Skeptics about m/l chokes should look into V. M. Starr's little book, "The Muzzle Loading Shotgun, It's [sic] Care and Use". The book is reproduced on several websites.
Starr was a master of the jug choke. 85% patterns at 40 yards were not unheard of.
Jug-choked muzzle loading shotgun barrels are exceptionally easy to load because the choke's constriction is relative to the choke's recess. The only "shooting problems" that jug-choked barrels routinely have that I know about are that they very often do not group round ball loads consistently and that they do not always accomodate shot bandages and one-piece plastic wads well.
I think that treblig is referring to the old adage: "Much powder, little lead; shoots fast, much spead. Little powder, much lead; shoots far, kills dead." There is a lot to this adage, and not just with muzzle loaders.
I recommend that anyone who is even remotely interested in m/l shotguns look up a copy of V. M. Starr's book. The book contains a fair amount of good information and Starr's writing hearkens back to a time and a breed of men that are now (sadly) long gone.
