Hi Adam,
No question many hunters botch shots. I personally haven't seen the numbers of gangrenous shots you have, only one sheep several of us collaborated on a few years ago, but I disagree with you about muzzleloader accuracy.
Most shooters don't hardly spend a day at the range with their guns. Even my old 54 CVA years ago was capable of terrific accuracy, but if one doesn't practice one doesn't shoot straight.
Dutch Schultz, who I talked to at length about his booklet on accuracy with a round ball, had shooters that cut dimes if they would take the time to find the right combination of slickness necessary with patches.
Accuracy with muzzleloaders comes down to the shooter in my estimation, not the gun.
Aloha...
