Hi, I read your post, and I own a flintlock, and shoot it regularly so I thought I'd chime in.
I don't know about nova scotia, but in ON, you can hunt with your flintlock.
They are completely safe. When I first got my flinter, I took some blackpowder into the bathroom, turned on the fan, and tried to light some with a match.
That match and two others burned out. I had to get the long lighter we use to light the barbeque, and hold it directly on it for a few seconds. I was suprised at that, I turns out commercial black powder is corned, (pressed together under steel rollers into rock hard granules) and harder to get lit than you'd think. When it did go poof, I stunk up the bathroom like rotten eggs, but it went away pretty quick. Then I lit some more,.....several times.
It's really quite safe. Also lead is non sparking and you grease the patch and ball before you ram it down.
I like taking newbies shooting my "weak old flintlock" because they are often quite surprised at what kind of boom my .50 cal can generate.
Lethality is a given. A half inch pure lead ball, travelling 1500+ fps? I only target shoot, as I am in a wheelchair, but I'm told that a "through and through" is a given on deer, and a mostly on moose no matter what bones you hit.
Accuracy? It depends on your skill to begin with. If you can't hit the bottom of a coffee can at 80 yards freehand standing, it's not the guns fault.
Reliability? Spend a little time, and get to know your rifle. Make up powder charges in a bag of film containers, (free from the photo place), and you'll go boom every time sooner or later. I had no one to teach me, but soon found it wasn't as hard as I had read from internet "experts", who know everything, and claim to own everything.
I found the only trick was not pouring the priming powder too full and into the touchole slowing down ignition for a quarter second or so. With it just resting at the level of the touchole, ignition is instant, not like in the old hollywood movies. I also found I don't have to go crazy with the priming powder or I'll just develop a flinch from the priming pan fireball. Also, buy a CO2 EZunloader, to squirt the ball out if you forget to put the powder in first. It's easy and cheap at only 30 bucks and beats blowing out the barrel if you're lazy.
It's really all in the instruction manual that comes with your gun.
I "clean" between shots, but the internet experts forgot to tell me that all that is is a quick wipe with the swap that screws into the other end of my ramrod, and takes all of four seconds.
Because the barrel has this wedge thingy that taps out of the center, then the barrel just lifts out of the stock...it's actually my easiest, fastest gun to clean at night.
I toss a folded facecloth in my bathtub. I put the bottom of the barrel with the touchhole on the cloth so it stays put and doesn't scratch my tub. I drizzle a little shampoo down the barrel, then pour a little warm water in with the detachable showerhead.
One back and forth with the copper brush, and a rince with the detatchable showerhead till the water runs clear out of the touchhole. I let the water run out the touchole, turn it upside down to get the last few drops out, then a dry boreswab to dry, and a lubed boreswab to grease. (boreswabs cost a dollar, buy a couple)
I put the barrel back in the musket, and push in the wedge with my thumb, then tap with a hammer after wiping off the lockface, and I'm done, until my GF reminds me to toss the dirty facecloth in the laundry.
Takes five minutes on slow speed.
