I have been shooting muzzle loading rifles, shotguns and pistols for all of my adult life and a portion of my teenage years as well. That gives me about 50 years of experience, though I surely would never say I know everything, or am an expert.
All that said, I learned most of what I have gleaned by reading "The Muzzle Loading Caplock Rifle" by Major Ned Roberts, as well as everything else I could get my hands on over the years. Mr. Roberts learned about shooting from his Uncle who fought in the Civil War, and had first hand experience with the firearms of the era we are attempting to emulate. Roberts was taught to use a short starter and a tight patch/ball combination in order to extract the ultimate accuracy a rifle possesses. I will concede that all this was after the flint rifle era, when very little is recorded about loading techniques. So whether the longhunter used short starters or not is now and likely will forever be a mystery.
But it doesn't matter - to me anyway. The short starter is an indispensable tool if you choose to load a rifle as I have learned, and that is to load a DEAD SOFT lead ball .005 " - .010" smaller than the bore diameter, and a tightly woven pure cotton fabric patch that is between .018" - .025" thick, saturated to the point of dripping with saliva or other appropriate patch lubricant. Loading this combination is greatly facilitated by polishing the sharp edges from the crown of the muzzle by rotating abrasive paper or cloth with the tip of your thumb back and forth a couple of dozen twists, and changing 180 degrees and repeating the process. this takes off the knife edges of the crown and allows the ball and patch to be swaged into the bore and grooves of the rifling. The patch must go to the bottom of the grooves with enough compression to imprint the weave into the lead. Material that is thinner than that that I have listed won't do that...the math won't add up.
Loading with this combination is very easy. Place the soaked patch on the muzzle, either in strip for cutting after seating the ball flush, or pre-cut disc or square, place the ball on the patch, sprue up, give the ball a smart whack with the butt of the starter handle, or with a short (1/4") brass pin fixed to the side of the handle, and this will seat the patch and ball flush with or just below the muzzle. Now the ball and patch are the same size as the inside of the barrel, and it is a simple matter to drive it down another five or so inches. the only reason for this 5" thrust is to make it easier for the ramrod to guide itself STRAIGHT down the bore making loading easy and avoiding breaking your ramrod. the ramrod, held in about 10" segments is used to finish loading until the ball/patch is seated firmly on the charge. You will know when you are there because it will stop. You are using some effort to load, and this is sufficient compression of the powder. Throwing the rod onto the ball is not only unnecessary but will affect your accuracy negatively.
With this kind of loading regime I shoot all day without ever having to wipe the bore - EVER! I clean the rifle back in camp or in my shop, and flush with tepid water only. My cleaning bucket will be only grey in colour. The only fouling in the bore is that that remains from the last shot and that which was in the chamber area during the day...that's it.
I feel very strongly about this process and have have many National and International trophies to attest to its validity. But I wouldn't ever criticize someone else's method. Use what works for you.
Oh yeah - starters. Great tool!!!