The folks at Rice barrel Co. would agree with you on that. Your better off buying their top grade bc they load so smoothly which I speak from experience
My friend wanted percussion against my wishes but since it's percussion I can change to flint when he's ready. I think with this year it's 17 brown and counting
I figure keys on hooked breech gives credence to barrel removal and I saw slits in my keys so I never have to worry about dropping one stopping the possibility of losing one
I would go with the Colonial (54cal) from Jim Kibler can't beat the quality and the era in Maryland fits just fine, personally love a long barrel great sight line. I feel you would be more satisfied with the rifled barrel over the smooth
I know you're looking for tighter groups but you're first shot from a clean barrel is the one that puts it down. Check your bore and see if anything is amiss but if I don't clean in between shots with either Getz's, Rice, Large they start to spread also--- first one counts
It's a intended design having the thickest at the breach where the charge is and then taking the weight off down the barrel but swelling slightly at muzzle so you don't have a tall front site. Can you imagine trying to hold a 1 1/8 x 44-46" long barrel 😳? They knew what they were doing
The Roman nose long ones had 46" barrels made by Wayne Watson I reunited with at Dixions gun fair in July. I have handled one of the guns he made for the movie Last of the Mohicans