I am thinking about trying my hand at a muzzle loader shotgun, can you guys point me in the right direction on make model and all that stuff?

Thanks Gary

OF the traditional SXS's, the only maker still putting them out is Pedersoli...will be sold under several brands (Cabela's is one). Aren't cheap. At least some of the current versions do use choke tubes....a mixed blessing, as the easiest way to load it is to remove the choke tube.

They aren't difficult to load, at least with old-type wads. Normal would be powder...over powder card wad...1/2" fiber wad (lubed)...shot charge...thin over shot wad. You can tell, you aren't going to win a speed contest this way (takes three ram-rod trips down each barrel) but the results are not far off modern shells.

There may be some single barrel versions (am taking tradtional types...don't know the modern in-lines) being made and sold...may not, it's a real limited market.

USED, may find one of the CVA replicas..good solid guns, but not as nice as the Pedersoli's.
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With a bit of looking, can find a good solid shootable original for the same or less $. It is not a course I'd tanke if i were thinking of a whole lot of shooting, or if thinking of max. loads, but can be a lot of fun.

The single shots are the least expensive. Take a look at the offering's Cabela's sells as ribbonstone says.

Traditional flintlock & percussion SxS's done in the English style are available from some domestic builders while there are a limited few who will do the German, Belgian & Spanish styles.

Most commonly built gun is the northest fowler, sometimes called the PA fowler like this one (normally they are not green)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/markkw/PAfowler2.jpg

Poorboy fowler is another fairly common style for present day builders. Much less common are central & east European style game guns that have a shorter barrel to reduce the OAL for improved handling across a wide variety of hunting situations. Done in either full or half stock versions, these smoothbores were often fitted with a low profile rear rifle sight that made them deadly accurate on big game with a roundball.

Rare is the Russian охотник (hunter) a later modified version of the Hussar flintlock musket style w/o the military furniture & muzzle flare and with a three quarter stock. The shortened LOP, east-central Euro style comb and short OAL makes it even better handling than the game guns.

I would suggest avoiding choke tubes and/or fixed constriction chokes unless you really want to annoy yourself every time you load. Properly tuned loads will function quite well in a standard cylinder bore adding a properly made jug choke is sometimes benficial with specific loads and won't annoy you during loading.

Quality is the most important consideration. In most cases, you get what you pay for and in some cases you pay a high price but don't get the quality. Think about the importance of safety, it's your head and body that's closest to the gun when it's being fired. Here's an example of a low-cost import that sells for a relatively high retail price... what's the quality of the parts you are paying for?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/markkw/indiamade2.jpg

Next thing to think about is the quality with which the parts are assembled. Does it matter to you if the lock slips off half-cock and fires when it's not supposed to or gets caught on the half-cock when you want it to fire ... even if it only happens once in a while? How well is the frizzen or nipple going to hold up and will they need to be replaced at short intervals? Does it matter if priming powder on a flint falls out of the pan or leaks into the lock mortice and causes the stock to explode? How about hand-fitting the trigger to the lock and whether the wood to metal fit looks like it was done professionally or by some bubba using a hatchet?

If you want top-notch quality, you're not going to find it in a mass produced gun. Not all of the modern day gun builders use only top quality materials either, many will buy the lowest price parts so they make more money on the gun. Some will pay $300+ for a stock blank then put the cheapest junk lock and barrel in it they could get, since the barrel, lock and trigger are the most important components for a gun that works and shoots properly, be sure to ask the builder what parts they use and why. Also beware there are some people still making ML barrels out of hydraulic tubing and you can see from the pic above what can happen with barrel that isn't drilled & reamed from certified alloy solid bar stock.

I had the good fortune to pick up a Pedersoli double 12 ga in unfired condition from Gunbroker for $350, the same gun Cabelas sells for twice as much. It was cylinder bore, which is traditional and for most upland hunting straight cylinder, no choke at all, is perhaps the most useful. However I intended to use it for trap shooting so I made up a slip reamer and jug choked it to modified and full and I'm very satisfied with the patterns.
It is true that one can often find old original guns for less than the reproductions but most have really cruddy bores. I paid $425 for a W&C Scott single 14 ga. which looked very nice on the outside. When I began to load it I found the Circle Fly 14 ga. wads were a nice, snug fit for most of the barrel length but nearly dropped the last six inches where the bore was eaten out oversize from 150+ years of corrosion.
I grew up in Ohio and began shooting muzzleloaders in the 1950s when one could buy a decent double for 25 bucks. My Dad shot a nondescript old 12 ga. and one day handed it to a friend to try out. This fellow shot with a straight left arm, holding way out on the barrels. At the shot he let out a yell and began examining his left hand. A small rust pit had blown out and embedded a flake of rusty metal into his palm. No serious injury but it did make the point that those old guns were not entirely safe even then and most have seen another half century of use and neglect since.

Guys thanks for the imput. I am going to start looking for one for when I return to the states. What else will I need for shooting BP shotguns?

We're looking forward to having you back home again, I assume you're military so thank you for your service!

There are some things you "need" and some you don't "need" but may "want".

On the "Need" list is:
Wads
-- over powder (OP), cushion (C) & over shot (OS)
Shot
Powder
Measure
Jag
Puller
Worm
-- the real stuff not that fake junk! ;)
Flints/caps

The "want" list is much longer and I'm only going to touch on a few things, feel free to question anything, I'll be happy to explain them in detail - I'm just throwing them out like a "shotgun"...

Shot flask/snake
Powder horn/flask
Possibles poke/bag
Wad jar/bag
Pre-loads
Buffer
Shot sleeves
Primer horn / capper
Patches & knife if you're going to shoot PRB's

Probably a few others I just can't think of right now.

I owned a CVA caplock double 12 gauge for a number years and really liked it. It shot well and was easy to clean.

Guys thanks for the imput. I am going to start looking for one for when I return to the states. What else will I need for shooting BP shotguns?
Wads of the proper size are available from "Circle Fly" with an online catalog. Be aware the the Pedersoli guns have tight bores and are much easier to load with wads one size smaller, like 13 ga. wads in a 12 ga. or 11 ga. wads in a 10 ga. gun.
Filler or "cushion" wads are really not necessary, most guns pattern better with just two hard card overpowder wads. Where the filler wads do help is if they are lubricated they help to keep the fouling soft to make easier loading if you shoot alot, such as on a round of trap or a flight of doves.
It also is not necessary to buy overshot wads, you can easily split the 1/8" overpowder wads to half thickness for loading over the shot, so just a supply of overpowder cards is all you absolutely need.

If you go flintlock you will definitely need real black powder, double F (FFg) down the bore and four F (FFFFg) to prime the pan. If you choose a cap lock you can use the black powder substitutes, RS Pyrodex works fine, and of course you'll need caps.
The common practice is to load equal volumes of powder and shot. Set your adjustable powder measure to throw say 80 grains of powder and use the same measure for shot. Once you've decided on the load it is more convenient to buy or make a fixed measure to hold that exact load and leave the adjustable measure at home.
In addition to the ramrod which is carried under the barrels it is very nice to have a "range rod", it doesn't have to be one of the fancy stainless steel rods, just a wooden dowel, 1/2" for 20 ga. or 5/8" for 12 ga. and about 6" longer than the barrels. In those sizes a dowel rod is plenty strong and much easier to grip than a skinny steel rod. If you want a brass tip on one end you can buy them from ML suppliers or just use a cartridge case with the primer hole drilled and tapped 10/32 which is the common size for cleaning jags, bore brushes wad puller screws and such.
I get most of my supplies from "Track of the Wolf", which has an excellent online site. They have very good photos of everything they carry, which is everything you'll need, even including the gun. I would suggest you start by checking out their web site.
And above all, be safe and have fun!