steveW,
i'm in the crowd that says "not so fast, mr. modern..."
there are some advantages to BP as a defense/offense weapon that begin right with the purchase - none of my BP are on any list, form, database and nobody even knows that i have them, so "when" the SHTF and they come to collect all those modern registered beauties, i'll be busy slipping out the back door all by myself.
another advantage to the BP system is BP itself... by that i mean as time goes by, i'd be able to make my own, melt lead and make my own, and even create percussion caps on my own... i seriously doubt that there will be boxes of .223 or 9mm just layin' around after "they" do the big sweep and round up (vis-a-vis Red Dawn).
my final point is a rebuttal to the "slow to reload" factor... i still get 9 x .44 plus 1 x 18ga (or .645cal) before reloading becomes necessary... add that to the 6 x .44 from a backup and 2 x .58 from a Howdah and civilians would definitely think twice before moving closer... military would be another matter, but i shouldn't be caught that close to the "enemy" in the first place.
over the long run, say 2-5 years, a BP weapon is less likely to break beyond repair and the necessary accessories are more likely to be available for basic hunting and defense... think about it.
:wink:
~dg~