Jeremiah Johnson greatly increased the interest in hunting with muzzleloaders back in the 1970s. Manufacturers and importers are still benefitting from that movie. Hawken rifles evidently did not have a large role in the fur trade, but that does not make them any less desirable for enthusiasts today. A fifty caliber roundball rifle will do a number on a deer with a reasonable charge of powder, and will typically punch all the way through the heart/lungs to the hide on the other side. Modern muzzleloaders have a faster twist than the originals and can use Minie balls, saboted pistol bullets, or other "long" bullets cast of soft lead. Those projectiles will easily go completely through a deer. There is some interesting and informative history in the following videos. I need to warm up my bullet molds!
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