In general the best to use is true black powder, as that is what they were designed to use. I have used GOEX powder for many years with great results. That is assuming that it is a conventional muzzleloader.ie. a caplock of flintlock gun. The modern in-line guns work well with the synthetic powders as do some of the older style guns. If you could tell me the brand and model as well as the caliber, and what you were looking to do with the gun ( hunting, target shooting, plinking for fun) I could give you recommendations on brands of powders as well as load date that would get you started.
modern smokeless powder
Know Your Muzzleloader. Primitive hunting arms include the muzzleloader ... Black powder is the onlytype of powder that should be used in muzzleloaders
modern smokeless powder.
modern smokeless powder.
rust
They are called muzzleloaders simply because the powder and bullet are loaded from the muzzle end of the gun, Here is a page from WIKIpedia that may help answer.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzzleloader
you could use baking powder but its best to use dry active yeast
In the technical sense no it is not loaded via the muzzle of the gun, black powder revolver is accurate as terms go, but they do fall under the blanket of "muzzle loader" in general terms.
FFFG
"Best" is a subjective term that depends, among other things, on your skills, intended use, pocketbook, "feel" of the weapon, etc..
The best use of soapstock is to make varieties of soap out of it. Soap is used all over the world so it should be exportable. You can turn soap stock into powder by letting dry out and then itÊcan be ground into powder form.
Instead of aluminum powder you could use German dark or Indian blackhead.