The Paramount was developed around the use of Blackhorn and CVA's ELR bullets. It can utilize other powders as well...such as Triple 7 but seems to really hit it's full potential with Blackhorn. Most reviews I've seen on other muzzleloader forums have been pretty good with a few exceptions here and there. The only really complaint I've heard concerning the paramount is the physical weight of the rifle. The bare rifle without a scope pushes the 10 lb mark. Once you get a scope mounted, you're looking at a setup of around 11.5-12 lb. I looked into buying one a while back and ended up going in a different direction due to not wanting to carry a boat anchor thru the woods. Unless your buddy plans to be going out West and hunt places that won't allow it, going smokeless is just as good....if not a better option.