Author Topic: How did it all begin for you? (Read 2635 times)

Rock Home Isle · « **on:** October 16, 2011, 11:05:14 AM »

I have come to believe that the Traditional Blackpowder Enthusiast is the result of a rare combination of personal experiences, reading, and some form of mentorship that brought about an individual interest in this wonderful sport/activity.

How did it all begin for you?
What is your story?
What is it that brought about your participation in Blackpowder as a traditionalist?

I know how I was brought into the fold. And once I was bitten by the smokepole bug, my father soon followed suit as well. I'll post my story at a later date, I'm more interested in your story of what brought you into the fraternity of this sport.

-aim small miss small-

IronBrigade · « **Reply #1 on:** October 16, 2011, 02:54:27 PM »

I started hunting with my father-in-law, I would use my shotgun and he would hunt with his T/C hawken percussion. being a History nut I thought it would be kind of cool to hunt like our forefathers did, so I went out and bought a 50 cal. t/c renegade. I was hooked, now I have 3 percussion rifles and 1 flintlock, No longer do I take my modern guns hunting. This black powder stuff is addicting.

nessmuk101 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 16, 2011, 03:17:12 PM »

After hunting deer with regular firearms, I switched to a recurve bow and used that for a few years. I got a few and missed a few, but I enjoyed hunting with the bow.

I was at our local sportsman's club and some of us were shooting our bows, but down on the rifle range some people were shooting muzzleloader rifles. After our shoot was over, a few of us wondered down there to see what was going on. One of the men asked if we wanted to shoot, and after a short safety talk, I loaded and shot my first ML rifle. I was hooked.

About 2 weeks later, I sold the bow and put a T/C hawken flintlock on lay a way and got it in time for deer season. I never did get a deer that year, but I enjoyed my time with that rifle,and I joined the NMLRA. That was in 1970.

Now 41 years later, I go to about 5 or 6 rendezvous a year, shoot ML firearms all the time, and according to my wife, I have more black powder firearms that 3 people need.

It has been fun.

lakota · « **Reply #3 on:** October 16, 2011, 03:31:59 PM »

16 years ago I just wanted a rifle to hunt the muzzleloader deer season with so I ordered a Tradtions Hawken. After I recieved the rifle and shot it the blackpowder bug bit hard and it has since spiraled completely out of control. And to think tha if I had ordered some plastic stocked piece of crap instead all of the fun I would be missing now. Thankfully I have always had an aversion to plastic stocks

flintlock · « **Reply #4 on:** October 16, 2011, 03:49:09 PM »

I truly don't know where my love of history came from...I was born in 1955, the year Walt Disney came out with Davy Crockett, so I was nine in 1964 when Fess Parker came out with Daniel Boone...This had a huge impact on my life as I seldom missed an episode...I remember making my own rifle by attaching a board to an old broom handle and making a shooting bag out of old blue jeans...

At any rate, I read every biography in our school's library several times by the time I was in the 4th or 5th grade...I also remember visiting Williamsburg while in college and was fasinated by the Gun Shop...I first bought a CVA Kentucky rifle when I was 20 and still remember the first shot I took with that gun...I never was satisfied with that gun as I knew it wasn't really a proper Kentucky...

When I was 22, I went to work with John Deere out of their sales branch in Atlanta...My first job was teaching diesel engines, hydraulics, electrical systems and transmissions in their service training area, this was in 1977...

One weekend, I went to Stone Mountain and walked into a gunshop owned by the late Bob Watts...Bob is in Foxfire V as one of the featured gunsmiths...I mentioned I had always wanted a real flintlock and Bob happened to have one that fit me...I ended up buying that rifle, a .45 with a 42 inch Douglas barrel and Siler lock...

I still have that gun, have replaced the barrel with a .40 as in 1988 I built a .54 caliber flintlock...With these guns, I have killed my first wild turkey in 1979, my first muzzleloading deer (1977) as well as countless squirrels and other varmints...

It's also paid off in other ways...See when I built my own, my middle daughter (now 26 and married) was 5 years old...It took me 2 years to build that rifle and she spent many hours in my basement while I worked on that gun and told her stories of the exploits of Boone, Crockett, Kenton, Lewis & Clark, Andrew Jackson, Carson, Bridger, etc...

Well...I sparked her interest in history...She ended up being a North Carolina Teaching Fellow (a $6,500 scholarship a year)...Attended the University of North Carolina...Was offered full scholarships for her Masters at both Duke and Wake Forest...Was the only James Madison fellow in 2008 for the state of North Carolina (worth another $1,500 a semester while in grad school)....This past summer she also won scholarships to China and Hawaii to expand her experiences in teaching History and Civics...She teaches History in the Raleigh area...

For 25 years or so I have given talks on the American Revolution to local Boy Scout Troops and schools...I dress up in Colonial attire and tell stories or relate to the children about the battles of King's Mountain, Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse...The last thing I do is carry them outside and give a live fire (with blanks) so they can see how fasinating a flintlock is...One of these students ended up building his own flintlock and now hunts with it...He has recently gotten out of the Marines where he was a sniper for 2 tours...Currently he is working on becoming a Game Warden...

That's how I got started...Thanks for asking...

Swampman · « **Reply #5 on:** October 16, 2011, 03:55:59 PM »

In the late 1970s I went to J.C. Penny's in the mall and bought a CVA Kentucky Rifle kit. When finished it wouldn't hit an 8X10 sheet of plywood at 50 yards but it was pretty. I sold it and bought a T/C Renegade and on it went......

Semisane · « **Reply #6 on:** October 16, 2011, 05:16:48 PM »

My Story:
In 1961 a sixteen year old kid was wandering around a gun show in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, and came upon a table with a stack of funny looking rusty double barrel shotguns. These things had two hammers, two triggers, and a stick hung under the barrel. And boy, they were cheap. Well, that young fellow had been washing cars on week-ends for a buck a car and had money to burn. So he turned over thirty of his hard earned dollars for one of those things without knowing a thing about them, other than it looked to be about 20 gauge. The guy who sold him that gun sure had a funny look on his face - said something about "wall hangers".

Back home, the kid took the barrel off of the stock and cleaned up the wood with mineral spirits and rubbed it down with furniture polish. It looked pretty good. Then he rubbed the barrel down with fine steel wool and oil. Most of the rust came off and the barrels had a pleasing brown color. There was even a little engraving on the top rib between the barrels. The insides of the barrels was pretty rusty. So he began scrubbing it out with his shotgun cleaning kit, but the back end of both barrels seemed to be blocked with something. So he filled them with soapy water and began poking around. When he dumped the water out, a bunch of bird shot and black gook poured out of the muzzle. After a while he got them pretty clean, and with some more steel wool wrapped around a 20 gauge brush the were shiny and fairly smooth.

Now there was no way to put shells in the darn thing. No matter how hard he pressed those protrusions sticking out of the breech, the gun would not open. So he visited one of the several local gun smiths (remember when there were several in your area?)

The fine old gentlemen (well, he seemed old at the time) explained the intricacies of muzzle loading. He also replaced the nipples on the gun and inspected it thoroughly, at no cost. He said the gun was made in Belgium in the late 1800's. He sold the kid a can of Dupont black powder and a tin of percussion caps, and gave him a sock full of #6 shot.

"This is what you do" he said, "fill the cap of the powder can with powder, and dump one cap full down each barrel. Then ball up two or three sheets of toilet paper and shove them down on top of the powder with the ramrod and pack them tight. Then fill the powder cap with shot and dump them down. Then ball up another sheet of toilet paper and push it down to hold the shot in place. Put caps on the nipples and you're ready to go. Be sure to carry the gun with the muzzle pointed up as much as possible and don't c0ck it all the way until you're ready to shoot." Then he gave the kid an old Dixie Gun Works catalog and said "here, read this".

Well, that kid took the gun to the batture of the Mississippi River that same evening when the blackbirds were coming back from the grain elevator up-river to roost in the willows, and had a blast wingshooting blackbirds at twenty yards. HOOKED FOR LIFE! (And stayed up all night reading that Dixie catalog.)

keith44 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 16, 2011, 05:35:34 PM »

I remember exactly how I got hooked. It was the summer of 1978, I was 10. My father accepted a promotion and transfer back to our hometown. The guys he worked with pooled their money and bought him a CVA "St Louis Hawken" kit (percussion). We moved, got settled, and spent several weeks together building that rifle. Browned the barrel after many hours of sanding the flats (emery cloth wrapped around a file and used like a draw file). The finishing of the stock was done with sanding blocks that formed to the contours. When the gun was finally finished we took it to the family farm, dad loaded it per the instructions in the booklet that came with it, then grinned and handed it to me for the first shot. He said aim at that bare spot on that dead tree over there (about 50 yards away). I cocked it, put the cap on the nipple, aimed and BOOM. When the smoke cleared, literally, there was a neat little hole in the center of that bare spot on the old dead tree. Been shootin' em ever since.

Oh and that old Hawken? Dad still uses it every year.

Bubber · « **Reply #8 on:** October 16, 2011, 07:02:58 PM »

My dad started trapping coyotes in about 1969 or so. He had always been interested in the mountain man era and the trapping thing lead to an intrest in Muzzleloaders. Between work, family, and all the things that take up a mans time, plus the family farm, the 2 kentucky long rifles he built got hung on the wall and stayed there long after I came along in the early 80s. I started tagging along with him on the traplines by age 5 or 6 and became interested in the same time perod. Dad let a little 4 foot me shoot that 5 foot rifle and it started the fire. He also took me to my first rondy, a few years later I got my own and have ver looked back. Then I met a friend in college who also shot muzzleloaders and ran the rondy circuit pretty hard. While I still don't hunt much with them I hit 3 or 4 rondys a year, trap in the winters, and enjoy every second of it.

P.A. Myers · « **Reply #9 on:** October 16, 2011, 10:25:11 PM »

In the Fall of '77, Thompson/Center put Hawkens on sale. That year a lot of Christmas trees had Hawkens under them. About a year later I got one of these in a trade involving several guns. I was mostly interested in a Winchester shotgun that was part of the deal. Some lucky guy had shot this Hawken and then put it back in the box,dirty. It cleaned up pretty good, so I felt I should shoot it before I sold it. I got some supplies [real black powder!] and took it to the woods. I was amazed, this is not a toy. The smoke and flames are a big thrill too. I decided to keep that Hawken. I soon realized if I got a revolver I could fire six times before reloading. I was young and poor and glad you can shoot these very cheaply. I had to buy powder and caps, but I could scrounge everything else. I quickly found that I could not go shootin with muzzle loaders and cartridge guns. The smokepoles don't get shot much.

Over the years the blackpowder stuff drifted to the back of the closet, then the back of the safe. This spring I was showing some guns to a friend and he spotted that pretty Hawken. He commented we should take it out next time. I rediscovered the thrill. After years of ripping massive amounts of lead downrange I find the slower pace refreshing with far less science intruding. When the big rifles fire you may still hear an echo of the Gold Rush.

I wonder about this flint thing.

Glanceblamm · « **Reply #10 on:** October 17, 2011, 04:17:07 AM »

It began in 81' because by that time, I had cheated myself out of four years of deer hunting as I never had owned or tried a smooth bore 12 ga that I cared to hunt deer with.

That new T/C was just the ticket but i have to admit to using a Maxi-ball the very first season because I was only getting a couple three shots between cleaning with the patched ball.

I got this ironed out (on the patched ball) by 82' with a wonderful brew called Moose Milk. The .50 would go on to take a very long string of one shot kills on the deer. This was enhanced as a muzzleloader club sprang up within reasonable driving distance and I would attend weekly shoots. Our woods walk targets were small and creatively placed which meant that when deer season came around, it might as well have been an elephant as far as hitting the vitals.

The woods walk shoots & the Seneca runs taught us how to reload quickly just with the possible bag's on our person. I did get to attend one NMLRA national shoot which was held in Trenton, Iowa in the 80's...I shot 3rd in my flight and 3rd in the finals if I remember correctly. By this time, and with the Wifes help, I owned a full set of Buckskins made from Tandy Leather materials and patterns along with some muslim shirts of that era.

The whole experience sure does bring one back to their roots and teaches one the likes of still hunting and waiting for that shot.

keith44 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 17, 2011, 08:19:52 AM »

Quote from: P.A. Myers on October 16, 2011, 10:25:11 PM

...

I wonder about this flint thing.

even more fun, picked up my first flinter about three years ago

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #12 on:** October 17, 2011, 08:41:27 AM »

Va. opened the BP deer season. I traded for a TC Renagade kit. Built it , read the instruction on how to load and shoot. Killed a deer the first year and a turkey soon after. I enjoy hunting with a ML

lakota · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2011, 09:08:13 AM »

PA Myers-thats a nice truck that rifle is leaning on!

Hooker · « **Reply #14 on:** October 17, 2011, 08:04:29 PM »

I was 10 one of my dads army buddies gave me an old antique half stock 40 cal rifle. The wood was cracked , the barrel was pitted and the nipple was missing.
Dad cleaned it up and replaced the nipple it shot OK and dad deemed it safe. I killed a lot of bullfrogs squirrels and rabbits with it. At that time there were not any deer or turkey to speak of in this part of the state. So all my big game hunting was confined to dillers, coons and the occasional coyote that was unlucky enough to get in range. Range wasn't much with a patched round ball and 20 gr of fff black powder. I've burned a lot of powder since then, I even went all modern for a few years with them evil inlines

But I came back to the traditionals them inlines are alright but they lack the cool factor of a real gun. I've built one southern long rifle flinter in 36 she my favorite and now I'm gathering parts for another one in 45 with cap lock. I've customized a lot of factory guns over the years, last year I finished a 45 cal Hawken that will be with me this muzzle loader season. And I still can't get enough of these things

Pat

Ron T. · « **Reply #15 on:** October 18, 2011, 06:09:04 AM »

I was doing a bit of centerfire rifle shooting at the local rifle range when another shooter shooting a Hawken cap-lock from the bench next to mine and I began talking about shooting, rifles, etc.

Finally, he asked me if I would like to shoot his Hawken and, naturally, I said, "Sure!". I had never fired a muzzle-loading rifle and wanted to try the "experience". After a few soft "pushes" (recoil) from his .45 caliber Hawken and a few whiffs of the big clouds of black powder smoke, I was "hooked"!

Within a few weeks, I purchased a new .50 caliber, commercially-made flintlock long rifle and after shooting it for a year, I happened on a good buy ($25) in a used .50 caliber, 28" barreled Hawken caplock in decent shape (easily removed light surface rust on the barrel made it that cheap). Then the opportunity came along to buy a like-new, shorter barreled (24" vs. 28"), lighter (6½ lb. vs. 7¼ lb.) Hawken caplock .50 caliber rifle for hunting for $100... and I bought that little carbine as well.

That was several years ago... and I rarely shoot anything but my traditional cap-lock or flint-lock black powder rifles anymore 'cause they're so much fun to shoot.

Jus' my 2¢...

Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

spooked · « **Reply #16 on:** October 19, 2011, 07:33:35 AM »

Went to see an acquaintance on business back in '70 him and 'is brother were shooting his brothers .45 TC Hawken...asked me if I'd like to shoot it...Still in my earlie twenties I had steady hands and better than 20-20 vision ...long story made short I outshot them...Wasn't able to get my first one til '85..have several now..

streak · « **Reply #17 on:** October 19, 2011, 09:00:13 AM »

It started at a very young age for me!
Just as soon asI started to read back in the late 40`s and early 50`s, I read books by James Fennimore Cooper and there were always references made about flintlock muzzleloader rifles which I found to be interesting and continued to read all kinds of books both fiction and non fiction about the French Indian Wars , American Revolution, etc.
All of these books had numerous dialogues about muzzleloader rifles and shotguns! Well in 1974 after a stint in Australia I was transferred to Denver, Colorado. After my six month resident requirement was met I started to hunt in Colorado. Well blackpowder hunting was really getting cranked up again, so one day I was in Woolworth store in the Buckingham Square shopping center and decided to purchase a .50TC Hawken and then it really started.
I now have muzzleloader rifles from .32-62 caliber, and shotgun barrels from 20 - 12 gauge ! I have muzxzlwloader pistols from .36-54 caliber.

Ladobe · « **Reply #18 on:** October 19, 2011, 09:04:31 AM »

As a student and collector of Native American and Mountainman era culture and artifacts, I started attending pow wows in the 60's. When TC came out with their Hawken model, because of those interests I bought a couple just for something new to shoot, and that soon lead to using them for all types of hunting. About 4-5 years later I met John Prazen and Jeff Hengesbaugh at pow wows, and started doing mountainman rendezvous in the Rocky Mountains and later in the Spring Mountains in Nevada. The last years I hunted I only hunted predators and varmints, and only used my traditional muzzleloaders dressed as my mountainman persona. I got strange stares from some of the landowners I had routinely done ADC for when I showed up as a mountainman, even though I had never worn camo for P&V hunting. But when the smokepoles produced almost as well as the modern rifles and specialty handguns had they accepted the quirks of an old man who wanted to go back to the basics.

Rock Home Isle · « **Reply #19 on:** October 20, 2011, 01:48:07 PM »

I got my 1^st gun when I was 4 years old, it was Daisy BB gun, but to me it was a true weapon to be reckoned with. By the time that I was in Junior High School I had a .22 rifle, a 20 gauge shotgun and a .270 rifle. There were huge tracks of land behind my home back in those days. You could find me out there most days after school or all summer long, where I’d be hunting, fishing and living off the land. During the summer, I would be gone for days at a time, in winter during the school year….I would mostly be gone over the weekends or during holidays. It was a great place to grow up.

When I went to Junior High School, I discovered the school library where I came across a whole section of interesting books. These books covered western history in the area where I live and my Home State of Montana. I read the biographies of Jim Bridger, Kit Carson and Jeremiah Johnson to name only a few. There were also books on the battles that were fought in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and a detailed book on the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery.

I started a small trap line and ran it from the ‘70s to ’96, when Colorado changed its trapping laws. The trapping line always gave me the sense of being back in time and filled my mind with images and thoughts. That old trapline of my youth paid for many pounds of powder, shot, and more than a few additions to my budding firearms collection. This was back in the day when quality Coyotes and Foxes in the round easily brought a $100.00 dollar bill, Racoons averaged $50.00 to $60.00 a pelt, and Muskrats could bring as much as $8.00 to $10.00 each. I made more money in a few months of trapping than my friends made in a whole year working at their part time jobs. It was hard work and very rewarding.

One day I was in a pawn shop and I saw a CVA Mountain Rifle in .50 calibre hanging on the wall behind the counter. I bought that gun for $85.00 and the proprietor told me all that he could about shooting it and taking care of it. He knew the basics, but there was so much that I found he didn’t know. I then discovered the most awesome Blackpowder store… in the city of Ft Collins there used to be a store called Cache LaPouder Rifle Works…it was huge, it was awesome, and it was all blackpowder and buckskinning. It was through the men in that store that I learned how to shoot my rifle and take care of it in a more proper fashion.

With my blackpowder rifle in hand, I hunted the many fields behind my house…prairie dogs composed most of what I hunted, but I took many squirrels and rabbits as well. It was during this time that I also got my dad interested in blackpowder and we soon had a small arsenal of rifles and pistols to choose from when we went afield.

Then I met a man by the name of Fred Newcomb (sp), he had a small home business shop in Loveland called Lone Elk Trading Post. Fred was a 5 time state muzzle loading champion, and he taught me better methods of how to take care of my firearms and how to improve my accuracy when shooting and competing. He taught me how to load and shoot a smooth bore and how to pattern and develop hunting loads. He knew so much about this sport.

Over the years since those early days I have shot mostly blackpowder firearms. I’ve taken every kind of small game, including ducks, geese, pheasants and quail with a front loader. The 2 biggest elk that I have ever taken were harvested with muzzleloaders and I really have no idea how many deer that I have taken since I started hunting with blackpowder.

These days I’ve focused on the F&I and early Revolutionary War time periods and I enjoy the Rondies. I've outfitted myself in the gear and accoutrments of an Eastern Longhunter. It’s been an awesome experience. I have met and made many great friends that are members of the Blackpowder Fraternity.

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #20 on:** October 21, 2011, 07:23:06 AM »

Growing up all my brothers loved hunting, westerns, and camping. We played cowboys and indians frequently. I always admired and respected the Native Americans' ability to "do more with less". I developed an interest in primitive skills. Something seemed missing in that I knew I had no native blood in me and as such knew of none of my own "kin" that I could admire.

Then I was introduced to Jeremiah Johnson! I loved that movie. And because of that movie I asked for a .50 caliber Hawken for Christmas/Birthday. To my surprise, my brothers and parents pitched in and got me a Fox River .50. I loved that gun until the moment I shot it!

Then I learned to despise it. I read, and read, tried patched balls of every combination of patch, lube, and powder charge. I tried maxis, minis, and sabots. I could not keep shots on a paper plate at 50 yards to save my life.

To make matters worse cleaning it was a royal pain as the jag would often stick in the breach and I'd break ramrods left and right. And of course, since the only propellant I had access to was Pyrodex, misfires could be counted on.

I never hunted with that gun. Hung onto it for some years, but almost swore off blackpowder. The only thing that kept my interest was the fact that this gun was so terrible that I simply did not believe that any frontiersman in their right mind would trade in a bow and arrow for a weapon of such poor accuracy and reliability. Logic told me that this could not be the usual experience for a black powder gun.

After my first job after college my wife and I decided we could afford a Lyman GPR. WOW what a difference! I was astounded at how all my problems seemed to be cured by simply purchasing a different gun. I shot that gun so often that I began to feel more confident with that gun than with my .30-06. So for the next 10 years I hunted only with a muzzle loader.

I got into flintlocks through my exposure to a local ML club, in which there were a lot of flintlock shooters. I got a .32 Pedersoli Kentucky rifle. That was one sweet gun. It was he!! on squirrels.

keith44 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 22, 2011, 09:54:03 PM »

Quote from: Black Jaque Janaviac on October 21, 2011, 07:23:06 AM

... I got a .32 Pedersoli Kentucky rifle. That was one sweet gun. It was he!! on squirrels.

Yes sir they are!!!

fistmil · « **Reply #22 on:** November 11, 2011, 02:05:06 PM »

At the ripe old age of 13 in the mid sixties I saw an ad in the back of Outdoor Life magazine. It was for a flintlock pistol kit.
The gun was a 44cal CVA . The kit cost less than $20.00. I ordered it with money saved up from cutting lawns and have been hooked ever since.

Rock Home Isle · « **Reply #23 on:** November 13, 2011, 01:17:14 PM »

I well remember those old CVA pistol kits...mine was the Philadelphia Derringer Kit that I built with my dad when I was 12...

We also went onto to complete the Colonial Pistol...Great times.

fistmil · « **Reply #24 on:** November 13, 2011, 02:04:11 PM »

I think mine was the Colonial Pistol. It was 44 cal. , flintlock with a 5 inch octagon barrel.

tacklebury · « **Reply #25 on:** November 13, 2011, 03:42:56 PM »

Mine was shooting the Colonial my grandpa made. I shot lots of rocksalt up cats rears with it too! Got sick of cleaning up garbage hehe

It's my underarm carry back-up for finishing during muzzle loading season.

gatorshooter · « **Reply #26 on:** November 14, 2011, 04:04:32 PM »

I was about 7 or 8 and My grandfather's brother found out that I was into anything firearms related and he was a collector of old muskets. When he was in his last days at the hospital he asked my grandfather to go to his house and pick out one of the muskets for me from his collection. I only saw his gun room once and it was impressive! I ended up with a very old caplock smooth bore wall hanger. I would sit in my room and just imagine the stories that old musket could tell. When I went to college my uncle gave me a cheap 50 cal. it had a ugly stock and a hammer that was directly in line with the bbl. the trigger was horrible. but I shot it anyway and found that it could hit with patched balls if I did my part. after college I got a chance to elk hunt in colorado, Muzzle loader only and that year it had to be a traditional styled ML and Iron sights only. So I purchased my TC grey hawk 50 cal. got a local gunsmith to install a williams peep sight on the rear of the bbl and I finally had a traditional styled rifle that reminded me of those days dreaming with that old musket. I did get a shot at a rag horn bull after my hunting partner missed with his ML and the bull was running full speed up through some aspens I pulled up placed that bead between his shoulder blades and squeezed the trigger, after the smoke cleared I perfectly centered a nice aspen tree in front of the bull. the bullet didn't even exit the tree. but I have been hooked ever since. It is one of my most favorite firearms. and as long as it isn't raining I trust it to get the job done. I still have that old musket, the cheapo, and my grayhawk. I have put deer meat in the freezer the last 3 years with my gray hawk and It will shoot where you point it.

JBlk · « **Reply #27 on:** November 15, 2011, 01:17:45 AM »

I grew up during the Walt Disney shows of Davey Crockett and the flintlock rifle facinated me.While walking to school I observed a gun rack full of original flintlock rifles at the local IH dealers shop and I stopped and looked at these rifles many times.This was during the mid fifties and the rifles were in an unlocked rack and the owner didn't seem to mind us kids looking his rifles over.When I graduated from school I did my hitch in the service and returned home and found employment in a nearby city.In a neighboring community they had a large steam show every fall and one of the displays was a man with a flintlock rifle that he had made himself.I lingered at his site until he asked me if I wanted to try a shot and when I mounted the rifle and fired that shot I was hooked for life.My first rifle was a minuteman made from a kit that I got on a vacation to Dixie Gun Works and my arsenal has grow considerably over the years.Those blackpowder weapons have given me untold enjoyment in both their beauty and application, and my experiences have been much richer because of their use.

b44mag · « **Reply #28 on:** December 02, 2011, 04:21:32 PM »

i was 12 just passed my test that year and my neighbor was going to take me deer hunting for the first time. he took me to the range to shoot about a week before late flintlock season. he pulled this big gun out of a leather fringed sock i looked at it and ask him what was this and he said a fine gun i scratched my head cause i never saw this kind of gun. i was using a single shot 12ga. for everything. did not go deer hunting just small game my dad was not a hunter. so my neighbor had a t/c flinter and showed me how to do all the stuff you do and i shot it for the first time and was like wow thats cool we shot that gun for about 2 hours that day i was ready at least thats what i thought. so dad talked to him and he said i was ready to go with him deer hunting. dad gave me the safty talk and the ok to go. we got into the woods way before first light got all set up in the pines. about 2 hours after light a deer came walking to the left of us and randy my neighbor said get ready shes going to walk right in front of us. well she did i got a shot but it did not go off as quick as it did at the range. after the smoke drifted away i was like did i hit her he said no and laughed at me said now your a hunter congrats on your first miss. about that time i herd a shot to the right of us. being my first hunt i wanted to see if the next guy got her. he did and there was a fresh bald spot across her neck i nicked her but did not draw blood jst wet like a scratch thats not bleeding but fresh. we went back where i shot at her and there was a lil bit of hair on the ground in the snow. i had a few guns after that and one day about 6 years ago i was thinking of buying a new 243 bolt gun and saw a flintlock on the rack caught my eye a a short 50cal. traditions buckskinner with grey and black lamanated stock. i picked it up pulled it up and FELL IN LOVE with my first flintlock. it just felt right i know its nothing spiecal but it has shot great for me and its one of my favorite guns to this day and i get bored pretty quick almost bought a t/c but thought why this one shoots great. i just got it out last week shot it to make sure its on for late season and going to take it hunting in the morning for first day firearms doe n buck.
its going to be brisk 24* and dry here and thoght yep its a black powder day. also got my longbow ready but the blackpowder gun won.
can just imagine the guys faces when i show up with the flintlock in the morning.
hope i get a shot and no freak rain in the afternoon snow would be nice though
going to sit at this big pine where i saw 7 the other day in shooting range but doe were not in yet. its great to read all your stories.
safe hunting to you n yours
b44mag
im still kicking the t/c flinter around in my head but have not took the plunge yet

222 · « **Reply #29 on:** December 03, 2011, 04:25:22 PM »

In the 70s a school teacher hunted our farm with muzzleloader he had a dbl 12 ga and a .45 Hawken style rifle. With shotgun he took several upland birds but only one deer that I remember. He was laughing stock of the ranch but startes a spark for muzzleloader for me. I took a community ed class in Wis about 1990 and bought first rifle 18 yrs ago and could never get it to shoot very well for me. Then a turn barrel fifty at Cabela's but man was that heavy but shot well but sold it. An primitive deer hunt and little cash bought a CVA inline shot several deer with it but it wasn't traditional as I wanted do sold it, bought another one on sale shoot a doe with it wanting a traditianal rifle I gave it to a missionary/pastor friend. Then I won on NAHC "click and win" A&H inline was nice to the eye but poor performace. Traded A&H for T/C and CVA we still us. Finally I bought a .45 CVA mountian rifle to hunt turkey with but remembering finding a couple of deer shot but not recovered by the school teacher I traded it for Lyman .54 GPR. 5" of fresh snow on the ground, I hope to hunt with GPR after Church tomorrow and maybe harvest my first traditional deer.