44caliberkid,
Like you I normally prefer real BP. One time several years ago I was at a gun shop here in Denver and the sales clerk was talking to a customer about one of the inlines and sabots. All my experience up to that time had been either to use wonder wads or crisco in c&b pistols or to use patched roundeballs in muzzleloaders. So I asked about cleaning these inlines with sabots and at the same time asked about lubes for them. I was told the inlines were much harder to clean than traditional muzzleloaders with patched roundballs. Any interest I might have had in an inline went away. Truth be know I had absolutely no interest in an inline and still don't.
The only time I had cleaning a traditional muzzleloader was at the Border Skirmish I was at in El Centro CA in the late winter of 1988. This is a match between two muzzlloading clubs, one in Yuma, AZ and the one in El Centro. Fun shoot. Anyway, there was a match where speed was fairly important, so I took my Northwest Trade Gun (20 ga smoothbore) and decided to use a trick the indians used when in battle or hunting. They would drop powder in the barrel and then an unpatched roundball, prime the pan and fire. I added one step, After the ball was down the barrel I would give it a quick whack with my ramrod to seat it. It proved to be a very quick way to load and shoot. For every two shots anybody else got off, I shot three. The problem was the fouling got hard almost immediately and made that old trade gun very hard to clean.
I really think the problems they are seeing are due to NOT using any kind of lube.
I have found that with BP you don't need data to reload. I do measure when I reload (for consistancy in my loads) and with my c&b pistols I just use the spout on my powder flask. It measures approximately 30 grains. It is easy to pour and I get reasonably consistant charges that way. It's so easy, much easier than smokeless.
Ransom Gaer