... the poster is correct about the recoil being more in a bigger bullet in a small gun,...in my opinion tho i have not felt that any black powder firearm is unusually unpleasant until you get into heavy 10 guage loads, but that is me..... if youve ever shot a 30-06 and didnt mind the recoil, then the bp .45-.50 cals will be a pussycat.. but its very true the .45 will recoil more than the .36, . the .36 will make the perfect small game gun with flat trajectory at less than 100 yards.. its not unusual for shooters to use velocities of over 2000 feet per second in the .45 and .50 cal. i have a .50 cal traditions, very light gun, with small flintlock and 24 inch barrel .. with 70 grains 2fg it shoots great, and recoil to me is minimal.. i would like 80-90 grains better but soot was building up too fast.. good luck dave...