I don't see how anybody can say that allowing handguns during ML season would give a hunter an advantage over the ML.

If the singleshot rifles were allowed, I doubt it would change the number of deer taken hardly any with the caliber restrictions you speak of. Few hunters would buy a single shot rifle just to gain the small advantage over a ML for a mere 2 weeks. I most likely would, but then I'm a gun nut. For instance a NEF singleshot in 357Magnum reamed out to chamber the 357Maximum would be a great woods deer rifle.

I don't see how anybody can say that allowing handguns during ML season would give a hunter an advantage over the ML.

If the singleshot rifles were allowed, I doubt it would change the number of deer taken hardly any with the caliber restrictions you speak of. Few hunters would buy a single shot rifle just to gain the small advantage over a ML for a mere 2 weeks. I most likely would, but then I'm a gun nut. For instance a NEF singleshot in 357Magnum reamed out to chamber the 357Maximum would be a great woods deer rifle.

It's actually not a stretch, most muzzleloaders out there are shooting 150 grains of 777, Pyrodex, or Blackhorn, smokeless powder in the case of the Savage ML-10II and with those loads and a good 250gr to 300gr sabot, you have a weapon that equals a 45/70 on steroids, is more accurate than your smooth-bore or rifled slug gun, so what's the point? I have went over this multiple times looking at numbers ballistically, and the muzzleloader has the velocity and ft-lbs advantage. Magazines have reviewed the same muzzleloader vs shotgun argument and muzzleloader came out on top the majority of the time. And as far as reload times, with these fast reload tubes you can get for muzzleloaders now, it can be done in about the same time to break open your single shot, fumble around with a new fresh shell, insert, aim and fire again. And let's not forget sabot shotgun slugs use the same 209 primers, and the same bullets that are in muzzleloader sabots