If truth were known, I would be greatly honored to hunt and shoot with an original, traditional rifle. However, they are few and far between, many are no longer in a condition to be safely fired, and continued use would only deteriorate them further.
So, I feel no guilt shooting a decent replica, made of steel rather than iron, and made from a manufactured lock and stock furniture, rather than hand-made furniture and parts. I respect those builders who do build everything from scratch, and even those who build everything but the barrel and breechplug from flat stock.
I do think much of what we call traditional is cosmetic- appearance only-- but I tend to be old fashioned enough to balk at stainless steel barrels, and any kind of synthetic stock.
There is, and ought to be, something very special about shooting blued or browned steel, and holding a wood stock to your face. The Traditional side action guns are very special to shoot, and those who don't understand that difference lead a much sadder life for it.
I also hunt meat- not horns, or antlers. But taking a deer with a muzzleload gives a great deal more satisfaction than using a modern gun, of any description. I am not like other members here, who have gotten rid of all their guns save a custom made MLer or two. I do have, and enjoy hunting with my other guns. Any day spent hunting is better than any day sitting at a desk listening to phone calls!