Definetly keep knocking on wood. I bought a Traditions 50 cal with double set triggers for $40 because it had a ball stuck. I thought "no problem, this is simple and easy and I'll just pop the breach plug and have that out in no time". I'd done that with inlines that got damp a dozen times. Breech plug would not budge and I was not going to use a torch on a loaded rifle.
No problem, one of those little mantainence kits I'd bought had a ball puller. You've got to keep some serious pressure on one to get the puller to dig into the ball, which can be nerve wracking when you don't know if it's stuck because the powder got wet (which may have dried out by now) or hopefully was just loaded with no powder. Finally got the puller to bite and couldn't get the rod to budge, broke my "T" handle pulling on it. I was lucky to get the ball out since when I went to unscrew it off the puller half the screw stayed in the ball. So the rifle, a new T handle and a new bullet puller and a new nipple I still came out to the good I think, but wouldn't want to do it again. Luckily the new ball puller is still sitting in the package.
45 seems like a good minimum. Until we had an elk season I don't think we had any caliber minimums. For deer, other than airguns, it's still "no more than 10 round magazine, not full auto and no FMJ or tracer", so I could legally hunt with a 25 Auto and 35gr XTPs! Muzzleloaders of any caliber are kosher. This leads to a few idiots with cap and balls out there.
I think 13/16ths is the diameter/width of the 32 barrels I was looking at. The 36 would be lighter. I got two Traditions that are basically the same model, one 50 and the other 54. I like the way the 54 balances better, not as nose heavy. I got triggers and a lock, next things a barrel I guess and I'm going to try to make a stock. The 32's powerful enough and the 36 is not overkill, so it'll probably boil down to what I catch on sale first. That and I got 15 other projects at any given time.