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There has been a few threads just like this. The guys at the store will be more than happy to seel you 500 bucks worth of seldom used accessories. There is the bare minimum, the pretty handy, the seldom used but nice to haves, and thhe "what did I buy that fors"

Real black powder, 2fg or 3fg. If you get 3fg, you can get by with thhat in the pan as well.

round balls, .490 0r .495

patches, perhaps 10 to 15 thousandths

use spit for lube cheap, always have it with you etcc. liquid cooking oil works well too

a powder measure. preferrably adjustable 50 to 100 grains

ball starter

a paper clip, to use as a touchhole pick.


an extra flint, a ball puller, pliers swcrew driver, range rod, tackle box to carry stuff, powder flask or horn, priming horn, extra flint leather, tool to knapp the edge of the flint, cleaning patches, bore cleaner, gun oil, the list can go on and on.

One of the things about muzzleloader shooters, we tend to take pride in making things for ourselves. Ball starter, ball block, ball pouch, possible bag, powder measures etc, are all relatively easy to make. Take and antler spike and drill it out for a measure, (or just use an old cartridge case.) A ball starter is as simple as a knob fastened to a stout dowel Where in central pa are you? I believe Blue Ridge has their Labor Day rendezvous in 9 days You could visit those shooters annd get some pointers, and maybe even pick up some equipment from a trade blanket.
Of course, that is just a skip from Dixon's.

 

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well soupe, I have used a ball puller a fair number of times. Never had a problem with them. Used them to unload guns purchased at auctions, flea markets etc, You have to push a bunch of powder through a touch hole to get enough to push a ball out. In addition, I am not always at a safe place to shoot a ball. Some times the old nipples are clogged and stuck. There is a host of reasons to be able to pull a ball. The one i use is a screw thread on one end and a machine thread on the other. The bolt end threads into the ram rod end, the screw end is placed down against the ball. turning the ram rod causes the screw to imbed itself into the lead ball. When it is screwed into the ball, you pull the ram rod, and if you have the screw threaded into the ball, the patched ball will come out. You do need a sharp end on the screw threads.

I used my ball puller just a few weeks ago, to pull a load out of an old muzzleloader shotgun a buddy bought. Even trying to put some powder under the nipple of an antigue to shoot out the load could be dangerous. The ball puller, yanked the wads out just fine.

 

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As someone above indicated, if you have one that is too fine, it will simply strip the lead and be impossible to pull. I have had very good luck with them. It usually takes longer to locate the ball puller in my possible bag than to pull the ball. Takes about 2 minutes to pull a ball, if that. But Soupe, I can understand that it is often easier to blow the ball out. And sometimes, there is a knack to using a tool or performing a task. For the life of me I have never been able to get the knack of soldering a copper pipe joint. For some people it is a piece of cake from age 12 on. (Thank God for PEX tubing.)