Well, you will almost certainly end up with more than one gun eventually. I have roughly a dozen or so muzzleloaders in various calibers and am considering getting maybe a couple more.
Yes, T/C is out of the traditional muzzleloader business, but their guns are still out there in quantity and will be killing game long after you and I are pushing up daisies. I would certainly recommend any T/C as that is what most of mine are. But they are not the only game in town.
I don't know much about the Kiblers. They seem to have a large following and I haven't heard anything bad about them, beyond that, you will have to wait for others who are more experienced with them.
If you want strictly a hunting gun, I have a few suggestions:
The T/C New Englander and it's variants are pretty hard to beat for a hunting gun. They have an oversized trigger guard, so you can get a gloved finger into it with no problem. They have a single trigger, because for hunting, you don't really NEED a double set trigger The 1:48 twist will stabilize conicals, unmentionables and round balls well enough for hunting if you do your load development, but strictly speaking, they are not really round-ball shooters... though I have seen some that do OK with PRB. They came in .50 and .54 calibers. I don't think they made any .45 caliber New Englanders, but I am not certain... I never saw one in .45, and I've seen plenty of 'em. They also made a 12 gauge barrel for them... so you could potentially get a single gun that has a rifled barrel as well as a smoothbore.
The T/C Greyhawk is another one I would recommend. It is basically a stainless steel New Englander with a synthetic stock and stainless steel fittings. Anyone who has been around muzzleloaders for any length of time can speak to the advantages of stainless steel as far as resistance to rust. New Englander barrels will fit Greyhawk stocks, so you can still have a shotgun barrel... and/or a .50 and a .54 barrel.
If you like carbines, the T/C White Mountain Carbine came in .45 and .50 caliber. I never saw a .54, They have a short barrel, as you might expect as well as a single trigger in an oversized trigger guard. They also have a half-round barrel, which helps lighten the gun even further. The .50 caliber guns have fast twist barrels from the factory, so if you want to shoot conicals or unmentionables while hunting close cover, this is probably the gun you want.
Browning made the Jonathan Browning Mountain Rifle. It has a slow-twist barrel and came in .50 and .54 caliber, so far as I am aware. It won't shoot conicals or unmentionables very well at all, but will do neat clover-leaf targets with a PRB. They came with brass or iron fittings, and the finish is a very traditional "rust blue". Basically, this means that they put the gun in a container of water, cat urine, salt and/or other noxious substances with both ends of the barrel plugged to protect the bore. At first glance, it looks like a rusty POS, but it kinda grows on you. They are pricey though. Expect to budget as much as a thousand US dollars for one in good shape. I got mine for a few hundred several years ago, but it had problems that I am still working on... a previous owner did not know how to clean muzzleloaders.
Sights on the JBMR are full buckhorn rear and flat blade front. Elevation can be adjusted with a screw, windage by tapping either the front or rear sights left or right in the dovetail. They have a single-set trigger in an oversized triggerguard, and to set the trigger, you push it forward until it clicks into place, then you have a light firing trigger. Trigger pull weight is adjustable by external screw, but once you get it set where you want it, a drop of fingernail polish is not a bad idea to lock the screw into place.
These guns are kind of heavy and clunky. Not the sort of gun you would want to carry up the mountainside if it could be avoided.
A gun that I have very limited experience with is the Pedersoli Kodiak rifle. This is a double-rifle reminiscent of early African hunting rifles. They are still in production and come in .50, .54, and .58 calibers. The MK III version can also be ordered with a 12 gauge barrel set along with your rifled barrels. Check out Pedersoli's sight for specifications.
My only experience with one of these was a used gun that came into the store I worked in once upon a time. Regulation was less than satisfactory with round balls in that .50 caliber, but looking at modern specifications, that is not surprising as they have fast-twist rifling for conicals. The .58 has a compromise twist and they recommend a tight PRB in it, if memory serves.
The advantages of both a second shot as well as a second or third or forth set of barrels cannot be overstated, but if you don''t have a "gun bearer", then you had better be in good physical condition. These things are HEAVY.
For stand hunting, a Kodiak should be more than adequate and I am considering the possibility of acquiring one myself. I only need to come up with a reason to justify it somehow.
Now, take this, and all other advice you may be offered here with a grain of salt, but hopefully, you will have something to think about now.
Good Luck!
