Quoted:
Shooting black powder .36 caliber will not happen 'on the cheap.' This is not to say that you shouldn't do it, but supplies and stuff will be that much more difficult to obtain.
You can probably get an old T/C Hawken in .50 caliber with the proper twist rate for Minie Balls. You can get molds for the balls and lube fairly easily if you don't want to buy them. They're more expensive than round ball, but once you find your load, they are a lot more accurate. You can get a mold for round balls and you can cut patches out of cloth, but you'll have to do some extra work to find a rifle with the right barrel for them. 1:48 twist should be typical for a .50 that fires conical bullets (Minnies). It will work with patched round ball, but it won't be as accurate.
Your best practice will be with a flintlock. The brief delay between when you pull the trigger and when the rifle fires will make you hold steady. You'll find yourself shooting cartridge guns much better because you're forcing yourself to hold steady. I shot cap locks. I didn't want to wait.
You should be able to get the T/C rifles fairly cheap, especially compared to .36 caliber. Then you will need a pile of other stuff. Range rod, powder measure, ball extractor, cleaning patches, you should get a powder flask with a built in measure (much easier), and a lot of other stuff that will nickel and dime you quite a bit.
I'm curious as to why you think .36 caliber is more expensive or hard to find??
You can get a properly built flinter to fire just as fast as a percussion. And nipples belong on a woman, not a man's rifle.
I'd recommend to staying away from TC or CVA. If you want a Hawken style, Lyman makes a nice one. Cabin Creek, Jim Chambers and several others make good longrifle "kits". If you wish to build one, I recommend Homer Dangler's videos.
I prefer longrifles.
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Ya gotta build the stuff that goes with 'em, too.
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