Tim, You been drinking again??
If you have a mossberg shotgun, the M/L barrel is a nice option, since most people dont use their M/L's much outside of the 2 weeks of primitive weapons season.
No it's just getting late I am old and stuff. Man the d is next to the s it was a slip up.
What all is involved with muzzle loading?
Meaning powder, sabots etc...
I have no clue,about any of this.
What would the optimal range be on a deer out of a 24" barrel attached to the above firearm in ambient conditions?
Maximum range depends on various things such as caliber, powder charge, bullet weight & design.
As for powder, the pellets are my favorite. Each is 50 grains of powder equivalent, drop 3 in the muzzle (some rifles are only rated for 2) start a saboted bullet, ram it down tight on the pellets, prime and shoot.
Now that the single shot handi-rifles are accepted as "primitive weapons" I got a .44 mag and now I dont have to carry all that crap.
b/c you can use the crack barrel handi style rifles, black powders have been for sale all over the place if you are wanting one. Might be able to pick one up on the cheap.
With the new primitive weapon season you can probably pick up a smokepole cheaper than that barrel! People are selling them insane cheap. I still use the old knight front stuffer and it shoots well!