Trying to keep it neutral
Hopefully this post stays civil. Being a recent convert to Black Powder, I'll try to give this one a shot.
First of all, I'm not sure where I come in on the accuracy question. I tend to believe that the over riding factor is the man behind the gun, and his devotion to learning that weapon. I am fairly sure that an in-line(IL) is more dependable than a sidehammer(SH). I have used both a Cabela's Hawkins, and a beast of a double-barreled rifle(I think it was Spanish...borrowed gun, heavy as all get out. ) With these two rifles, I don't know how many times I looked down to see that my percussion cap had fallen off the nipple. Also had a problem with a loose screw on the hammer. Caused the hammer to hit slightly off center. No bang. This cost me an Elk. Once again, it's what I get for being too cheap to buy my own gun, and using a borrowed one.
Why is there antagonism between the two groups? Well, I think it stems from the fact the in most states, the season were established after some hard lobbying by what you call Buckskinners. Guys that liked using muzzleloaders, whether SH or even Flint Lock, and felt that they deserved their own season. Hence, Muzzle Loader Season was created.
Firearm companies looked at the guns being used, and looked at the Hunting Regs the way they were written and said, 'Hey, there is room for improvement here!' And so, the IL was created.
One of the advantages an IL has of SH is the fact that a scope can be mounted on it. And then came the Shotgun Primers, and Magnums capable of 200 yard shots. A lot of buckskinners looked around and said, 'What has happened to our season?????' I know over open sights, I set my max range at 75 yards for a shot. Guys are doubling that NO problem. The Buckskinners get upset because they feel there season has been corrupted, and the purity removed from their sport.
I can't say I blame them. I don't really think it is an Elitest thing, allthough I'm sure that will come up somewhere on this thread.
I love Washington, because the rules are stated very clearly. The gun must be muzzleloaded, use a percussion cap, and have no glass sight on it. In my opinion, the scopes and shotgun primers are more the issue than IL vs SH.
Wow...if anyone actually read all this and understood it, I salute you!