I would recommend a caplock as a first time "traditional' muzzleloader; quite a few can be found in the used gun racks now that the inline craze has taken over- they are a little more 'forgiving' with re: to misfires. As far as patched round balls vs conicals: a lot depends on the rate of twist; the slower the twist (1:66", for example), the more of a "round ball shooter" the gun is.
As far as patches go, the thickness is determined by bore size and ball size. For example, in a .540 barrel, the patch should be .010 for a .530 ball.
While you can use BP substitutes such as pyrodex, I would recommend that you use loose powder and not the pellets that everyone seems so fond of.
For a hunting rifle, I would recommend a .50 or .54 cal. weapon.
In addition to patches, balls, caps and powder, I would recommend a short starter, measure, wedge pin puller, worm, ball puller, and nipple pick.
I'm sure the other guys that frequent this forum can give you some more advice.......keep up posted and feel free to ask questions!
