Hello from New Zealand

aussie pete said:

Sorry - not a flintlock hunter; percussion cap for me,

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Rudyard said:

Well another Kiwi hunter & very frank ,While the glory days of many getting into Muzzle loading mostly thanks to Tony Hawkins offerings ''Got to get the jokers shooting '' to quote him .may have past there are still bods like me shootings MLs and hunting with them. Some might have done more bush miles than Thomas Brunner & Ekehu me among them . Partly responsible ? perhaps a tad more ? but I admire your frankness .Since 1968 when I was culling in the Uraweras Iv'e only hunted with MLs or mostly . I did hunt with a bow and once a WR Improuved Martini in No 2 Musket .heavy brute !,Now I like light guns my pet being a 50 cal Flint rifle made to be 5 pounds mid 18th English provincial though I have made long rifles but the only one I used was in Canada and I was fitter then .Well welcome indeed ,where abouts ? Ime Nelson way theirs a few worthys Top end shoot MLs ,from the listed tally your well south of me . Don't know if I can muster much in the' wise council department' but I never had a gun blow up on me so might have a few clues & over the years in various country's have made over 200 guns only one a breach loader & that was a' Turn Off 'Flint rifle .great idea shot hard but too fiddley to reload in the bush (Never catch on!).
I think Southern mountain is useually plain jane I stocked up an old barrel and made one 40 cal new might been one other with an iron lid tool box I forget ( Ime pushing 80 your allowed too.)so that's two or three I suppose but I only made three with a new barrel. a patron brought in the Rice brl & suitable Stock blank to have me make a flint rifle' After' Peter ? Brong ..He's a keen hunter .Now the bsteds of the previous govt have made getting any thing in hard . But we have our Nicole so that rot might get Ar ed
Welcome to the forum .Regards Rudyard

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Bushfire said:

never too late to start down the right path you know

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Carlsen Highway said:

Hi Rudyard, I started out in the Ureweras my old man used to hunt around Lake Waikaramoana. Saw my first deer shot there when I was eight. But I have been down hunting Fiordland for twenty years now. When I was younger I used to idolise the deer cullers

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Rudyard said:

Quite right but its a slippery slope, Once on the flints its an addition that leads you to go to Snaphance's Miguelt's Wheellocks & then Matchlocks .Really serious cases have the shooter ( By then totally deranged ) trying Hande Gonnes ! Hmmm .
Rudyard who,s observed such things

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Bushfire said:

Please refrain, I do not need further temptation to part with money I don't have to spend!

I did consider a matchlock, but as I'm a hunter and not a target shooter it didn't feel as practical.

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Rudyard said:

Well your quite right no body in his right mind would go hunting with a common Match lock.I used a snap Matchlock a 54 rifled when I hunted Deer & ferrol goats with My matchlock . But I did in UK hunt Wood pigeons & Rabbits with a common smooth bore M lock ,& we used it at Country Shows such as Chatsworth House they mashed the clays good as any gun used even over the belt 'driven' . I think its a mind set thing .In the matchlock days they hunted " Will & his Sunday Goose" ect . We take up MLs as challenge from the patent Breach loaders ( Nasty things noisy. dont .smell right . no invigorating smoke !.Quite unbecoming too & unworthy of the consideration of a Gentleman ) But even rat bags like me managed the M locks in many NZ bush miles . 7 day wanderings where no novelty if today due to global warming the same forested Mountains are steeper than they used to be. Me pushing 80 may have been something to account for a bit .
Reminising Rudyard

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hbasajaun said:

Welcome,I am from Spain,I was hunting in NZ Seven times,wtih muzzloader and bowl,amazing place for hunting,I talke only rabbits and Canadá gosse ,shooted thars and chamois but I missed,

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Bushfire said:

Please refrain, I do not need further temptation to part with money I don't have to spend!

I did consider a matchlock, but as I'm a hunter and not a target shooter it didn't feel as practical.

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Rudyard said:

Well its not really so impractical I've hunted days at a time with my snap matchlock but it is a challenge or more of a mind set , comparable to a bow Ide say . Its got a 54 rifled brl but has a 50 cal smooth brl for MLAIC type target matches . I once shot at a ' Mountain man 'shoot at Kopara village '& aced it with my matchlock .Though I have never entertained any 'Hande gonne' ( Wouldn't be legal here on crown lands has to be a full bore rifle & long overall )could get round the length with a socketed shaft but not many rifled' Hande gonnes' ,Be all right on private lands I suppose I didn't go with the 'Twelve Apostles' idea I used a wooden Patron .Decidedly stopped short of the breast plate & Morrion caper Though it was Robinson Crusoe ish enough .
Rudyard

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